MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCACY

MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCACY
Advocacy is about making changes to:
Getting access to mental health services
The quality or kind of mental health services received
Rights that have been violated (protections under the Mental Health Act or other legislation, discrimination, etc.)
A work situation (hiring and firing, being treated unfairly, etc.)
Social assistance (eligilbility, losing assistance, being assigned to the wrong kind of assistance, etc.)
Any other situation that needs to changed in order to have a better quality of life (such as public education to eliminate stigma about mental health, social assistance and/or poverty and class issues, etc.)
OUR GOALS
To promote mental health in our community
To strengthen individuals and families so they may improve their quality of life
To work for victory over mental illness
Recovery & Coping Skills
The examination of alternative strategies for problem solving
Public awareness and sensitivity to community mental health problems
[These{ are offered for the purpose of portraying a specific problem having specific effects on individuals in a specific setting. The group responds to the portrayal with alternative problem-solving ideas. The critical concept is the fact that behavior is truly a matter of personal choice which can be altered in life of new and relevant information.
SUPPORT & ADVOCACY
We have always advocated for person's in need, either because they suffer from mental illness or have some other condition that threatens their coping skills. Advocacy services may be as simple as providing a listening ear or as in-depth as intervention with other agencies, the legal system, governmental agencies, and educating legislators about issues relevant to behavioral health needs of the community.
Http://www.bhsn.org/bhsn17.htm