As an Expert by Experience, influencer and ambassador, Marsha is committed to bringing about positive change within the mental health sector. She identifies as having a diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and physical health comorbidities. Marsha is a Churchill Fellow (2023) and a recipient of the President’s Medal from the Royal College of Psychiatry (2023).

After receiving life-changing mentalisation-based therapy (MBT), and with the support and recognition of those working with her, Marsha embarked on a venture to use her lived experience to inform policymakers and clinical staff and support service transformation in both physical and mental healthcare.

More recently, Marsha has initiated, organised and led a national Personality Disorder and Stigma project with key UK clinical, voluntary sector and policy leaders. Marsha occupies important advocacy and advisory positions including as an Ambassador and Peer Consultant for Centre for Mental Health, is the Vice Chair on the NHS Confed’s Mental Health Network and is the Expert by Experience for Equally Well UK.

She has sat on some of the most transformative boards and panels, including being a member of the governments Mental Health Act Review Team, a founding member of the Speaker Collective and the Lived Experience Group for Equally Well.

Marsha is also a national speaker on matters such as parity of esteem, personality disorder, stigma and discrimination. Having the opportunity to help others enables Marsha to remain positive and is essential to her wellbeing.

Rita Brown is a volunteer, founding board member and current President of the Australian BPD Foundation. The foundation is a volunteer led and run national charity that advocates for systemic change (state and federally) to enable a positive culture that supports the recovery and wellbeing of people with who have complex emotional needs, often associated with a diagnosis of ‘Personality Disorder’ (with or without experiences of complex trauma) and their families/carers. She has contributed to book chapters, research articles and presents at conferences and forums and to numerous state and national consultations and submissions.

Rita is also employed as an Associate Director Lived Experience Workforce and Advocacy/ Carer Consultant for Spectrum: specialising in Personality Disorder and Complex Trauma based in Melbourne, Australia where she draws on her lived experience of being a ‘carer’ to support other family members and regularly facilitates peer to peer interactive workshops for carers.