Mental Health
Advocacy
Learner Resource Book
e-learning hub
Mental Health Advocacy Learner Resource 01122023
© 2023 BEING Mental Health Consumers.
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Acknowledgment of Country
BEING would like to acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and
recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. We extend respect to Elders past,
present and emerging.
Australia was, is and always will be Aboriginal Land.
Funding
This project was funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services.
Visit www.dss.gov.au for more information.
BEING acknowledges and greatly appreciates the support provided by Department of Social
Services in the development of this resource.
BEING Co-design committee
Without the expertise of the following people, this project would not have been possible.
Thank you for your hours of work and dedication.
Frank Cohen
Sitota Keane
Kylie Smith
Tony Thiveos
Fiona (Noni) Mitchell
Elizabeth (Libby) Clinton
Shifra Waks
Lindsey Reilly
Stephen Smith
Jacinta (Dinda) Gardner
Melissa Joy
Jessica Atterton
Acknowledgment of Lived Experience
BEING recognises all people living with mental health issues and their diverse experiences of
emotional distress, for their strength and courage to challenge and face each day.
You are the driving force in the work we do.
Your voice matters and is greatly valued.
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Crisis Supports and information services.
BEING recognises recovery as a personal journey, defined in ways that are meaningful to the
individual. We aim to respect the uniqueness of recovery and acknowledge those living with mental
illness throughout our courses.
BEING courses often includes content that touch on the historical and contemporary experiences of
those with lived experience of mental illness and emotional distress.
You are the expert in yourself, your well-being, and your self-care. If you need someone to talk to
after completing this course, please consider the following support services available to you.
Beyond Blue- 1300 224 636
Website: https://www.beyondblue.org.au/
Lifeline- 13 11 14
Website: https://www.lifeline.org.au/about/our-services/
NSW Mental Health Line- 1800 011 511
Website: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/mentalhealth/Pages/mental-health-line.aspx
Suicide Call Back Service- 1300 659 467
Website: https://www.suicidecallbackservice.org.au/
Blue Knot Helpline- 1300 657 380
Website: https://blueknot.org.au/survivors/blue-knot-helpline-redress-support-service/
Copywrite Disclaimer
BEING Mental Health Consumers does not give a warranty nor accept any liability in relation to the
content of this work. The information provided by BEING Mental Health Consumers in these course
materials is for general educational purposes only. All course materials made available to learners
may be used by students enrolled in the relevant subjects for educational purposes only.
Course materials may not be reproduced for any purposes, including commercial purposes, without
prior written permission from BEING Mental Health Consumers, except to the extent permitted
under the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth).
© 2023 BEING Mental Health Consumers.
Reference
To reference this resource please use the following protocol: BEING Mental Health Consumers.
(2023). Mental Health Advocacy, (Learner Resource), Sydney, Australia.
Mental Health Advocacy Learner Resource 01122023
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Crisis Supports and information services. ................................................................................................... 3
What is Mental Health Advocacy? ................................................................................................................. 6
Who are mental health advocates? ............................................................................................................... 6
What do Advocates do? ................................................................................................................................... 8
What makes a good advocate? ...................................................................................................................... 9
Advocacy Principles ....................................................................................................................................... 11
Ethical Frameworks ........................................................................................................................................ 12
Toolkits ............................................................................................................................................................. 12
Intersectional Advocacy ................................................................................................................................ 13
Person-Centred Advocacy ............................................................................................................................. 15
Types of Advocacy ......................................................................................................................................... 16
The Peer Advocacy Relationship ................................................................................................................. 24
Activity 1 instructions................................................................................................................................. 25
Peer Advocacy is... .......................................................................................................................................... 27
The Advocates Role........................................................................................................................................ 28
The Advocacy Process .................................................................................................................................. 28
Activity 2 instructions................................................................................................................................. 31
Advocacy skills ................................................................................................................................................ 35
Preparation skills ........................................................................................................................................ 35
Organisation skills ...................................................................................................................................... 36
Communication skills ................................................................................................................................ 36
Conflict Resolution Skills ........................................................................................................................... 37
Advocacy Planning Template ....................................................................................................................... 42
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This course aims to provide you with introductory level skills and knowledge related
to mental health advocacy and intends to support individuals to understand the
advocacy process and build the confidence to voice their rights, needs and concerns.
This course is suitable for all individuals and workers of all levels in a range of health
or community services settings who provide services using a human rights-based
approach and have direct interaction with clients.
This course is broken down into 4 main topic sections
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What is Mental Health Advocacy?
Advocacy is defined as any action that speaks in favour of, recommends, argues for a cause,
supports or defends, or pleads on behalf of others. (Hampton, et al., 2018)
(Saha, 2021).
Who are mental health advocates?
Advocacy in this field began more than 30 years ago when people living with mental health issues
and their families first made their voices heard. Gradually, these people and their families were
joined and supported by a range of organisations, mental health workers, associations, and
governments (Saha, 2021).
There are a range of people who can fall into the advocacy role including:
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Consumers and their family members/carers
Peer Workers
Individual consumers, carers and families
advocate for their needs, hopes and goals in
all areas of their care and recovery. One of the
earliest examples of this was the psychiatric
survivors movement in the 1960-70’s.
The NSW peer workforce provides direct care
to people across the public mental health
system including acute in-patient care and the
community.
Non-government organisations
These organisations may involve only mental
health professionals, or be made up of
interdisciplinary teams, involving people from
diverse areas. Examples of NGO’s that may
provide individual advocacy support to mental
health consumers, as part of case
management and other supports include:
Headspace, Neami and Lifeline.
General health workers
Mental health workers have taken a more
active role in protecting consumer rights and
raising awareness for improved services and it
is not unusual for general health and mental
health workers to become advocates for their
patients. Some specific advocacy roles might
include:
Clinical work from a consumer and
family perspective.
Participation in activities with
consumer and family groups.
Developing consumer groups and
family groups.
Planning and evaluating programmes
together.
Peer workers draw upon their own personal
lived experience of mental illness, suicidal
crisis and recovery to provide authentic
engagement and support for people accessing
mental health care. Support includes help with
navigating the mental health service system
and individual and systemic advocacy.
Policymakers and planners
Ministries of health, and specifically their
mental health sections, can play an important
role in advocacy. Ministries of health may
implement advocacy actions to influence the
mental health of populations in general or
promote consumers’ rights.
They may work with other advocacy groups
and often develop many advocacy activities by
working with the media.
Additionally, it is necessary for each ministry
of health to convince other policymakers and
planners, to focus on and invest in mental
health
.
Watch and reflect
Watch: What is a mental health advocate? (5 mins)
LONG URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiF1aRAsqQ8&t=148s
After the video, ask yourself:
What areas of the mental health system do you
think most often require the support of an
advocate?
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What do Advocates do?
The primary role of an advocate can be split into 3 main areas. Advocates often:
The areas of the mental health system that often require the support of an advocate include:
Inpatient care conditions
Involuntary treatment
Supported decision making
Informed decision making
Upholding rights when accessing the system
Speaking up for the rights of vulnerable groups living with mental health issues, for example:
Rural and Remote, First Nations Australian, LGBTIQ+, Older Adults
Carer and family inclusion
An advocate should:
✓ listen to your views and concerns
✓ help you explore your options and
rights (without pressuring you)
✓ provide information to help you
make informed decisions
✓ help you contact relevant people,
or contact them on your behalf
✓ accompany you and support you
in meetings or appointments.
An advocate should not:
 give you their personal opinion
 solve problems and make
decisions for you
 make judgements about you.
(mind, 2018)
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What makes a good advocate?
Generally speaking, a good mental health advocate must:
understand the roles of mental health and social care professionals
understand confidentiality issues such as informed consent and data protection
effectively communicate with empathy, understanding and non-judgment
build relationships with consumers, professionals and other stakeholders
act in ways that minimise power imbalances
participate in and role model self-care.
