This week, in recognition of World Suicide Prevention Day, we’re exploring the importance of advocacy support. There are many things we can do as individuals and organisations to help break down barriers, raise awareness, and create better cultures of understanding and support when it comes to suicide awareness. At Calmer, we believe that becoming a mental health advocate, and practicing advocacy, can be a powerful way to start.
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.
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, 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, Calmer’s Need Help Now? directory offers a comprehensive list of immediate mental health support resources, both in the UK and globally. Covering a list of helpful resources, charities, and organisations who can provide varying types of support, we hope this serves as a useful starting point for anyone in need of help.
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.