Topic Tuesday // Tools for Advocacy // Tues 19th October, 7:00-8:30PM AEDT

Question 3. What are some top tips for self advocacy?

Self advocacy skills can help you to communicate your goals for recovery, help you to set boundaries, and become clear on what you want for your future. It’s all about communication.

Top tips for self advocacy in mental health services:

1. It’s all about communication: How we communicate our needs and wants to others makes a difference. This is where knowing effective communication styles is important. How we deliver the message, for example being mindful of how we express emotion, can mean the difference in how your message is received.
   
   
2. Find your allies: It’s also okay to want an ally or support person in the room when you talk with health professionals or loved ones about what you need or want.
   
   Plan what you are going to say ahead of time when speaking to a professional, and take in notes if you want to. The first time I spoke with my doctor about my goals and what I wanted from my support network, I wrote down some notes and practised them with a family member first.
   
   
3. Be courageous: You are the expert in your experience, and know you best. You have a lifetime of experiences and strengths to help you advocate.

Hi @Shaz51 , great to have you here!

What kind of advocacy would you want to be more involved in?

@cloudcore , being part of different forums for different situations and parts for our lives helps us to help others

A bit late jinging tonight so I might just read along for now

4. Know your rights: Every person has rights when accessing healthcare, and knowing your rights can be an important advocacy tool to ensure you are getting the quality care and support you deserve. The Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights can be a good starting point, but also know your rights and responsibilities in the mental health sector

5. Practice, practice, practice: It’s okay to start small and build up over time. For example, you might start by letting a close friend know what is helpful to support you when you are experiencing distress. Advocacy doesn’t always have to be the big things

6. Be clear on your goal: This can be a really hard one, because at time we don’t know what we want or what our goals are. Give yourself time and space to explore what you want in your recovery, and what you might need from yourself and others to help you get there. Being clear on your goal can help you bring others along with you

Absolutelt @chibam !

it can be so taxing sharing our stories. I often refer to this as 'vulnerability fatigue' or 'vulnerability hangover' This can go double when the experience of sharing may not have been a super positive one or didn't go as well as we hoped.

Hi NanaStasia @Anastasia ,

I don't think my work is to change ONE person's life. I think the purpose is for a service to improve so that the same "mistakes" don't happen again, and the service can cater for more people who need it. It's to change the lives of many. Really, I don't want people to go through the same thing that has hurt someone else.

I don't do it for compensation. I find these things often happen because people are not up to date with things and need further training. The world and people are constantly evolving. We can't expect a service to do the exact same thing as they did for the last 20 years. That's why I appreciate services such as SANE Australia who are always looking at ways to adapt and meet the needs of the people. They are not stagnant.

Hope that makes sense.

Hi @Zoe7 , completely okay if you just want to read along

@Daisydreamer The points you mention that involve having a friend help you in dealings with therapists/the system seem to be a crucial lynchpin in achieving desirable outcomes.

So, what happens when you don't have any trusted friends/family members?

I love your point about 'being clear on your goal' @Daisydreamer

When i was doing advocacy with one organsiation we did an activity to find our 'why' before every engagement. We would get asked 'why' we wanted to do something. And we might give an answer like 'to make a difference' then they would ask 'why' again. And again and again. Maybe five or 6 times. And in the end you would have a far deeper motivation like 'because all people have the right to a good life' and it always really helped me connect to what I was doing.