As a knowledgeable supporter that is standing behind an individual or group, the mental health
advocate must be able to:
identify key issues or problems
research and gain access to relevant people and information related to the issue
provide an individual with all the information relevant to the issue
explore the advantages and disadvantages of various options for resolving the problem
document conversations, meetings, and records of action.
After the options have been presented, the ultimate decisions about what to do and how to do it
belongs to the individual, not the advocate. Therefore, the role of a mental health advocate is to
stand beside the individual or group and support them to:
build confidence
practice self-advocacy skills
learn about their rights, options and solutions.
If the mental health advocate is required to stand before (speak on behalf of) the individual or group,
the advocate needs to remember that they are just a spokesperson and must implement whatever
wishes the individual or group has. On top of those already mentioned, this could require the
advocate to have skills in:
negotiation
conflict resolution
marketing and communications
event planning
media knowledge.
Good advocates do the following
This means making sure you understand legislation like the Mental Health Act 2007. You also need
to be sure you are aware of government policies and strategic plans relating to the mental health
sector and you should be familiar with all 30 articles of the Declaration of Human Rights. You can
access information related to these with the following links:
•
Mental Health Act 2007 - WayAhead
LONG URL- https://wayahead.org.au/get-the-facts/mental-health-act-2007/
•
•
Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Simplified) (amnestyusa.org)
LONG URL- https://www.amnestyusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Simplified-UDHR.pdf
NSW Health legislation and Polices
LONG URL- https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/mentalhealth/legislation/pages/default.aspx
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This means you can set aside your own views, opinions and attitudes in order to fully hear a
person’s perspective, situation and needs. Practicing your skills in active listening can help you to
build these skills, as they don’t always come naturally to everyone.
A helpful resource for Active Listening is How to Practice Active Listening: 16 Examples &
Techniques (positivepsychology.com)
LONG URL- https://positivepsychology.com/active-listening-techniques/
Strong relationship builders and act in ways that minimise power
This means that you can recognise the strength it takes to ask for help and acknowledge that
people living with mental health issues have often been dismissed and had their complaints
ignored. As an advocate you are often representing systems that have perpetrated harm against
mental health consumers and you need to put the effort in to build trust and resist any temptation to
“take over” or “make decisions for” the person.
This means that advocates spend a lot of time gathering information, this includes interviewing
people, desktop research, reading a lot and searching for information that relates to the persons
situation and needs.
This means that you should be confident in your written and verbal communication, and not shy
away from engaging in conversations that have the potential to escalate to conflict. It means that
while standing up for, on behalf of or beside a person that you are not an impartial mediator. Your
role is to achieve the outcome that best suits them, but that also means you may need to help a
client understand what is and is not achievable in their situation and help them to compromise and
negotiate the outcomes when necessary.
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Advocacy Principles
Advocacy can look very different depending on
its focus and method, but here are 4 unifying
principles every advocate should uphold.
(Soken-Huberty, 2023)
Clarity
Good advocacy has clear messaging and
clear asks. With very little work, people
should be able to understand what the
problem is and how it can be fixed. This is
the first step to good advocacy, but it’s
often the most difficult because many
issues are complex.
Good advocates are excellent
communicators who can frame even the
most complex issue in a way most people
understand. They’re also very good at
determining what “clarity” means for
specific audiences and refining their
message accordingly.
Transparency
Advocacy typically involves speaking on behalf
of others, so trust is essential. How do
advocates build trust? Transparency. That
includes open, honest, and consistent
communication about things like finances,
leadership structures, messaging, methods,
and much more.
For advocacy organisations, transparency also
means conducting internal audits on systemic
problems. As an example, in 2020 Amnesty
International found evidence of systemic
racism within their own organisation.
Responding to major issues within an
organisation is also part of being transparent.
If advocacy groups choose to hide things, it
damages trust. Without trust, advocacy will
have little to no impact.
Flexibility
Situations can change very fast. Whether it’s an individual’s case or a system-wide issue, events
impact the problem and what the best solutions are.
Good advocates are flexible enough to adapt to new information, adjust their methods, and
pivot their messaging. Without flexibility, advocacy is doomed to ineffectiveness or outright
harm.
As an example, advocacy groups focused on healthcare access needed to shift quickly as
COVID-19 spread around the world.
Social Justice
Whatever involvement you may have in the advocacy process, you will need to be aware of
social justice principles. Social justice is based on equity and fairness for all people.
Social justice advocacy work is about addressing the fundamental rights of individuals
experiencing suffering and distress due to misfortune and helplessness brought about by a lack
of access, equity, rights or participation.
One of the key examples of social justice advocacy in Australia is the journey towards true
reconciliation with Indigenous Australians. (Advocacy Australia, 2023)
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Ethical Frameworks
Advocacy is about consumers and carers being valued as equal partners. It is about empowerment.
If there is a code of ethics for consumers and carers, it is based on a platform of human rights.
The DSS National Disability Advocacy Framework 2022-25 has important implications for consumer
and carer advocacy and provides an officially sanctioned ethical framework within which advocacy
can be conducted. This Framework acknowledges there are many different types of disability
advocacy that including informal advocacy from families, friends and carers.
The Framework identifies best practice standards for disability advocacy and commits Australian,
state and territory governments to working with advocacy services toward improved outcomes and
access for people with a disability.
Review the framework here: National Disability Advocacy Framework 2023 - 2025
Toolkits
Consumer, carers and professional advocates have developed a range of frameworks and toolkits
to support individuals and professionals to understand and participate in the advocacy process.
Here are some toolkits available to relevant to advocacy in the mental health sector.
NDIS mental health toolkit
LONG URL- https://www.imha.vic.gov.au/ndis-mental-health-toolkit
•
This toolkit is developed by the Victorian independent mental health advocacy designed to
provide consumers with the information, skills and support to advocate for what they want
under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
•
The toolkit has information and worksheets to help individuals know their rights and speak
up for themselves, when applying for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) or
after they have already been accepted.
Carer Advocacy Toolkit
LONG URL- https://www.mentalhealthcarersnsw.org/resources/carer-advocacy-toolkit/
•
The NSW Mental Health Commission funded Mental Health Carers NSW and BEING to
develop a resource to support mental health carers and people with a lived experience of
mental health conditions to have more influence in policy and advocacy in their local
community.
•
The Carer Advocacy Toolkit is an online digital resource, designed for mental health carers,
families and friends of people living with a mental health condition.
•
The purpose of the Toolkit is to inform carers about what advocacy is, and to empower
carers to get involved in advocacy – whether that be individual or systemic advocacy.
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Youth mental health toolkit
LONG URL-https://www.orygen.org.au/About/Orygen-Global/Files/Orygen-WEF-advocacy-toolkit
•
A global youth mental health advocacy toolkit a resource to drive action to address youth
mental health. Developed by Orygen as part of the Global Youth Mental Health Partnership
project with the World Economic Forum.
•
This toolkit is designed to give individuals the information and tools they need when
advocating for youth mental health and provides a comprehensive view of the advocacy
process. The toolkit also offers practical strategies for working with government and
community leaders, generating public support, using the media and designing social media
campaigns.
Self-Advocacy toolkit
LONG URL- https://mhfamiliesfriendstas.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/MAIN-S_1-min-1.pdf
•
Developed by Mental Health Families and Friends Tasmania, this resource aims to help get
heard the voices of families and friends supporting a person living with mental ill health.
•
This Toolkit provides practical tools, tips and suggestions to help individuals build the
confidence and knowledge to help them speak up about their needs. It provides information
on rights, self-care, managing emotions and triggers during advocacy. It also covers key
skills such as communication, organisation and boundaries during the advocacy process.
Intersectional Advocacy
Intersectionality is a way of examining how different forms of oppression overlap and interact to
create complex experiences of discrimination. This can be by understanding how one person’s
gender, race, ability, sexuality, age, class or immigration status makes their experience different to
someone else’s.
Intersectionality goes further than acknowledging that these different forms of oppression exist, and
examines how, together, they create particular patterns of discrimination in a person’s life.
