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He studied social sciences as well as medicine as an undergraduate, being particularly interested in critical theories of psychiatry. After working as a GP, he trained as psychiatrist, then as an NHS medical psychotherapist and group analyst – becoming a consultant in Berkshire in 1994, where he has been based since.
He received a mid-career award from the Health Foundation in 2002, and became Clinical Advisor to the English Personality Disorder Development Programme until it closed in 2011. At the Royal College of Psychiatrists, he was the founder of ‘Community of Communities’ quality network in 2002 and the ‘Enabling Environments’ award in 2008. He was a member of the 2009 NICE guideline development group for Borderline Personality Disorder, and is involved with several not-for-profit organisations in the field.
His particular clinical interests are modified therapeutic communities, ecotherapy, critical psychiatry, and co-creation with service users. The social enterprise he chairs, ‘Growing Better Lives’ won the 2014 sustainability award from the Royal College of Psychiatrists. He was appointed as Honorary Professor of Therapeutic Environments and Relational Health at Nottingham University’s School of Sociology and Social Policy in 2015.
Articles by the author
Babel Meeting. The democratic therapeutic community in the world today
Global Virtual Event A moment of meeting and discussion on the period we are going through, in the different corners of the world and an opportunity to dialogue on common interests to be developed in INDTC. HOW TO PARTICIPATE The Babel Meeting will begin Friday 7 May...
Considerations about the current situation in time of pandemic
We are living a terrible situation. Tragic. Fear, anxiety, loss, desperation and depressive thoughts are just some of the feelings I experience at times. They come in waves, contrasting with hope, serenity and the capacity to feel pleasure with small, important...
Underpinnings of the therapeutic community individualgroup dialectic, between clinical organisation and daily life
Abstract This contribution offers a general overview that departs, above all, from a relationship with the Mito&Realtà network, and describes the underpinning of the community architecture, highlighting the basic arrangement and internal articulations that work...
List of publications
- Pearce, S. & Haigh, R. (2017) A Handbook of Democratic Therapeutic Community Theory and Practice. London, JKP.
- Haigh, R. (2017) Therapeutic communities enter the world of evidence-based practice. British Journal of Psychiatry. 210, 313–314.
- Lees, J., Haigh, R. & Tucker, S. (2017) Therapeutic communities and group analysis. Therapeutic Communities: The International Journal of Therapeutic Communities. 38 (2), 87–107.
- Lees, J., Haigh, R., Lombardo, A., Rawlings, B., et al. (2016) Transient therapeutic communities: the ’Living-Learning Experience’ trainings. Therapeutic Communities: The International Journal of Therapeutic Communities. 37 (2).
- Haigh, R. (2013) The quintessence of a therapeutic environment. Therapeutic Communities: The International Journal of Therapeutic Communities. 34 (1), 6–15.
- Haigh, R. (2012) The philosophy of greencare: why it matters for our mental health. Mental Health and Social Inclusion. 16 (3), 127–134.
Haigh, R. & Lees, J. (2008) Fusion TCs: Divergent histories, converging challenges. Therapeutic Communities. 29 (4), 347–374. - Haigh, R. (2005) The trouble with modernisation: we need better relationships, not policies and procedures. Mental Health Review Journal. 10 (3), 3–7.