1. 12/6/2013
Weathering the Seas of Change: Finding Equilibrium in Tumultuous Times for Mental Health Policy Making
Presented by:
“Any person, any couple, any community has the answer to their problem within their own system.” - Milton Erikson

2. Mission statement
The Consumer Council System of Maine represents fellow consumers with an effective, organized voice in shaping public policy and mental health services. We hold as essential the participation of all consumers and look to collaborate with allies to find realistic solutions to local and statewide issues and to advance recovery-oriented, consumer-driven mental health care and peer-run recovery opportunities.

3. Statewide Consumer Council
Elected Representatives Bring Information to and from the Local Councils
DHHS/Office of Substance Abuse & Adult Mental Health Services, Legislature, Peer Groups, Service Providers, Community Groups/Meetings, Other Advocacy Groups, and more
SCC Advocacy, Participation, Partnership, and Information Exchange
Local Councils Meet in Communities Throughout Maine

4. How the CCSM came to be….
In 1989, patient deaths at Augusta Mental Health Institute triggered a class action suit on behalf of patients, resulting in what is known as The AMHI Consent Decree.
Many peers from around the state have worked to help make the following a reality:
“Consumer Voice” (From the AMHI Consent Decree Plan ):
Informed consumer voice is an integral part of the mental health system proposed in this plan. To provide more opportunities for consumer input, DHHS will provide financial support for the creation of eight regional councils and one statewide council. These councils will receive financial support from DHHS, but will operate as independent bodies with their own staff.

6. Systems Advocacy
Systems advocacy is an effort to change policies, rules or laws which determine how services are provided. While many organizations help with individual advocacy, the CCSM focuses on changing systems. There are similarities between the two types of advocacy but there are also important differences.

7. The one constant is…CHANGE!
When doing systems change work, one of the most challenging lessons we have learned and will continue to face is that there is constant change:
Administrations/Leadership
Priorities and Initiatives
Resources
Staff

8. Allies and Issues: Partnerships
When working on a particular issue, there is strength In numbers so it is important to find allies that will help move your issue forward.  Some partnerships are more obvious than others.
Some Examples:
Disability Rights
Provider Associations
Ad Hoc Coalitions
Peer and Family Advocacy Groups
Local & State Government Entities
Law Enforcement
Grassroots Organizations

9. Allies and Issues: Unlikely Allies
There are times when there are partners that you wouldn’t necessarily think of; for example:
There have been numerous times when law enforcement has been our ally in helping to fix the community mental health system because of how many of our peers end up in jails.
There are other times when we hold different opinions but times when we agree!

10. Allies and Issues: Enticing Adversaries
How do you work with someone, such as a legislator, who seems so far away from your ideals? Why might they want to work with you on a topic?
Some examples of things to find out:
Personal Story- Family, town, why they are a legislator
Are they newly elected or re- elected; # years in service
What key committees are they on? Are they in leadership?
What bills have they sponsored? What are they Interests?
Civic Involvement, Business/Employment profile, community connection
Mapping is a term for finding out as much as possible about a legislator, using public sources, to use as a  base to build your individual relationship with an adversary.
This helps you connect with individuals in a personally authentic way.

11. Allies and Issues: Where is the energy?
There are also times when you may work on an issue or topic because there is a lot of community energy and this is a moment in time when there is political will to move something forward. Sometimes these topics or issues are not on the very top of your priority list. But you can choose to take advantage of this energy and move an issue forward and ride the wave of energy to get something done for the betterment of the community.

12. Allies and Issues: When To Get Out
There will be times when you start to go down a road to see if an alliance on one or more topics with group (s) might advance a cause more than you can do on your own.
Sometimes, it goes down a path that does not meet your needs. In this instance, don’t be afraid to leave!

13. Allies and Issues: Pragmatism 101
There are times when some “not so good” things are legal to do but there are ways you can make them better. We call this making things “less bad”. How can you make things better for peers going through the forensic process? If laws are going to go through and there is no way to stop them, recommend more humane changes that committees might be willing to accept…..

14. Allies and Issues: When To Lead
There are times when your group may feel very passionate about the way something needs to be changed. Sometimes you have to step forward and act to initiate change when other groups are reluctant are reluctant to take the lead.
Be aware that this action may cause for some challenging pushback from others in a given community.
The way to survive these types of difficulties is to always stay open to new ideas, be willing to change/tweak your position and create space for the community to work things out as much as possible.

15. Small Group Discussion Questions
Does this scenario sound familiar? Have you experienced something like this in your community?
What could be some roadblocks to common ground?
What are the opportunities or solutions?
What’s working in your community?

16. Consumer Council System of Maine
4/5/2014
Consumer Council System of Maine
Simonne Maline
Executive Director
Vickie McCarty
Systems Specialist
219 Capitol Street, Suite 7 Augusta, ME Toll Free: Fax: