Over the past year, I’ve found myself thinking a lot about what’s really needed to make equity, diversity, and inclusion more than just a framework
Lucy Grist, Open Mental Health Project Coordinator
… something that genuinely changes how people experience support. I kept coming back to the same word: belonging.
So many of the people I’ve spoken with, whether accessing services or working within them, have shared something similar: that inclusion isn’t enough on its own. Without belonging, you can still feel like an outsider. A common misconception is that diversity must come first, but in reality, diversity follows inclusion, and inclusion is only truly possible when people feel like they belong.
That’s why I suggested expanding our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion workstream to EDIB: Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging.
It might seem like a small change, but it reflects something much deeper. It’s about building a culture where people feel like they’re valued, heard, seen, and safe enough to show up as themselves. Because without belonging, even the strongest EDI efforts can feel surface-level. When people feel they belong, everything shifts. They connect more deeply, contribute more fully, and grow within the space around them.
Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging naturally sit alongside our two golden threads to create a cohesive structure: Coproduction and Trauma-Informed Practice. Coproduction ensures those with lived experience aren’t just included—they’re central. Trauma-informed practice helps us create spaces rooted in trust, choice, and emotional safety.
And belonging?
Belonging is what makes all of that felt. It turns theory into lived experience. It creates the conditions where people can participate, collaborate, and grow.
When we weave these three threads together—EDIB, coproduction, and trauma-informed practice—we start to create something much more powerful than policy. We shape a mental health system that reflects the communities it supports. One that recognises the breadth of protected characteristics and works actively
to remove the barriers that still get in the way for far too many. One that feels accessible, inclusive, and human.
The Open Mental Health alliance is committed to that vision. We’re working together to challenge systemic inequalities, build inclusive workplaces and services, and ensure support is tailored, responsive, and genuinely welcoming. This is at the heart of OMH: partnership, community, and the belief that everyone in Somerset deserves to access the right support, at the right time.
I’ve seen what happens when someone finally feels like they belong, when they no longer have to explain or hide parts of themselves, and they’re simply met with kindness, understanding, and care. I’ve witnessed that shift in others, and I’ve felt the absence of it in myself. I know how much it matters.
That’s why this fits so beautifully within Open Mental Health. Belonging isn’t an add-on; it’s what makes everything else hold. It’s the bridge between inclusion and connection.
Through belonging, we move from service delivery to true connection… and that’s where real change begins.
Lucy Grist,
Open Mental Health Project Coordinator