Using an intersectional framework allows us to see how particular people are left out by policy,
campaign and advocacy work, by understanding how certain services may not be accessible, or
available to people who face intersecting oppression. (Amnesty International, 2021)
"Intersectionality is just a metaphor for understanding
the ways that multiple forms of inequality or
disadvantage sometimes compound themselves, and
they create obstacles that are not often understood
within conventional ways of thinking"
Kimberlé Crenshaw
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Reflect
Reflect: What parts of a person's identity could influence or intensify their mental
health issues and needs?
Possible answers:
1. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples living with mental health issues
also face the intersection of colonisation and racism. Aboriginal women also
face significantly higher rates of violence than non-Indigenous women.
2. LGBTQIA+ people with mental health issues are often excluded from services
and can miss out on resources offered to their cisgender and heterosexual
counterparts.
3. Older women are the fastest-growing group of homeless people in the country.
If an older woman is also experiencing mental health issues, the lack of access
to affordable housing further complicates things.
Watch and reflect
Watch: Advocacy at the Intersections - How To Advocate Together (6 mins)
LONG URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eKpKZudWM4
During the video, note down your answers to
the following questions:
1. What are the parts of Mellem's identity
that intersect?
2. What advocacy campaign is Mellem
currently working on to address the
intersectional needs of LGBTIQ+ people
living with autism?
Answers:
1. LGBTIQA+, neurodivergent, living with physical disability and mental illness.
2. Creating individualised resources for people living with autism that also identify
as part of the LGBTIQ+ community. The resource will educate carers and
healthcare workers on the complexities people with this intersectional identity
face and serve as a tool to support individuals to self-advocate.
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Person-Centred Advocacy
Person-centred advocacy has been defined as “a set of organised actions aimed at influencing
public policies, societal attitudes, and socio-political processes that enable and empower the
marginalised to speak for themselves”
In contrast to traditional approaches to advocacy that seek to effect policy change on behalf of
marginalised groups, person-centred advocacy aims to effect social transformation by ensuring
individuals are active participants in the process, who have the capacity to negotiate for their rights
themselves. (Rietbergen-McCracken, 2005). Person-centred advocacy relies on the following core
values:
EMPOWERMENT
Person-centred advocacy seeks to go beyond the idea of just advocating on behalf of a
disadvantaged person or group and instead aims to enable and empower the marginalised to
speak for themselves.
RIGHTS-BASED
Person-centred advocacy believes people are not passive recipients of charity from the state
or government. The government has political and moral responsibility to guarantee all human
rights to all human beings; particularly the right to live with dignity. Hence person-centred
advocacy feels it is our right to demand equitable social change and distributive justice.
COMMUNICATION
Person-centred advocacy uses community, collectivism, and communication throughout the
advocacy process. Person-centred advocates use communication activities that involve
learning from people, sharing with them, and inspiring and being inspired by them.
PARTICIPATION
Person-centred advocacy always upholds participation as a principle. Participation means
sharing power, legitimacy, freedom, responsibilities, and accountability. Participation is both
a principle and means to include as many people as possible in the process of social change.
ASSISTED DECISION MAKING
Person-centred advocacy aims to ensure individuals and groups are aware of all possible
options and choices. While an advocate needs to be aware that they do not overload a client
with information, they must also ensure they do not hold back information.
INFORMED DECISION MAKING
Person-centred advocacy endeavours to support individuals to make informed decisions
during the advocacy process. An informed decision does not take an exhaustive amount of
knowledge. To be able to make an informed decision a person needs to have some
understanding of the requirements of a decision, the alternatives and the consequences.
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Types of Advocacy
There are 6 main types of advocacy you might see in the mental health space. We will explore some
of these in more detail later, but for now here is a quick summary.
Self-Advocacy
taking action to represent
and advance your own
interests; a self-advocate is a
person who speaks up for
themselves and defends
their own rights.
Peer Advocacy
taking action to represent
the rights and interests of
someone other than yourself;
whom you share a lived
experience of the issue with.
Individual Advocacy
(informal)
taking action to represent
the rights and interests of a
loved one or family member
with mental health.
Individual Advocacy
(formal)
taking action with the
support of dedicated
government or nongovernment agencies,
trained in mental
health advocacy work.
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Legal Advocacy
Systems Advocacy
taking action with the
support of attorneys
and the legal or
administrative
systems to establish or
protect legal rights.
taking action to
influence social,
political, and economic
systems to bring about
change for groups of
people
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The process of standing alongside an individual or group who is experiencing disadvantage, and
speaking out on their behalf can look very different. Let's explore some of these advocacy types in
more detail: (Canberra Health Literacy Hub, 2020)
Self-Advocacy
Whether you are supporting a person with their advocacy needs or you need an advocate yourself, it
is always important to start out with self-advocacy. This includes assessing your own or the
individual's ability to self-advocate and encouraging this wherever possible.
This is because self-advocacy:
• builds important skills that help people to be less dependent on systems
• encourages autonomy
• builds confidence
• can lead to more sustainable and successful outcomes.
The health care system can be confusing and complicated, even for the people who work in it. When
you don’t understand or can’t make choices, you can have poorer outcomes. Self-advocacy means
taking an active role in managing your health or the health of someone you care for. Self-advocacy
is the ability to speak-up for yourself and the things that are important to you.
Some examples of self-advocacy at work are:
• learning about your illness and the treatment options available, so you can make informed
decisions
• asking to see a different provider when you are unhappy
• ensuring you have time to consider and make decisions
• questioning whether more tests or procedures are necessary.
Some ways that you can become a self-advocate are:
We will explore these tips in more detail on the next page.
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Take Responsibility: Realising that you know
yourself and your body better than anyone
else, you can use information and resources –
from people to the internet or the printed word
– to help make decisions about your
treatment that suit you and your priorities.
Ask questions and Stay Safe: We sometimes
read about major medical errors, but millions
of “smaller” mistakes take place every day.
Set Goals: When you have complex mental
health issues, it can help to set one main
treatment goal to work towards. For example,
you could have a goal to manage your mental
health symptoms as your first priority, then
move on to another goal, such as addressing
environmental factors.
If you know what your medications are, what
they are for, and how you are supposed to
take them, you can help make sure that you
keep taking them the right way by speaking up
and asking questions.
These can include being given the wrong
medications, being given them at the wrong
time, or acquiring infections in hospitals.
In other words, you are choosing to manage
your health in a way that suits your individual
priorities or circumstances.
Get involved The best way to improve the
health services that you use is to have a say in
how the services are run. You could be a
consumer representative on a committee, a
volunteer or a patient advocate.
Work in Partnership: Self-advocacy means you
are an active participant in your own
healthcare, working in partnership with
doctors, allied health professionals, even other
patients.
Give Feedback Health services value
feedback, both good and bad. It helps them to
know what they are doing well, what needs
improving and what might be concerning for
consumers.
Seeing the relationship with your health care
team as a partnership helps make you part of
decision-making and the management of your
diagnosis and treatment.
Each service will have a different method for
consumer feedback, but staff will be able to
help you or you can check on their website.
Learn: Learn about your medical condition(s)
and look for information from a range of
perspectives and sources. This can include:
• recording symptoms and family
histories,
• talking with health care professionals
and other patients,
• using the Internet and libraries for
researching relevant diseases and
treatment options, and
• keeping an up-to-date medical history.
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Know your rights Everyone in Australia who is
seeking or receiving health care has certain
rights. You have a right to:
Access – access to healthcare services that
meet your needs
Safety – receive safe and high-quality care
Respect – be treated with dignity and respect
Partnership – be included in decisions and
choices about your care
Information – be informed about services,
treatment options and costs in a clear and
open way
Privacy – have your privacy respected and the
information you provide kept confidential
Feedback – comment on care and have your
concerns addressed.
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Individual Advocacy
When it is appropriate to provide a person a greater level of support to achieve their advocacy goals
this is called individual advocacy. Advocating with or on behalf of someone might include:
•
•
•
•
Providing information about rights
Assessing the situation and identifying key issues
Identifying the available options for action
Supporting the person in carrying out the chosen course of action.
