Peer/Self-Advocacy Unit (P/SA)

History

In the mid-1980s when a Protection & Advocacy law for individuals with mental illness was proposed, grassroots client organizations participated in getting this legislation passed.

In 1986 the California Network of Mental Health Clients (CNMHC) wanted to create a client-run advocacy program. They wanted to train mental health clients/former clients to help residents in facilities understand their rights and how to exercise their rights. PAI contracted with the CNMHC to develop and implement this program for two years. The program used the self-help philosophy as the foundation for all services and used peers as role models. In 1989, the contract ended and the peer/self-advocacy program became a integral part of PAI funded by the PAIMI grant.

Timeline

In 1989, there was one peer/self-advocacy coordinator at PAI.

In 1999, PAI hired a part-time peer/self-advocacy trainer in Sacramento.

In 1995, a separate Peer/Self-Advocacy Unit was formed. We hired additional peer/self-advocacy coordinators, so that there was one coordinator in each PAI office. The Unit Coordinator supervised the unit services.

In 1997, six part-time peer/self-advocacy trainers were hired as a way to provide services in remote areas. The trainers are people connected to local self-help groups. They act as the link between people in facilities and their local communities.

In 1998, the Unit Director was established to supervise the unit services.

In 2000, an additional 1½ peer/self-advocacy coordinators were hired for Southern California. The Sacramento peer/self-advocacy coordinator position was moved to the Far North. There were coordinators in 4 of the 5 CNMHC regions.

In 2001, we created two Senior peer/self-advocacy coordinators, one in the North and one in the South. We created a bi-lingual/bi-cultural coordinator position in the Central Valley. We now have coordinators in all 5 of the CNMHC regions. We now have 12 part time trainers throughout the state .

In 2007, we have a PSA Unit Manager, two Senior peer/self-advocacy coordinators, one in Los Angeles and one in Oakland, peer self/advocacy coordinators in San Diego, Riverside County and the Central Valley. We have trainers in Redding, Yuba City, Santa Rosa, San Mateo, and Los Angeles.

PSA staff

Photo:

Some of the PSA members who gathered in Sacramento in August 2007 for the annual PAI goal-setting meeting.
Top row: Gabby Poblete-Morales, David Solis, Senobia Pichardo, Alicia Mendoza, Martha Cook
Middle row: Rob Chittenden, Mark Olberg, Yvonne McGough
Front row: Robyn Gantsweg

Goals

From the beginning, the goals of our work have been to:

1) Help people understand their human, legal, and service rights;

2) Help people learn to exercise their rights to get what they need;

3) Help people become advocates for themselves and their peers;

4) Provide training and technical assistance to community self-help groups as they develop and implement advocacy projects.

Value of the P/SA approach:

  • The value of training peers to teach advocacy skills is that we have an intimate understanding of the needs of people who are using or have used mental health services. We have experienced navigating the bureaucratic maze of the mental health system and other public systems. We act as role models and teach people from a practical perspective how to understand and exercise their legal rights.

PSA program description

  • The value of training people to advocate for their rights is that it can prevent the dehumanizing effect and discounting of feelings and perceptions that can occur in the mental health system.

Peer/self-advocacy services we provide

In facilities:

To carry out our goals, we provide weekly peer/self-advocacy training in I nstitutions for the Treatment of Mental Disease (IMDs) and State Hospitals. We do this by helping the residents start their own self-advocacy group. The residents decide what advocacy topics they want to work on. We then develop a training plan with materials, based on what people want to learn. We take into account the residents’ skill levels and preferred ways of learning information. Topics can include: patients' rights, how to advocate for yourself, conservatorships, your legal status, penal code extensions, how to get out, and how to stay out.

In communities:

We also provide weekly peer/self-advocacy trainings in the community. The purpose of these trainings is to help people get the most out of community resources. We provide these services in a variety of ways. Some people may want to form a self-advocacy group that meets weekly or bi-weekly. We help them do that, then use the same training process to teach advocacy topics as we use in facilities. Topics can include: Developing community supports, public benefits, accessing community services, surviving in the community, and where are the free resources? Some people may want a training series on a specific topic such as advance directives, public benefits and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

We meet with people in the community in selected counties to help them with advocacy projects they have identified. Some examples of projects we have helped community groups include: planning and organizing a self-help and advocacy conference, organizing a peer advocacy project, organizing a self-help group, and assisting the CNMHC in their organizing efforts.

