Abstract
Objective: This research aims to develop an understanding of what it is like for women to live with psychosis. Few previous studies have focused on the experiences of women living with psychosis yet women have particular lifespan experiences that can be impacted on by psychosis. Therefore the aim of this research is to address this by providing rich qualitative data and an emergent grounded theory explanation of how women experience and live with psychosis. Design: This is a qualitative study. A semi-structured interview format was used to collect data and the data was analysed using a Grounded Theory approach. Participants: The participants were eleven women aged between twenty-four and sixty-nine who experienced psychosis. Results: The emergent theory suggested that for the women in this study moving on from psychosis was facilitated though positive relationships with professionals. The participants preferred to work with female professionals. The negotiation of self, identity and recovery in relation to experiences of psychosis is a complex and developing process that appeared to be facilitated by positive relationships. Conclusions: Positive relationships with female professionals are important to facilitate recovery for women who experience psychosis. Clinical implications and areas for future research will be considered.