User integration and extractivism of experiential knowledge: A critical perspective from the ecological model of knowledge in the field of mental health

This article criticizes the integrationist model of user participation in health and social services institutions in Quebec and France. This model is characterized by an extractivist relationship to knowledge derived from users’ experiences, as well as an individualistic, depoliticized, and non-confrontational vision of participation. Hearing voices support groups suggest a different relation to experiential knowledge, which we analyze using the “ecology of knowledges” model developed by Boaventura de Sousa Santos. The article is based on a literature review and empirical data from research conducted by the author since 2009 in the field of mental health.