Welcome to the Soteria Research blog! This blog will share updates from our research which explores how the Soteria approach could be introduced in the UK. Although there are currently no Soteria houses here, the Soteria approach is gaining momentum internationally for being a compassionate alternative to inpatient treatment.

Over the coming months, we will be exploring how the Soteria approach may fit into a UK system through interviews and focus groups.

You can read more about our study here: New research will explore the ‘Soteria’ approach as an alternative to psychiatric inpatient admission | Press Releases | Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS FT

What is Soteria?

Mental health services are a lifeline for many people who experience emotional distress, yet traditional psychiatric admission can sometimes feel like it is not the best fit. Hospital inpatient wards can be overwhelming, and a heavy focus on medication doesn’t suit everyone. Enter the Soteria approach – a radical rethink about how we support people experiencing extreme states (often called psychosis and bipolar).

Born in the 1970s thanks to the psychiatrist Loren Mosher, Soteria is built on one very simple, yet extraordinarily powerful idea: human connection heals. Instead of hospital wards and the typical medical model of mental health, Soteria houses offer a calm home-like space where people experiencing extreme states can recover in a supportive environment.

Main ideas:

• A home-like space, not a hospital: Soteria houses are small community-based residences designed to feel more akin to a family house than a hospital. The environment is calm and less restrictive, reducing the stigmatisation that can often occur on wards.

• Lived experience matters: People who have been through mental health challenges often understand best. Soteria houses are peer led, creating an underlying sense of compassion and understanding between staff and residents.

• Reduced focus on medication: Unlike psychiatric wards, where medication is predominantly the first point of action, the Soteria approach attempts to allow people to work through their experiences without medication where possible.

• Emphasis on human connection: No one is treated as something to ‘fix’ or a problem to ‘solve’. Staff are encouraged to simply ‘be with’ the resident and explore a shared meaning of their experience together.

The bottom line:

Soteria is not about rejecting psychiatry – it’s about offering a choice. Some people may find medication and hospitals helpful; others do not. Soteria provides a different way of doing things: one that prioritises autonomy, dignity, and truly human care. If the Soteria approach were to be introduced in the UK, it could potentially offer a choice to people as to how they would like to be supported.