Advocacy and Empowerment Presented by: On: At:

Aims of this Session Empowerment and Disempowerment Empowerment for all What is Advocacy? Advocacy and Rights Self –advocacy and Recovery

“...empowerment 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 or informal barriers and the transformation of power relations between individuals, communities, services and governments.” (WHO 2010)

What is...? Disempowerment Empowerment Feeling excluded from decision-making No choice Not listened-to Feeling fearful No confidence Being-pigeon-holed Labelled Leads to disengagement Feeling cautious Family member feeling responsible for but not listened-to Telling someone what they’ll get Leads to conflict and poor outcome At centre of decision making Becoming informed through peer groups Staff admitting they don’t have all the answers Challenging decisions Family members have confidence in self Fear is replaced by hope Included/consulted in decisions Information & Education feels empowering Asking someone what they want Leads to Recovery

Empowerment For Staff members For Family & Carers For Service users

Empowerment- Staff Member Getting to know the person takes time- needs continuity of service Respect- I’m doing the best I can with the best of intentions Not taking what people say/behaviour personally- might not have anything to do with me Not an easy job- self-care, being able to step back Training in specific areas Opportunity to be creative and do things outside the box

Empowerment- Family Member Aiding communication with family, managing expectations Helping family who feel lost, fearful (e.g. of relapse) Finding the right approach Dealing with varying views on what Recovery means Support the family but respect the confidentiality and choice of the service user Educate the family on Recovery Able to go beyond only the medical model

Empowerment- Service User People involved in decisions that affect them Starting something new- replace old behaviour Self-care Be prepared to get involved and give input Access to available resources to help overcome symptoms Learning as much as you can e.g. Medication Individual viewpoint- know yourself and learn from the past positive/negative triggers Managing family relationships

Advocacy What is Advocacy? Advocacy (n.) The act of arguing in favour of something, such as a cause, idea, or policy; active support. — The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

Advocacy and Rights Civil Rights movement 1960’s Patients Liberation Movement 1970’s UK Advocacy Network 1990 Irish Advocacy Network 1999 Mental Health Act 2001-Tribunal Mindfreedom Ireland 2003 SHINE, MHIrl, GROW, Le Cheile, Aras Follain

Advocacy and the Irish Advocacy Network Ltd ‘Peer advocates are people who have personal experience of mental health difficulties who have achieved a sufficient level of recovery to complete an accredited training course in peer advocacy. Once they are qualified they can complete a period working with an existing peer advocate before engaging with clients on their own. This puts them in a unique position in understanding the problems faced by people with mental health difficulties.’ http://www.irishadvocacynetwork.com/ 01 8728684

Self Advocacy Tips Know and understand your rights and responsibilities Learn all you can about your disability, needs, strengths, and weaknesses Know what accommodations you need as well as why you need them Know how to effectively/assertively communicate your needs and preferences Find out who the key people are and how to contact them if necessary Be willing to ask questions when something is unclear or you need clarification

Self-advocacy

Self-advocacy Things I am good at/ Things I enjoy In relation to Recovery, a change or changes I wish to see The ways I will achieve this change/changes

”Empowerment is not a destination, but a journey” (World Health Organisation, 2010)

References American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company http://irishadvocacynetwork.com/wp/history-of-ian/ [accessed on 30/8/2016] http://www.mindfreedomireland.com/index.php/about [accessed on 8/9/16] World Health Organisation (2010) “User empowerment in mental health– a statement by the WHO Regional Office for Europe”, WHO, Denmark.