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do?), b) what regional mental health needs are (where are the greatest unmet needs, and why does that matter?), and c) what current policy needs include.
a. Practice said elevator speech with friends. Sometimes when written statements become spoken word, they get a bit too dry and formal. Make sure you’re able to talk the talk by practicing ahead of time.
b. In researching your local representatives, learn about why they’ve become invested in the policy they’re writing or supporting. Research their prior initiatives and explicit priorities, then reshape what you’re advocating for to fit within their lens. Be prepared for their questions and any pushback by considering these ahead of time.
c. Show up. I knew nothing about Texas before...moving to Texas. I’d never written an OpEd before. Care about what you do? Care about your clients, your community, anyone who needs mental healthcare? Then you must acknowledge advocacy is intimidating and overwhelming—and then approach it, one step at a time.
d. Bite-sizable advocacy chunks: Draft a list of what you DO know and what you DON’T know. And then a to-do list of what you need to learn. Scale these areas of growth (1-10, 10 as the most overwhelming, anxiety-provoking area). Pick anything rated 1-5 to check off, then work your way up.
e. Join and be involved in AAMFT (and regional affiliates). They stand for you, that’s their purpose; and they need your support. They are not an endless supply of senior professionals who will have no problem keeping our profession alive. They are other therapists in your city and state who are working endlessly to substantiate the profession of MFT at every single level of policy.
f. Have an issue with the organization or others supporting our work as mental health providers? Get involved in order to make meaningful change. Complaining from the outside does absolutely nothing to create change. Get engaged—just like you require of your clients in order to create change.
7. One stone. Integrate advocacy work into the work
you’re already doing. Make learning about advocacy part of supervision activities; write about mental health policy for
a class assignment; write a blog post or OpEd for a local or national news source; and listen for broader systemic issues
in your work with clients. Are they struggling with health insurance? Unclear about their rights as a parent in the schools? Overwhelmed with national politics? Then it’s your responsibility to do your homework and learn about policy that is affecting your individual clients.
8. Social Networking.
a. Find other people interested in advocacy and support each other. Learn about their efforts and work together.
b. Find people who aren’t interested in advocacy. Correct them. Bring them into your group.
c. Find mentors who are a bit further along in advocacy. It helps to learn about their work and stay motivated by their successes.
d. Get involved in social networking. Not just Facebook! Get on Twitter. It’s a simple, effective way to learn about regional (and federal) power players and advocacy groups.
e. Pick up your phone. Call your representatives. Get to know their staff.
f. Find who’s advocating on behalf of MFTs or mental health. Learn about the work they’re doing, their initiatives and priorities, and whether you can volunteer to help. And, donate so they’re able to continue the good work (try starting with AAMFT Practice Protection Fund).
9. Cultivate your empathy. This requires self-care,
as well as a focus on learning about other people’s lived experiences. We need to continually open ourselves to caring about others. It makes for more powerful, passionate advocacy efforts. In order to do that, we need to be well ourselves. Commit to taking care of yourself in order to commit to empathizing with others. Then, commit to advocating for family therapists and all the people who benefit from our empathy superpowers.
Anti-diffusion of responsibility. We’re busy. We’re tired. We work for little pay (or, less than we should). This doesn’t change whether you are a student, new professional, or master family therapist. Well, hopefully the pay changes. But,
if we stand by and do nothing, assuming these policies don’t affect us, or there are other people out there fighting the good fight—there will be no one left to fight for us, or the families we serve. Pour the passion you feel for meeting your clients’ needs into contributing to a better society and being responsible for the profession. Choose to use your empathy superpowers for good.
Sarah Woods, PhD, LMFT-Supervisor
is an assistant professor and program coordinator of the Family Therapy Program at Texas Woman’s University in Denton, Texas. She specializes in medical family therapy and researches connections between family relationships and health,
especially for underserved populations.
Have your own tips about how to get started in advocacy? Please share!
Email: swoods6@twu.edu Twitter: @swoodsieb
www.aamft.org/practicefund.asp
ON THE WEB >> www.aamft.org/familyteam
www.aamft.org/pac
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