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that is conscious of the audience and what you want them to understand and learn. This is

explained in more detail below.

The power of the parable

A parable is a short story that is used to illustrate a moral or ethical point. A parable

doesn’t have to be religious, but it must have a clear message.

Any good story should have elements of a parable – a sense not just of getting your story off
your chest, but of a carefully considered message (more complex than “I suffered a lot.

Mental illness is really awful!” or “I really have come a long way!”).

Parables are extremely useful tools for consumers because often part of the motivation for

telling our story is because we want things to change – whether it is attitudes towards ‘mental
illness,’ a discriminatory or disrespectful behaviour that we have witnessed, the

inaccessibility of a valuable service, or the attitude of mental health professionals in certain
contexts. Below are some tips for writing a powerful parable.

Who is your audience?

Clearly define who the audience for your parable will be – e.g. the general public,

psychiatrists, social workers, other consumers, etc. Try to be really specific – for example, if

you will be talking to psychiatric nurses, are these new nurses or veterans, or a mixture? This
will influence both your message and how you choose to convey it.

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