It’s very gratifying to me that so many people are interested in mental health advocacy. I’m often asked about ways to get more involved in advocacy, which I’ve addressed to some degree in several previous posts.
Another fun and rewarding way to get more involved in mental health advocacy is to start an advocacy group. Several years ago, I started an advocacy group for graduate students in our clinical psychology training program and it’s been a great experience. Here are a few key things to consider if you would like to start your own mental health advocacy group.
Consider the setting for the group
Groups are a natural fit in settings such as schools, workplaces, churches, or just among a group of family or friends. If you are thinking about having the group within an organization, see if you need permission to start the group. Check on approvals for space to hold the group meeting, best time of day, and so on. It’s also important to establish at the outset if the group will be formally representing the organization in any capacity.
Put the word out that you are forming a group
Next, make a few announcements that you are interested in starting a mental health advocacy group. Distribute this information through channels that are appropriate and available (email, social media, personal invitations, etc.). Invite people to respond if they are interested in learning more. Start keeping a list of the names and contact information of those who respond.
Have an organizational meeting
After you have at least a handful of interested folks, set a time and place for an organizational meeting that fits everyone’s schedule. You may also want to publicize the meeting time with your initial larger list of contacts in case others may want to attend. Have some snacks at the meeting. Let everyone introduce themselves and say a little about their interest in mental health advocacy.
Designate a few leaders for the group
At the first or second group meeting, find out who might be interested in a leadership role for the group. It’s usually helpful to at least have a chair or president, a secretary to take meeting notes, and possibly a communications person to handle social media and emails. If you foresee having some income or dues, then a treasurer will also be needed.
Sketch out some general goals or areas of focus
Decide what your group’s overall advocacy goals or interests might be. As an example our graduate student group decided to focus on both legislative advocacy (talking with policy makers about mental health legislation in our state) and community outreach (public education about mental health issues and supporting worthwhile human services organizations).
Be clear about what the group is not
An advocacy group is NOT a support group or group therapy. An advocacy group’s goals are generally to promote mental health through advocacy-related activities. Support or therapy groups provide more of a therapeutic or mutual aid focus to help members deal with difficult personal or mental health challenges. It’s best to keep advocacy groups focused on advocacy.
Meet on a regular basis
Develop a schedule for regular meetings, perhaps once a month or so. Or you may want to meet a little more often in the beginning as you are doing your initial organizing and goal setting. Develop a simple group email or text system to send meeting reminders and other messages to the group. Vary up the meetings from time to time by meeting for coffee or brunch.
Plan some activities and events
You don’t have to have everything figured out to plan some initial activities for the group. One thing that’s very easy to do is to participate in or support activities of mental health-focused organizations. You could also attend a charity walk, help with a mental health screening event or a voter registration drive, donate food or clothing to a shelter, volunteer at a psychiatric hospital or peer support center, or attend a rally at your state Capitol. If you have members who have specialized knowledge or training about mental health issues, consider offering educational talks to the community.
Let the group evolve
After the group has been up and running for a little while, think about future directions. You may want to establish social media pages to announce group meetings or to share mental health-related advocacy posts from other advocates and organizations. Consider whether you want to recruit more members or keep the group at a smaller size. Think about new activities and areas of focus for the group. Invite some more experienced advocates to come and share their insights. Work out a plan to rotate the group leadership positions on a regular basis.
Hopefully, these ideas will help you get your mental health advocacy group started. I think you will find that advocacy groups can be a very worthwhile endeavor. They are a really neat way to meet and align with other advocates and to find many different ways to make a meaningful difference in your school, workplace, church or community.
Here’s a question: What ideas do you have for starting your own mental health advocacy group? Please leave a comment. Also, please subscribe to my blog and feel free to follow me on X (formerly Twitter) or Instagram, “like” my Facebook page, or connect on LinkedIn. Finally, if you enjoyed this post, please share it with a friend.