There are many services that provide individual advocacy in NSW. Some examples are:
Disability Advocacy NSW
LONG URL: https://www.da.org.au/
What do they do:
• Provides free individual advocacy services for people with disability.
• Offers tips and advice to people requiring advocacy
The mental health advocacy service- Legal Aid
LONG URL: https://www.legalaid.nsw.gov.au/publications/factsheets-and-resources/mental-healthadvocacy-service
What do they do:
• Can help Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with mental health and guardianship
law
• Can help you support people who have to appear before the Mental Health Review
Tribunal (‘the Tribunal’) or the Guardianship Division of the NSW
• Provides support to those who have been kept in a hospital under the Mental Health Act .
• Provides advice on financial management orders and community treatment orders
First Peoples Disability Network
LONG URL: https://fpdn.org.au/individual-advocacy/
What do they do:
• Can link Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People with a National Disability Advocacy
Provider in their local area.
Anti-Discrimination NSW
LONG URL: https://www.antidiscrimination.nsw.gov.au
What do they do:
• They can support people who have experienced discrimination, as long as it has occurred
in an area protected by law, such as at work, in education, where goods and services are
provided, where accommodation is provided or within registered clubs.
• Anti-Discrimination New South Wales investigate complaints and provide a free, impartial
and confidential dispute resolution process.
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Systems Advocacy
There are many circumstances where advocacy needs extend beyond an individual's circumstances
and require speaking up on behalf of entire groups at a systemic level. This includes
• making formal submissions to government and Royal Commission enquiries
• conducting formal and informal consultations with carers and consumer
• directly working with Federal, State and/or Territory ministers, government departments,
statutory organisations, community organisations, and businesses to advocate for
change in legislation and policy.
Here are 4 organisations who undertake systemic advocacy related to mental health.
BEING – Mental Health Consumers
BEING is the independent, NSW peak organisation speaking with and for people with lived/living
experience of mental health issues and emotional distress. BEING works to ensure the voices of
people with mental health issues are heard by decision makers, service providers, and the
community. BEING works to achieve systemic change in the following ways:
•
•
•
•
•
•
engaging in consumer consultation
writing submissions and advising government and other organisations
developing position statements and conducting issued-based campaigns
providing Lived Experience representation on committees and expert reference groups
creating resources for mental health consumers about their rights
undertaking research on consumers service needs, best practice for mental health
consumer participation and quality mental health services.
To ensure your voice is included in BEING’s work: become a member and subscribe to the
newsletter for opportunities to participate in consultations.
Mental Health Carers NSW
Mental Health Carers NSW (MHCN) works with and for mental health carers in NSW. MHCN
represent the voices and Lived Experiences of carers to influence public and institutional policies
and systems. The ways MHCN provides a voice for carers includes:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
conducting research and developing policy
advising government and sectors on the experiences of carers
distributing information within the sector and community
holding consultations with carers
provide capacity building to organisations and community
develop resources for carers.
runs the carer connection helpline.
To get involved in MHCN work you can become a member and subscribe to their newsletter to keep
up with opportunities to get involved.
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Mental Health Australia
Mental Health Australia is the peak, national non-government organisation representing and
promoting the interests of the Australian mental health sector and committed to achieving better
mental health for all Australians. Mental Health Australia aims to
•
•
•
•
•
promote mentally healthy communities
educate Australians on mental health issues
influence mental health reform so that government policies address all contemporary mental
health issues
conduct research on mental health issues
carry out regular consultation to represent the best interests of members, partners and the
community.
To stay up to date with Mental Health Australia's work and find ways to get involved you can
become a member and sign up to their newsletters.
National Mental Health Consumer and Carer Forum
The National Mental Health Consumer and Carer Forum (NMHCCF) is a combined national voice for
mental health consumers and carers.
NMHCCF members represent mental health consumers and carers on a large number of national
bodies, including government committees and advisory groups, professional bodies and other
consultative forums and events.
Members use their lived experience, understanding of the mental health system and communication
skills to advocate and promote the issues and concerns of consumers and carers.
The NMHCCF has produced a number of publications on matters important to consumers and
carers written from their perspective.
To participate in NMHCCF’s research and advocacy sign up for their newsletter or check out their
website for consultation opportunities.
An example of systemic advocacy success in mental health
Advocacy groups across NSW have continuously called for our mental health and social services to
be truly centred on the people who use them and supportive of their individual journeys of recovery.
These efforts resulted in the development of The Lived Experience Framework for NSW.
The Lived Experience Framework is a part of the response to mental health advocates who have
called to embed lived experience across the sector and system processes. It comprises of a
language guide, vision, guiding principles, actions and implementation approach to embed lived
experience across mental health and social services systems.
Check the full framework out with the following QR Code:
LONG URL: https://www.nswmentalhealthcommission.com.au/report/lived-experience-framework
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Peer Advocacy
As mentioned, the participation of consumers and families in advocacy organisations has resulted
in a movement to embed lived experience across the mental health sector and with this, the
emergence of Peer Workers has evolved.
Being a peer advocate can be an extremely rewarding and empowering experience. Utilising their
first-hand experiences of mental illness and the mental health system, Peer Advocates often
possess unique insights and practical skills for operating within the system.
Peer advocacy also focuses on empowerment by enabling peers to take up the advocacy challenge
themselves and enjoy the rewards of self-advocacy. (Mental Health Branch, 1999)
The first public resource endorsed by the Australian government with reference to Peer Advocacy
was published in 1998 named "The Kit- a Guide to Advocacy We Choose to Do"
The kit includes:
What peer-advocacy is good for
How to set up a mental health peer advocacy group
Emphasises the value of lived experience advocates
Focuses on using empowerment as a tool
Encourages careful consideration of the peer advocacy relationship
Peer Advocacy principles
Correct Power Imbalances
Advocacy activities must be directed towards correcting the imbalance of power in the mental
health sector between consumer and carers and those with whom they deal (service providers,
administrators and community members).
Utilise Lived Experience
The lived experiences of consumers should be recognised, valued and respected as they can
contribute to improvement in the mental health sector.
Knowledge, skills and training
Self-empowerment can only be attained through an ongoing process of acquiring and using
knowledge and skills. The effectiveness of any type of advocacy can only be increased through
acquiring knowledge, clarifying attitudes and values and learning specific skills and strategies.
Self-advocacy first
While recognising the role of representatives and supportive advocacy in certain circumstances,
self-advocacy is the most appropriate and empowering form of advocacy.
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Reflect
Question: Based on what you have learnt about other types of advocacy available
to mental health consumers, what would be the benefits of a peer advocate be vs
traditional forms of advocacy?
Consider:
Peer Advocacy vs Human Rights Groups
Peer Advocacy vs Family and Friends as Advocates
Peer Advocacy vs Mental Health and Social Service Advocates
Peer Advocacy vs Legal Self-Advocacy
Peer Advocacy Vs...
Peer Advocacy is especially important in the mental health field and complements other forms of
advocacy in a significant way. It can also be considered more effective in some circumstances.
The following is an excerpt from Georgiana Gheorghe's (2011) paper titled 'Peer advocacy:
introducing a concept, exploring its benefits'. In this paper Georgiana explores the global evidence of
peer advocacy theory and practice around the world on behalf of The Resource Centre for People
with Mental Disability (Lativa, Northern Europe).
Peer advocacy vs professional human rights groups
Evidence exists that the methods applied by professional human rights advocates in the pursuit of
consumers goals can be damaging and counterproductive. This is because rather than eliminate
relations of power and domination over those whom they aim to benefit, they sometimes sustain them.
Peer advocacy can correct this situation because it fights power imbalance while at the same time
empowering both the peer advocate and consumer in a much more immediate way.
Peer advocacy vs Family and friends as advocates
The family and friends surrounding a person experiencing mental health distress can often fail to help
and support a person due to conflicting interests and ideas.
