Building bridges not silos: Accessible theoretical knowledge that continues to inform practice

A recent editorial on Psychreg Journal of Psychology (Lane, 2018) makes an argument for the importance of accessibility distribution and impact of scientific and psychological knowledge. Ultimately, academic and scientific knowledge ought to advance our practices and aims to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives, improving their overall well-being as well as developing an ability to recover, if illnesses have been experienced. This paper aims to explore and infiltrate reflections around the issue which necessitates the promotion of building bridges between these two areas: theoretical knowledge and practice, where all too often silos of academic and scientific knowledge have little or no effect at all in the real world. As highlighted by Lane, the rise of open access journals and social media platforms ought to be seen as a way to facilitate this process of dissemination and impact, helping to address some of the barriers that have historically prevented a vision of organic and interlocking systems working really together – rather than often seen working alongside in parallel – for and towards a shared aim. The thematic analysis identified four main themes: (1) promoting physical and psychological strengths; (2) promoting integrative educational services; (3) encouraging active engagement; and, (4) promoting relevant accessibility. Barriers and enablers are presented and discussed and how these main themes can be a starting point in guiding future discussions, research topics and ultimately more effective and affordable positive practices.