Julian Raffay
A little about me:
My association with St Padarn’s dates to 2009 when I enrolled on the master’s. I value how the programme brings together chaplains working in diverse contexts and helps them discover the essence of chaplaincy. I really like the way the tutorial team combines academic expertise with informed insight as chaplaincy practitioners.
My working life has mainly been split between serving as a mental health chaplain and parish ministry. As Research Chaplain, I used grounded theory to explore mental service user and carer perceptions of treatment and care.
My DThM (Durham) explored coproduction in mental health services. Coproduction is an approach where people who use services and their carers are understood as having vital contribution in considering, planning, researching, designing, delivering, and evaluating services alongside professionals.
In my spare time, I enjoy the company of friends and hillwalking. My more solitary hobbies include photography, DIY, and computer programming.
My research interests
My research interests emerged from my mental health chaplaincy. I contend that the ethics of co-production creates an compelling case for redesigning services around peoples’ life goals and in combatting stigma. More recently, I am exploring coproduction’s relevance to chaplaincy.
Highlighted work
Member of the Editorial Board for Practical Theology, 2016 -.
2022 Raffay, J. 'Integrating spirituality as a dimension of practice'. In: Higgins, A., Kikku, N. and Kristófersson, G.K. (eds.) Advanced Practice in Mental Health Nursing: A European Perspective. New York: Springer, (in press).
2022 Raffay, J, McKeown, M, and Thornton, T (Eds.) Co-production in Mental Health: Towards equality in mental healthcare, Monmouth: PCCS Books.
2019 Bryant, D and Raffay, J, Co-production and Promoting Spiritual Wellbeing in Mental Health, in Chaplaincy and the Soul of Health and Social Care: Fostering Spiritual Wellbeing in Emerging Paradigms of Care, Ed. by Ewan Kelly and John Swinton. London: Jessica Kingsley.
2018 Raffay, J and Bryant, D, Spiritual Care: Understanding the Service User, Understanding Ourselves, in Essentials of Mental Health Nursing, Ed. by Karen Wright and Mick McKeown, London: Sage.
2016 Raffay, J, The Francis Report (2013): Neo-Pharisaism in the NHS? Health and Social Care Chaplaincy, 4.1, 20-34.
2016 Raffay, J, Wood, E, Todd, A, Service User Views of Spiritual and Pastoral Care in NHS Mental Health Services: A Co-produced Constructivist Grounded Theory Investigation, BMC Psychiatry. 16:200, DOI: 10.1186/s12888-016-0903-9