In such cases, a peer advocate would be independent and represent the wishes and views of a person
with mental health distress without judgment and without putting forward their personal beliefs.
Peer advocacy vs Mental health and social services advocates
Health and social services professionals often represent historical trauma for mental health consumers
and can be bound to and limited by systems and structures.
A Peer advocate especially if they are independent of health and social service systems, can minimise
the risk of re-traumatisation through their lived experience perspective.
Peer advocacy vs Legal self-advocacy
The effect of illness and medication can severely disadvantage consumers in putting a legal case
forward. In addition, many consumers are also disadvantaged by their justifiable mistrust of institutions
and are unfortunately often unheard and misunderstood.
These characteristics can impact the consumers ability to put their wishes forward and their
expectations of what can be achieved. In this case a Peer Advocate can help the consumer navigate
complex systems and legal intricacies.
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The Peer Advocacy Relationship
According to 'The Kit' the first step in the peer advocacy process is to think about the advocacy
needs of the person you are choosing to advocate for. This begins with assessing your own Lived
Experience in relation to the advocacy issue. Your well-being is your priority when undertaking Peer
Advocacy and it is an important part of maintaining your effectiveness as an advocate.
Before agreeing to be a Peer Advocate for someone, you should ask yourself the following
questions.
Question
Reflection points
1. What is my function: am I a
supporter or a representative of
the person?
How would you determine if you should be a supporter
(standing beside them) or a representative (standing
before them) in this peer-advocacy relationship?
2. What is motivating me to take on
an advocacy role for this
person/issue.
What makes you interested in taking on an advocacy role
for this person/issue.
What is motivating you?
3. Do I feel comfortable undertaking Could engaging in a peer-advocacy relationship with this
an advocacy role on this issue?
person be detrimental to your wellbeing?
If yes, how confident are you that you could manage your
self-care during this peer-advocacy relationship?
4. What parts of my own lived
experience are relevant to this
issue?
What feelings and thoughts does this issue bring up for
you, relevant to your own lived experiences?
5. When are they different?
In what ways are your lived experiences different to the
persons situation?
6. How can I enable/empower the
individual to become their own
advocate?
What strategies could you use to build the persons
capacity to be their own advocate?
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Activity 1- self-awareness reminder
The following is a case study that explores the lived experiences of a consumer living with
Bipolar.
You will be asked to review the scenario which includes an experience of psychosis,
resulting in employment dismissal.
You will be asked to reflect on your own experiences in relation to this scenario, in order
to prepare for undertaking Peer Advocacy.
All activities are optional- if you would like to skip this activity click here. If you decide to
complete the activity, please take care of your wellbeing and access the support lines provided
on the Crisis Supports and information services page if required.
Activity 1 instructions
Review the case study below and the prepare to answer the reflection questions.
Case Study
Sarah is a 52-year-old woman who tells you she has a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Sarah has
managed her mental health for 12 years using a combination of medication, psychotherapeutic
support groups, family and friends, and regular counselling.
Sarah lost her job recently when she experienced an episode of mania, triggered by a
medication change. At the time of this episode Sarah's ability to perform her work duties were
affected for a short period of time.
Sarah's manager has limited understanding of mental illness and recovery and called the police
when she noticed Sarah was "acting strange towards the patients". Sarah was taken to the
closest in-patient unit for support and treatment and spent 3 weeks off work.
When Sarah was feeling better, she reached out to her manager to discuss her return to work
and was told that her employment had been terminated due to "posing a risk to the patients and
breaching the code of conduct".
Since this occurred Sarah has been unemployed and had several psychiatric admissions to
hospital. Sarah has contacted your peer-advocacy service to explore her rights and options for
advocacy.
Note: This scenario may invoke strong reactions in you. You might be asking yourself questions like:
Why were the police called?
What did she do that would justify this action?
Is the manager allowed to do this?
The case study does not give information about this on purpose, this is so you can avoid making
assumptions about whether what the workplace did was justified or not. Effective advocacy is
strategic, planned and evidence based. You will need to gather additional information about Sarah's
situation before undertaking advocacy work but this first activity does not require you to know this
information, yet.
For this activity you are being asked to critically reflect on your own lived experience, reactions, and
emotions in relation to this scenario. The purpose of this reflection is to help you decide whether
you should agree to become Sarah's Peer Advocate.
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Answer the following questions on a separate piece of paper, or you can choose to type into the
Activity Template provided in your e-learning course.
Reflection points
Response
1. How would you determine if you
should be a supporter (standing
beside Sarah) or a representative
(stand before Sarah) in this peeradvocacy relationship?
2. What makes you interested in taking
on an advocacy role for Sarah?
What is motivating you?
3. Could engaging in peer-advocacy with
Sarah be detrimental to your
wellbeing?
If yes, how confident are you that you
could manage your self-care during
this relationship?
4. What feelings and thoughts does
Sarahs experience bring up for you,
relevant to your own lived
experiences?
5. In what ways are your lived
experiences different to Sarah's
situation?
6. What strategies could you use to build
Sarah's capacity to be her own
advocate?
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After Activity 1: Reflect
Reflection QuestionsWhat it was like to intentionally reflect on the situation before agreeing to be
a peer-advocate
What is the benefit in doing this?
How can this make the peer-advocacy process more effective?
Peer Advocacy is...
Peer Advocacy is a powerful process that has been said to be characterised by the following:
Sharing of experiences. The Scottish
Independent Advocacy Alliance has
emphasized that “peer advocacy is about
individuals who share significant life
experiences. The peer advocate and their
advocacy partner may share age, gender,
ethnicity, diagnosis or issues. Peer advocates
use their own experiences to understand and
emphasize with their advocacy partner”
Minimise power imbalances. Peer Advocacy
lessens the imbalance of power between the
advocate and their advocacy partner,
increasing self-awareness, confidence and
assertiveness so that the person can speak
for them. It enables people to gain access to
information, explore and understand the
options and to then express their views and
wishes.
Informal and realistic. It is a pragmatic and
informal approach to peer advocacy that
defines primarily who the advocates are rather
than what they do. No theory or illustrative
example of advocacy work can substitute
people’s individual contact with other peer
advocates and the power of lived experience.
Similar to self-advocacy. Peer-advocacy is
similar to self-advocacy in that it also puts
emphasis on the autonomy of the individual.
The term “peer” refers to the fact that the
person advocating has himself/herself
experienced similar difficulties in the past as
consumer of mental health services.
Empowering. Empowerment in the mental
health context refers to the “level of choice,
influence and control that users of mental
health services can exercise over events in
their lives. The key to empowerment is the
removal of formal and informal barriers and
the transformation of power relations between
individuals, communities, services and
governments.
Empathy as a super tool. Empathy plays an
important role in this form of advocacy and
evidence suggests that where choice is
available most people with mental distress
would look for an advocate who matched
them in character and experience.
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The Advocates Role
In its simplest form an advocate's role would include the following:
Focus on consumers views and wishes
Research, access and provide all necessary information
Attend meetings in a supportive role
Assist the person in writing letters and lodging complaints
Represent consumers where they cannot represent themselves
Build the capacity, confidence and communication skills of the consumer
Reflect
Think: Why have we emphasised certain words in bold above?
Answer:
Because it is important to emphasise that in advocacy work, we are doing with not
doing for. Encouraging self-advocacy should be the first approach always. We
should only be stepping in when the consumer self-identifies as not being able to
represent their own views.
The Advocacy Process
Once you have assessed your own well-being, acknowledged your emotions in the situation and
agreed to take on advocacy, you must adequately prepare to take action. Preparing for advocacy
work includes developing a plan, which involves the following key steps:
1. Identify the issue:
Before you can take action, you need to understand exactly what the issue is that requires
advocacy, this means identifying the core issue and analysing its roots and cause. This stage
is called problem and issues analysis and makes up the most challenging part of advocacy
planning. This will require asking questions about the situation, building relationships with
people involved and gathering all the facts. Many causes and solutions may apply to the
problem, so it is up to us to find the ones that seem most relevant.