Examples of our peer/self-advocacy services

Training seminars on topics such as legal rights in the mental health system, negotiation and self-advocacy skills, how to develop relationships with mental health providers, opportunities for people in advocacy activities, the role of a peer advocate, and peer advocacy projects.

Training on self-advocacy skills, problem solving skills, negotiation skills by group discussions, role-playing, and guest speakers.

On-going technical assistance to people wishing to develop peer advocacy programs in their local communities.

Presentations on peer advocacy, self-advocacy, and self-help activities.

Because the focus of our work is to teach people to advocate for themselves, we do not advocate directly for people, but rather help people advocate for themselves.

How we work with other staff members at PAI

When a self-advocacy group we work with identifies a legal or legislative issue they want to work on, we help them contact PAI’s legal unit or Legislative Public Information Unit to get help with that issue. For example:

The self-advocacy groups for forensic residents at both Patton and Napa State Hospitals wanted an attorney to meet with them once a month. As a result, we assisted the groups in establishing a "Legal Presentation Day" at those hospitals. These self-advocacy groups also wanted to learn about the legislative process, so the Public Affairs Unit provided legislative information to them.

If an individual member has a specific legal issue and needs more detailed assistance than we can provide in a group setting, we refer him/her to the legal unit. We notify the legal unit that he/she is a self-advocacy group member and will be calling for an intake appointment.

2006 PSA project highlights

The Peer/Self-Advocacy Unit conducts weekly self-advocacy groups throughout the state. In 2006 we supported 28 weekly groups at Institutes of Mental Disease, state hospitals, board and care homes, and in the community. We covered 29 different topics and served 4272 individuals in these groups.

Our staff attended and provided training at the Patients’ Rights Advocacy Training in Los Angeles, and attended the Alternatives Conference in Portland.

One of the goals of the Unit this year is to access Mental Health Services Act funding to provide PSA services in two counties. One county would be in Northern California and one in Southern California. We are in the process of negotiating a contract in Sonoma County.

Peer/Self-Advocacy Staff worked on the California Memorial Project this past year specifically in planning for restoration and memorializing the site at Napa State Hospital, moving found remains in Stockton, planning for restoration and memorializing of the Stockton site, and monitoring application for funds for the Napa Restoration and memorial.

Staff assisted with advocacy projects with the following groups and projects since October 2005:

Sharon Schmidt:

Assisted members of the Canyon Manor Self-Advocacy group to obtain more passes outside the facility and more access to the grounds of the facility.

Assisted members of the Creekside Self-Advocacy group to advocate with the administration of Creekside to hire more consumers as staff at the facility.

Michael McPherson:

Assisted members of the VA Self-Advocacy group to partner with California Park Model Homes to research options for affordable housing solutions for group members. They also assisted group members to view model homes.

Assisted members of the VA Self-Advocacy group in planning a forum at the VA hospital to address multiple disability issues experienced in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

Assisted members of the Friendship Self-Advocacy group to apply for Section 8 housing. Eight members got notification from the Housing Authority.

Senobia Pichardo:

Assisted members of the La Hora del Café to create a magazine in Spanish and produced 10 editions featuring poems and stories from members. The issues were distributed to other monolingual self-advocacy groups and other self-help groups in Los Angeles.

Assisted members of the La Hora del Café Self-Advocacy group to get donations of five computers.

Assisted members of the La Hora del Café Self-Advocacy group in writing letters to obtain clothing donations.

David Solis:

Assisted members of the Woodlake Women’s Association Self-Advocacy group to participate and become more proactive in Mental Health Services Act activities in Tulare County.

Assisted members of the Woodlake Women’s Association Self-Advocacy group to advocate for better customer services at the Family Health Care Network.

Assisted members of the Huron and Coalinga Self-Advocacy groups to meet with the social services site director to discuss the poor level of services and lack of professionalism.

Assisted members of the Huron and Coalinga Self-Advocacy groups to participate in and become more proactive in Mental Health Services Act activities in Fresno County.

Trainings:

Peer/Self-Advocacy staff member Michael McPherson partnered with Todd Higgins to present a training on Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Veterans at the National Disability Rights Network Conference in January.

Peer/Self-Advocacy staff member David Solis assisted members of the Woodlake Women’s Association to present a training to the Tulare County Police Department.

Peer/Self-Advocacy staff member Rob Chittenden provided training to the Humboldt County Client and Cultural Affairs Committee of the Health and Human Services Department in January.