This week, we’re exploring the importance of advocacy. Are you looking to support someone with their mental health? Becoming a mental health advocate, and practicing advocacy, may be the route you’re looking for.
With 2020 continuing to be a difficult year for many, we hope this guide can help you to effectively support people around you who may be experiencing challenging emotions and mental health problems, while also looking after yourself.
On the note of this year’s events, we also wish to highlight that here at Calmer, our multi-ethnic team supports the Black Lives Matter movement and we will continue to work in solidarity with the BIPOC community. For more information on how to be supportive, we recommend visiting the Black Lives Matter website.
What is mental health advocacy?
Mental health advocacy is the act of providing support to another person who is experiencing poor mental health.
According to mental health charity Mind UK, people who have mental health problems may not have their thoughts or opinions taken as seriously by the people around them. By becoming a mental health advocate, you can provide this much-needed support to a friend, family member, or even someone you don’t personally know. When you take on this role, you become a mental health advocate.
What does a mental health advocate do?
If you’re thinking about becoming a mental health advocate, you may wish to first work out what would be an appropriate approach to your mental health advocacy. For example, if you live with the person you wish to support, your existing relationship may mean you can talk about more personal issues than with someone you don’t know very well.
A typical advocate will:
Ask open questions and actively listen to the person they are supporting
Provide information that may improve their current situation
Help explore different options and approaches to improving their mental health
Highlight any personal rights or support that the person is entitled to
Contact relevant people, organisations, or charities either with or on behalf of them, always keeping the individual involved in decision-making
Accompany the person in question on calls, and at meetings or appointments, where possible
At the same time, it’s worth noting that there are certain actions that you are not required to fulfil when acting as an advocate for somebody. Mental health advocates do not need to:
Give their personal opinion or advice
Solve problems or make decisions on behalf of the person they are advocating for
Make judgements about the person they are advocating for
It’s important to keep in mind that mental health experts, therapists and counsellors train for years to develop the skills, experience, and emotional resilience needed to offer specialist advice.
However, you can offer authentic support to someone by ensuring you follow the above steps, while taking care of your own feelings at the same time. These steps will help you to provide clear, impartial support, as well as prevent you from taking on any unnecessary stress or responsibilities that may become too burdensome.
Where to find mental health support and information
One important role that many advocates provide is to act as a signpost for mental health support. To help with this, here is a list of UK-based resources, charities, and organisations who can provide varying types of support:
Calmer - Training organisation empowering entrepreneurs, freelancers and business teams to nurture good mental health and wellbeing.
Good Mental Health festival - Launching on Friday 9th October 2020 organised by Calmer and Psychreg, this festival aims to help you nurture your mental wellbeing as professionals so you can thrive in your work, and all aspects of your life.
Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) - Charity providing suicide-prevention support, especially for men under 45.
Mind UK - Mental health charity, offering a range of resources and support.
Anxiety UK - Charity offering resources and support dedicated to helping people struggling with anxiety and anxiety disorders.
The Mix - Charity providing support for under 25s across various topics.
NHS Mental Health - National Health Service’s resources for mental health.
The Reignite Project - Free digital course for stress and burnout prevention.
Thrive Your Life - Clinical mental health support and official Calmer partner.
Remember that being your authentic self, listening intently and showing you care can create a safe environment for the person you are supporting, and make a profound difference. One talk at a time, we can all get the help we deserve when we need it.
Announcing our Calmer Ambassadors
In alignment with this weeks post about Advocacy, we recently launched our Calmer Ambassador scheme.
We are excited to welcome two incredibly inspiring individuals, Joshua Robertson and Dan Keeley, who are joining us on our mission to spread the message of Good Mental Health. Find out more and express your interest in becoming a Calmer Ambassador.