2. Clarify the goals
Effective advocacy has clear advocacy goals. Advocacy must be planned and aim to have
outcomes that lead to change. At first clients may not know what they want, or they may
actually want something that is not realistic or achievable. Have as many conversations as
necessary to set some realistic goals with the person requiring advocacy.
When developing advocacy goals, you need to be as specific as possible focusing on the
changes you want to see that you believe will address your issue. (YWCA Australia, 2023)
To check that your objectives meet your long-term goal ask yourself:
o what are the things which need to change to achieve the outcome
o what actions would cause that change?
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For example: if the issue was "Universities are not doing enough to prevent sexual
harassment". Your objectives might be something like:
o All university staff must complete 20 hours of sexual harassment prevention training.
o All universities must have a trauma-informed policy detailing how to investigate,
respond to and resolve complaints of sexual harassment.
o All universities will develop a Lived Experience Advisory Committee to consult with on
ways to improve systems and processes.
3. Gather and Share Information
Doing research and gathering information is a huge part of advocacy planning. Some
consumers will only need support in knowing where to get information others may need you
to collect the information on their behalf. Below are the types of things you might need to
research, before taking action.
o Human rights- Begin with a strong understanding of yours/the persons rights in
regard to the issue. A good place to start is the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights. You might also want to understand rights as they relate to the Australian
health care system. The Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights outlines what
consumers and those that support them can expect when receiving health care.
o Legislation- Depending on your role, and circumstance you might need to find out
more about things like legal powers, guardianship, privacy, the mental health act,
Discrimination law and employment.
o Policies and Procedures- If your advocacy involved holding a workplace, organisation
or government body accountable it is important to learn as much about the formal
policies and procedures they have in place, relevant to the issue.
4. Brainstorm the options
Once you and the consumer have determined what the issue is, what the preferred outcome
is, and the goals you wish to advocate for, you can start to look at the different advocacy
activities available to you.
The options will depend on the type of issue, who it involves, and what you are advocating
for. Common activities include, but are not limited to:
o Talking to the person or service directly
o Writing a letter to the person or service
o Developing resources and campaign materials
o Organising a meeting to discuss the problem
o Contacting the service’s complaints unit if they have one
o Making a formal complaint
o Media engagement
o Developing training
o approaching an external advocacy service for support
o Lodging a complaint with an external body, For example the NSW Ombudsman,
Human Rights Commission, Fair Work Commission.
Remember: Don’t choose an activity just because it may have worked for others before,
make sure that it is a strategic way of achieving your desired outcome. You must also
remember that the advocacy actions you take should be decided by the group/person you
are advocating with or on behalf of.
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When choosing advocacy activities first check whether they are realistic and achievable.
Ask yourself:
o Do you have the necessary capacity, resources or money for a particular activity?
o Are the timeframes achievable or do you have multiple activities taking place at the
same time?
o Who will lead, support and contribute to the activities? Identifying who is responsible
is really important for ensuring an activity happens.
o Are you considering risks and the mitigating actions that might be necessary?
5. Assess the consumers capacity to self-advocate
Where possible, you should always try to assess a person’s ability with them before involving
others. You can start by asking the person questions to learn about their strengths, skills, and
previous experiences.
Depending on your relationship and knowledge of the consumer, you may have to get
information from other people about their capacity to self-advocate. This may include their
carers, family, workers or even other service providers.
Review the following checklist describing the main areas of capacity you should aim to
assess for yourself and consumers before carrying out your advocacy plan.
Area of capacity
Communication
Problem solving
Responsibility
Things to consider
Can the consumer communicate confidently and effectively?
Will they be able to get their message across?
Can the consumer think logically and objectively
Are they able to be flexible, when required?
Can the consumer be actively responsible for resolving the issue?
Are they able to make a commitment to the plan?
Organisation
Can the consumer organise meetings and coordinate any activities with other
people?
Networking
Does the consumer have access to, or knowledge of, people and organisations
that may be able to assist?
Does the consumer know how to develop a plan of action? Including
Action planning
and follow-up
Conflict
Management
o what has to be done
o who needs to do it and
o how to review the plan.
Does the consumer have skills in negotiation and mediation?
Can the consumer discuss a situation with another person and come to
agreed outcomes.
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Activity 2- self-awareness reminder
On the following page you will be asked to revisit the "Sarah" case study.
You will be asked to think about how you might develop an advocacy action plan for Sarah
based on the advocacy process just described.
All activities are optional- if you would like to skip this activity click here. If you decide to
complete the activity, please take care of your wellbeing and access the support lines provided
on the Crisis Supports and information services page if required.
Activity 2 instructions
Remind yourself of the case study below and prepare to answer the advocacy planning questions.
Case Study
Sarah is a 52-year-old woman who tells you she has a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Sarah has
managed her mental health for 12 years using a combination of medication, psychotherapeutic
support groups, family and friends, and regular counselling.
Sarah lost her job recently when she experienced an episode of mania, triggered by a
medication change. At the time of this episode Sarah's ability to perform her work duties were
affected for a short period of time.
Sarah's manager has limited understanding of mental illness and recovery and called the police
when she noticed Sarah was "acting strange towards the patients". Sarah was taken to the
closest in-patient unit for support and treatment and spent 3 weeks off work.
When Sarah was feeling better, she reached out to her manager to discuss her return to work
and was told that her employment had been terminated due to "posing a risk to the patients and
breaching the code of conduct".
Since this occurred Sarah has been unemployed and had several psychiatric admissions to
hospital. Sarah has contacted your peer-advocacy service to explore her rights and options for
advocacy.
Note: This is your chance to reflect on how you would go about gaining the additional information
you might have been wishing you had access to when you first read this case study. For this activity
you are being asked to critically reflect on the advocacy process and develop a simple advocacy
plan.
Since you cannot ask Sarah any of your questions there will be somethings you cannot make
decisions on. This is ok, focus on what you do know and acknowledge there will be gaps in this plan
without the assistance of Sarah.
Answer the following questions on a separate piece of paper, or you can choose to type into the
Activity Template provided in your e-learning course.
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Reflection points
Response
1. Identify the issue:
In your own words describe the issue
as you understand it, recognising you
do not have all the information, and
that's ok.
2. Clarify the goals:
What questions would you ask Sarah
to clarify her goals for undertaking
advocacy?
What is one possible objective
(outcome) for this situation?
3. Gather Information:
What information do you need to
collect about this situation?
Consider: missing information in the
case study, rights, legislation, and
policies/procedures.
4. Brainstorm options:
Which of the previously mentioned
advocacy actions might be
appropriate for this situation?
5. Assess capacity:
Sarah could do all of the advocacy actions herself, or if she might request support from you.
Self-advocacy is always our first approach.
o Thinking about the 7 areas of capacity detailed on the next page, think of one
question you could ask Sarah to assess her capacity in each of these areas?
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Area of capacity
Question you would ask Sarah to assess this
area:
Communication
Can the consumer communicate confidently
and effectively?
Will they be able to get their message across?
Problem solving
Can the consumer think logically and
objectively
Are they able to be flexible, when required?
Responsibility
Can the consumer be actively responsible for
resolving the issue?
Are they able to make a commitment to the
plan?
Organisation
Can the consumer organise meetings and
coordinate any activities with other people?
Networking
Does the consumer have access to, or
knowledge of, people and organisations that
may be able to assist?
Action planning and follow up
Does the consumer know how to develop a
plan of action? Including
o
what has to be done
o
who needs to do it and
o
how to review the plan.
Conflict Management
Does the consumer have skills in negotiation
and mediation?
Can the consumer discuss a situation with
another person and come to agreed outcomes.
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After Activity 2: Possible Answers
Identify the issue:
o Workplace discrimination, potentially unfair dismissal, the impacts of stigma and
negative attitudes about people with mental health issues.
Clarify the goals
o
o
o
o
What do you hope to gain out of this Sarah?
What is the best-case scenario for you?
What would you like to do about this situation?
