If you require mental health crisis support, please contact your local mental health services, your GP, or telephone 111 or the emergency services.

Welcome to the Course

The Power, Threat, Meaning Framework

The Power, Threat, Meaning Framework is a way of thinking about mental health. It was made  by a group of psychologists and service users with an interest in mental health. It gives you a way of understanding distress and emotional difficulties. This is done by looking at the bigger picture and the meanings you make of your experiences.

It says that these difficulties can be understood in several ways:

  • As meaningful responses to threats and abuses of power (being taken advantage of).
  • As attempts to cope.
  • As a way to show distress in the face of difficult life experiences.

This is instead of them being seen as ‘symptoms’ of mental health diagnosis.

Threat, meaning, strengths, response.