I’ve often gotten the question, “Why do you choose to be a mental health advocate?”
It’s a great question, and a number of reasons come to mind for why I’ve chosen to engage in mental health advocacy. Here are my top five reasons:
1) I was raised to believe in public service.
My family has always been big on public service. I’ve had several relatives who have served in various appointed and elected positions serving the public. Undoubtedly my father was my biggest influence, as he had a multi-decade career of service in a variety of groups aimed at promoting the public good. I guess the apple really doesn’t fall far from the tree.
2) There is great need.
Just look around and you’ll see a world struggling in many ways, including challenges related to physical and mental health conditions. Anything I can do to provide helpful information to lessen someone’s burden is certainly worth the effort.
3) I’m a teacher.
For over 26 years, I worked in various teaching, supervisory and administrative roles as part of the clinical psychology faculty at a large state university. Teaching and service are a big part of my DNA, so it’s only natural that I would extend these goals to social media and the internet to try to provide public education on a somewhat larger scale.
4) I want to be a positive role model.
Most of my university teaching focused on work with students pursuing careers in psychology, including scores of graduate students who were training to become clinical psychologists. I always wanted to show them that advocacy is not some abstract, unattainable concept. It’s as simple as a social media or blog post, an email or a heartfelt conversation. And yes, even one voice does matter.
5) It’s just the right thing to do.
We all want to make a difference in some small way. If information that I share can help even just one person or family to be better informed, more empowered or more effective in getting their needs met or just to feel a little better, I’ve met my goal.
So, in summary, I’ll conclude by saying that I’m a mental health advocate because we can’t afford to be silent when having a voice can really make a positive difference in the lives of others.
Here’s a question: Why are you an advocate and what are your advocacy goals? Please leave a comment. Also, please consider subscribing to my blog and feel free to follow me on X (formerly Twitter), “like” my Facebook page, or connect on LinkedIn. Thanks!