What would be an outcome that is not ideal for you?
Gather information
o
o
o
o
o
What policies and procedures are related to employee dismissal at the organisation?
What exactly happened on the day the police were called?
Had anything like this occurred prior to this incident?
What does the Fair Work Act say in regard to this situation?
What advocacy organisations could we work with that have experience in this type of
situation?
Brainstorm options
o
o
o
o
Organise a meeting to discuss the problem with the manager
Contacting the HR Manager or Employee Union
Approaching an external advocacy service for advice and support
Lodging a complaint with an external body, for example Far Work Commission.
Assess capacity to self-advocate
o Communication: Have you ever had to speak up for yourself in the past? What was that
like for you?
o Problem Solving: Tell me about a time you have had to carry out a plan or idea that
required you to overcome challenges and problems.
o Responsibility: What other commitments do you currently have that take up your time
and energy?
o Organisation: Tell me about a time you had to plan and organise an activity, how did you
keep yourself on task?
o Networking: Who do you know of that could help in this situation? Have you done any
research or reached out to anyone else yet?
o Action planning and follow up: When you have carried out plans in the past how have you
known if they were not working? What have you done to review the plan when it isn't
working?
o Conflict Management: Tell me about a time you had to deal with conflict and negotiate
your needs with someone.
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Advocacy skills
There are a number of key skills required to carry out effective advocacy. The Advocacy ToolKit
(2007) produced by Disability Rights Wisconsin provides individuals with information and skill
building exercises to develop and enhance self and peer advocacy skills. Effective advocacy, of any
kind, requires building a solid strategy or plan and practicing skills to help you feel comfortable and
confident in reaching your advocacy goals. We will explore some of these now.
By understanding, practicing and using these skills, you will be better organised, prepared, and able
to respond to unexpected things that come your way. Generally, you should start your advocacy
using these informal techniques; however, there are times when starting with formal advocacy
strategies are necessary.
Preparation skills
Set boundaries. Setting clear boundaries an
being explicit from the start of the program for
all of those involved is recommended for any
advocacy relationship.
•
•
•
•
•
Keep the focus of the interaction on the
person's needs (avoiding friendship)
Make clear times when you are on duty
and when you are not
Support your own needs through
supervision and debriefing
Recognise the signs of burnout and
compassion fatigue
Don't share personal details like
address, phone number
(Western Australian Centre for Health
Promotion Research, 2010)
Be realistic. Recognise not all of your
advocacy plans will succeed. You can
overcome the fear of failure by firstly
acknowledging that you might be
unsuccessful. Recognise that not succeeding,
despite your best efforts, is okay and happens
to everyone.
Take stock of your knowledge, skills and
resources. There are many ways of
undertaking advocacy. There is a sufficient
range of advocacy activities for everyone to
contribute. Different activities require different
personal attributes. Give some thought to your
own personal attributes to make sure that you
are striking a reasonable balance between
extending yourself and stressing yourself.
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Take stock of your stress. Stress is a common
human experience. At manageable levels it
can be an important motivator to action. When
our usual ways of coping are insufficient,
stress may become a considerable burden. It
can be harmful to you and to other people. It
saps energy and creates distractions from
other positive activities. The more you can
know about what stresses you, how you react
and how you cope, the more you can control
it.
Take stock of your fear and anger. Fear and
anger are always present in advocacy. Your
feelings are not the problem but ignoring them
can become one. Everybody experiences
these emotions. How much they show them is
a matter of self-control. Getting in touch with
your fear and anger can assist in overcoming
them, in becoming less possessed and
disempowered by them.
Manage Fear and Anger. Managing fear in
advocacy is mainly to do with selfappreciation and attention to goals. The more
confident you are in yourself and what you are
doing, the more you can achieve without your
fears getting in the way.
Free expression of anger can get in the way of
achieving advocacy goals. Getting angry at
someone usually causes the other person to
respond with equal passive or aggressive
force. The result is that nobody wins. But
Holding in anger, not expressing it, is a poor
idea. Consider finding ways to acknowledge
and verbalise your anger in healthy ways.
(Mental Health Branch, 1999)
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Organisation skills
Develop a plan. In Activity 2 you participated in
a type of advocacy planning. There are
multiple ways to plan your advocacy, but an
advocacy action plan can be a great place to
start.
Review the example of an Informal Advocacy
Plan Template, located at the end of this
resource. This template can help you develop
your action plan for a specific self-advocacy
goal.
Take Notes. Creating a paper trail means
having in writing events and decisions which
are important to your advocacy effort.
Experience has shown that having a written
record of what went on and when is crucial to
building an agreement and substantiating your
position. You should keep notes of all
conversations (phone and in-person) that you
have regarding the situation beginning with
the initial contact.
Make sure all documentation includes date,
time, full names of persons involved, job titles,
agency details and a description of what was
discussed. (Disability Rights Wisconsin, 2007).
Complete effective documentation. If there is
a question about the accuracy of
conversation, follow up with a letter to the
party summarising your understanding of the
conversation. Keep a copy of the letter for
your documentation.
Keep all letters and copies of information you
receive from agencies and individuals. Do not
make any marks on copies received from
other parties because those parties may claim
the documents were tampered with.
Keep copies of all letters and information that
you send out regarding the situation.
Communication skills
Active Listening. Active listening means that
you take steps to find out the information that
you need, rather than simply listening to what
the other person says. The simplest form of
active listening is to ask for clarification if you
don’t understand something.
Active listening requires that you restate a
person’s position so that you both understand
what the person is offering or requiring. For
example:, “So what you’re saying is that I
should contact the HR team and ask them to
review my case?.” By restating the other
person’s position, you can make sure that you
are both on the same page.
Written, print and multimedia. Effective
advocacy communication involves more than
just using words to convey a message.
Successful campaigns often include print,
multimedia and interactive content. Be
creative with your communications channels
– don’t be afraid to think outside the box.
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Persuasion. In advocacy work your main
objective is to influence decision makers,
community groups, peak bodies, funders,
and/or the media.
To mobilise support for your cause it helps to
create a sense of injustice – people are more
likely to jump on board and support a cause
that fights for the ‘right thing’.
Of course, don’t forget to talk about the
potential for positive change and suggested
alternatives or solutions – the last thing you
want is to be seen as overly negative without
offering any real solutions. (Smerdon, 2015)
Use effective storytelling. Lived experience
storytelling are compelling because they
engage the listeners and build familiarity and
trust with them. It allows the audience to enter
the story’s world and become more willing to
understand.
Maya Angelou famously said, “I’ve learned that
people will forget what you said, what you did
but will never forget how you made them feel.”
And that is indeed the essence of storytelling.
(Sharma, 2023)
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Conflict Resolution Skills
Negotiation. Learning to negotiate successfully is the centrepiece of self-advocacy. Negotiation is
when two groups who disagree work together to resolve a problem. All of our preparations feed into
the negotiation process. As with other advocacy skills, negotiation is a skill that can be learned
through study and practice. Here are some pointers for getting what you want through negotiation:
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•
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•
•
•
•
•
•
•
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Lead with the strongest part of your argument
Focus on the facts
Focus on solutions and remedies not complaints
Control your emotions
Have in mind a minimum that you are willing to accept
Acknowledge the other persons position
Stick to your basic needs
Point out weaknesses and liabilities' to the other person
Ask for additional information
Restate any actions agreed to
Set a timeline for action
Be prepared to walk out without resolving the issue.
Assertiveness. Assertiveness is viewed as the open and appropriate expression of thoughts and
feelings, with due regard to the rights of others. Being assertive means understanding your rights
and sticking up for them without being aggressive. Learning to be assertive without raising your
voice or being rude is a skill to be learned, and one that will make you a much more effective
advocate.
There are important distinctions between the two, (Lonczak, 2020) as highlighted in the table below:
Assertive communication
Aggressive communication
Uses firm but gentle speech
Uses loud or menacing speech
Is in control and respectful
Is out of control, demeaning or hurtful
Uses a relaxed stance and facial expression
Uses a rigid stance and tense facial expression
Respects personal space
Violates personal space
Shows a calm affect
Shows an agitated or emotional affect
Reflects supportive behaviour
Reflects competitive behaviour
Is honest and forthright
Is deceitful or manipulative
Involves requests
Involves demands
Aims to express needs
Aims to win
Is respectful of rules
Does not value rules
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Page 37
Assertive communication involves various verbal and nonverbal qualities. Here are nine examples
from Pipas & Jaradat (2010) and Bishop (2013).
•
Direct eye contact shows that the
speaker is strong and not intimidated.
•
An assertive stance or posture with the
right balance of strength and
casualness. For example, standing rigid
may come across as aggressive,
whereas slouching may be perceived
as weak.
•
Tone of voice. A strong voice conveys
assertiveness, but raising one’s voice
shows aggression and is likely to be
met with anger.
•
Facial expression. Expressions that are
neither angry nor anxious are essential
for sending the right message.
•
Timing. Assertive communication must
be executed at the right time (e.g.,
making requests from one’s spouse in
the middle of a dinner party is not likely
to be well received).
Nonthreatening, non-blaming language.
For example, language such as “If you
continue to do that, you will be sorry!” is
threatening rather than assertive.
•
Clarity. For example, “Can you please
not be that way?” is vague, while “Can
you please not walk away when we’re
talking?” more clearly conveys the
speaker’s needs.
•
Positive language. For example, making
a negative request (“Will you stop
leaving your papers all over the
house?”) is less effective than a
positive request (“Here is a divider I’ve
set up. Will you please place your
papers here?”).
•
Language without criticism of oneself
or others. For example, phrases such
as “I know I’m overly sensitive, but
could you please not use that word?”
and “Didn’t anyone ever teach you any
manners?” are critical rather than
assertive.
Everybody can learn to become more assertive by practicing each assertive action until it can be
repeated even under stress. (Skills You Need, 2011)
Some things to help you with this skill:
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Do your research and be prepared with the facts
Ask for clarification
Practice active listening
Write down what you want to say/make a script
Rehearse what you're going to say in front a mirror. Take notice of your body language, facial
expressions, and tone.
Keep practicing until your responses are almost automatic
One effective way to work on your assertiveness is to role-play advocacy situations with
someone you trust and ask them to provide you with feedback.
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Page 38
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Mental Health Advocacy
e-learning course
Please note- Your feedback is important to us. If you did not complete the feedback
form at the end of your e-learning course, you can do so by clicking the following
link/QR code.
A list of resources used in the development of this learner resource can be found on
the following page.
Course Feedback Form
Advocacy Australia. (2023). Social Justice. Retrieved from Advocacy Australia:
https://advocacyaustralia.org.au/social-justice/
Amnesty International. (2021, December 1). Retrieved from Explainer: Why intersectionality is
important for women's rights: https://www.amnesty.org.au/explainer-why-intersectionalityis-important-for-womens-rights/
Bishop, S. (2013). Develop your assertiveness. London, UK: Kogan Page Limited.
Canberra Health Literacy Hub. (2020). Self-advocacy for Consumers. Retrieved from Canberra
Health Literacy Hub: https://cbrhl.org.au/consumers-carers/communicating-with-aprovider/selfadvocacy/#:~:text=Shared%20decision%20making%20is%20a,in%20genuine%20shared%20
decision%20making.
Department of Social Services. (2023). National Disability Advocacy Framework 2023 - 2025.
Australias Disability Strategy 2021-2031. Department of Social Services.
Disability Rights Wisconsin. (2007). Advocacy Tool Kit Skills and Strategies for Effective Self and
Peer Advocacy. Retrieved from Disability Rights Wisconsin:
https://www.brainline.org/sites/default/files/Advocacy%20Tool%20Kit_2007.pdf
Gheorghe, G. (2011). Peer advocacy: introducing a concept, exploring its benefits. ZELDA Resource
Centre for People with Mental Disability. Retrieved from https://zelda.org.lv/wpcontent/uploads/peer_advocacy_research1.pdf
Hampton, K., Brown, A., Mawyer, E., Malcom, T., Timberlake, C., & Van, D. (2018). Speak up, Speak
out and have your voice heard. VAHPERD Journal, 39(2), 16. Retrieved from Gale Academic
OneFile,
link.gale.com/apps/doc/A668714650/AONE?u=anon~4409a828&sid=googleScholar&xid=b3
a1b7d3
imha. (2023). NDIS mental health toolkit. independant mental health advocacy. Retrieved from
https://www.imha.vic.gov.au/ndis-mental-health-toolkit
International Mental Health Collaborating Network. (2013). Psychiatric Survivors Movement.
Retrieved from International Mental Health Collaborating Network:
https://imhcn.org/bibliography/history-of-mental-health/psychiatric-survivors-movement/
Lonczak, H. S. (2020). What Is Assertive Communication? 10 Real-Life Examples. Retrieved from
PositivePsychology: https://positivepsychology.com/assertive-communication/
Mental Health Branch. (1999). The Kit: A guide to the advocacy we choose to do. Canberra:
Commonwealth Department of Health and Family Service. Retrieved from
https://hic.org.au/the-kit-a-guide-to-the-advocacy-we-choose-to-do/
Mental Health Carers NSW. (2023). Carer Advocacy Toolkit. Retrieved from
https://www.mentalhealthcarersnsw.org/resources/carer-advocacy-toolkit/
Mental Health Commission. (2018). Lived Experience Framework. Retrieved from
https://www.nswmentalhealthcommission.com.au/report/lived-experience-framework
mental health families & friends Tasmania. (2022). Self-Advocacy Toolkit. Retrieved from
https://mhfamiliesfriendstas.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/MAIN-S_1-min-1.pdf
mind. (2018). Advocacy in mental health. Retrieved from mind:
https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/guides-to-support-andservices/advocacy/what-is-advocacy/
Orygen. (2020). A GLOBAL YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCACY TOOLKIT. Retrieved from
https://www.orygen.org.au/About/Orygen-Global/Files/Orygen-WEF-advocacy-toolkit
Pipas, M., & Jaradat, M. (2010). Assertive communication skills. 12, 649–656.
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doi:10.4103/indianjpsychiatry.indianjpsychiatry_901_21
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https://www.skillsyouneed.com/ps/assertiveness.html
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Advocacy Planning Template
This informal Advocacy Plan template is adapted from "Teacher’s Guide, Freedom Self-Advocacy Curriculum published by the National Mental
Health Consumers’ Self-Help Clearinghouse". (Disability Rights Wisconsin, 2007).
Advocacy Action Plan- Part 1
What is the problem or issue? If there is more than one, focus
on one at a time:
What is your goal?
What facts do you know?
What additional facts or information might you need regarding
this situation, such as laws, rules or policies?
How can you go about gathering this information?
Who are the decision-makers that you need to influence to solve
this problem/issue?
What are some possible solutions to this problem/issue (be
specific)?
What are some barriers to these solutions
Pick one solution and discuss the strategies and tactics you will use to achieve this solution. Complete the information below to assist you in
initiating your action plan:
I will call/meet with/write to ______________________________ by the following date: _____________.
If this person does not resolve the situation by the following date __________, then I will call/meet with/write to
________________________________________.
Advocacy Action Plan- Part 2
Documentation that I will need:
Other people who can help me:
What I expect the other side to do:
Strategies for what’s next:
Debriefing: who will I call or how will I take care of myself
following this
Keep in mind that the strategy you use to obtain the advocacy goal may not be successful. It is helpful to think about what you will do if you
don’t get what you want the first, second, or even third time around. If your plan does not work, you may need to review your strategy, what went
wrong and alternative ways to resolve your concern. You may want to revisit some of the information-gathering questions listed above and
consider asking yourself the following questions:
Advocacy Action Plan- Part 3
What will I do if the strategy doesn’t work? What is the backup
plan?
What went wrong? Why didn't the strategy work?