Lecturer (Programme Lead)
Contact details
Email snita.ahir-knight@otago.ac.nz
Research interests and activities
Snita (she/her) is a philosopher, mental health researcher, social worker, and trained child and adolescent therapist. She leads World of Difference | He Ao Whakatoihara kore, a lived experience-led education and research programme.
Find out more about World of Difference | He Ao Whakatoihara kore
She received a Degree in Social Work from Oxford Brookes University, a Master’s degree in Philosophy from the University of London, and a PhD in Philosophy from Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington.
Snita's research sits at the intersection of philosophy, ethics, mental health, and lived experience. Her work examines how we understand mental health and mental health challenges, and the ethical, social, and practical implications of different ways of understanding them.
A central focus of her research is lived experience as a form of knowledge and expertise. She is interested in how lived experience can contribute to research, teaching, and professional practice, and in questions concerning voice, power, expertise, representation, storytelling, and responsibility.
Her research interests include: philosophy of mental health and psychiatry; ethics in mental health; lived experience expertise; risk and harm; mental health stigma and discrimination; children, young people, and families; children of parents living with mental health and addiction challenges; mental health services and care; and health professional education.
Her academic work is informed by more than 15 years' experience across social work, community, not-for-profit, and mental health settings in Aotearoa New Zealand and the UK. She was previously a visiting research scholar in philosophy and a teaching fellow in ethics at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington.
Snita's work brings philosophical analysis into conversation with lived experience, professional practice, and community knowledge. She is particularly interested in research that is philosophically rigorous, ethically attentive, and relevant to the experiences of people and communities.
She welcomes enquiries regarding research collaboration, community partnerships, media engagement, and postgraduate supervision.
- Snita co-guest-edited a Special Issue for the journal Higher Education Research & Development on the benefits and challenges of integrating lived experience in higher education teaching
Visit the collection on the Taylor & Francis website - Scoping and developing a future research project on ethical considerations related to children of parents with mental health and addiction challenges
- She is on the Diversity Committee for the Australasian Association of Philosophy
Visit the Australasian Association of Philosophy website - Investigating the views of young people and clinicians on co-writing clinical notes
Resources
Reflective conversations
This resource is for people who walk alongside families navigating parental mental health or addiction challenges across clinical, community, and peer-support settings. It is not a toolkit. It is not a checklist. It is an invitation to reflect.
Breaking the silence series
In a four-part series written for Changing Minds, Snita Ahir-Knight reflects on her evolving journey of openness about her lived experience. Through these reflections, she challenges societal stigma, embraces complexity, and advocates for compassionate, inclusive ways of understanding.
Each piece offers a unique perspective on the process of becoming open. These writings are not only about one person's story; they are an invitation to consider the collective power of lived experiences in shaping change.
- Breaking the silence: Opening up about Lived Experience
Snita begins by sharing what led her to be open about her lived experience and the impact of embracing storytelling as a tool for healing and empowerment. - Breaking the silence: Making a difference through action, not words
Here, she reflects on the years she chose not to share her lived experience in professional settings, and how meaningful change can still happen through advocacy, leadership, and integrity, even without disclosure. - Breaking the silence: Finding meaning in words
Language is powerful. In this piece, Snita explores the terms she uses to describe her experience and why respecting the diversity of language in the lived experience community matters. - Breaking the silence: Honouring the quiet and sharing with care
The final reflection speaks to the responsibility of openness. That is, how to listen, hold silence, and care for ourselves and others in the process.
Publications
Ahir-Knight, S. (2026, August). From silence to recognition: Towards a theory of responsive listening. Philosophy Programme Research Seminar Series, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand. [Department Seminar]. Other Research Output
Ahir-Knight, S. (2026). Harm reduction in non-suicidal self-harm. Proceedings of the Australasian Association of Philosophy (AAP) Conference. Retrieved from https://aap.org.au Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract
Ahir-Knight, S., Parkinson, A., & Jackson, S. (2026, July). Research: Why, how, what? Panel discussion at the Supporting Parents Healthy Children National Forum, Wellington, New Zealand. Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs
Ahir-Knight, S., & Godfrey, H. (2026). Lived experience is often dismissed: But we should recognise it as a form of expertise. The Conversation. doi: 10.64628/AA.jygdpqf9y Journal - Research Other
McKenzie, S. K., Ramsden, G., Every-Palmer, S., Ahir-Knight, S., & Oliffe, J. L. (2026). 'It puts you at odds with society': Masculinity and men's experiences of mental illness stigma. Qualitative Health Research. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1177/10497323261450776 Journal - Research Article