Telling Your Story NAMI Mini-Smarts Advocacy Training Winter 2009

1. Telling Your StoryNAMI Mini-Smarts Advocacy TrainingWinter 2009

2. What is advocacy? Advocacy is the active support of an idea or cause Its roots are the Latin “vocare,” to call, voice, or speak In other words, to tell your story to effect change

3. Why tell your story? To improve the quality of life for persons who live with mental illness How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. –Anne Frank

4. Why is advocacy important? Because mental illness is common… One in four adults experiences a mental health disorder in any given year, including our returning troops¹ About 10 million Americans, or one in 17, lives with a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia, major depression or bipolar disorder² One in 10 children and youth have a serious mental health condition³

5. Why is advocacy important? Because treatment works, but most go without… Fewer than one-third of adults and one-half of children who live with mental health needs receive any level of treatment in any one year4 There are long delays—an average of eight to 10 years—beforepeople get help for symptoms of mental illness5

6. Why is advocacy important? Because untreated mental illness is costly… Inadequate treatment and supports results in: School failure About half of students with a serious mental health condition drop out of high school—the highest dropout rate of any disability group6 Unemployment Only one in three adults who lives with serious mental illness is employed,7 even though most want to work8 Criminalization About 20-25 percent of jail and prison inmates and youth involved with juvenile justice live with serious mental illness9, 10

7. Why is advocacy important? Inadequate treatment and supports results in: Homelessness 26 percent of the homeless population lives with severe mental illness11 Hospitalization One out of every five community hospital stays involves a primary or secondary diagnosis of mental illness12 Early death People living with serious mental illness die, on average, 25 years earlier than the general population13 Suicide We lose one life to suicide every 15.8 minutes14

8. Why is advocacy important? Because with the right help, recovery is possible. Yet today, recovery is at risk… Medicaid and public mental health programs are experiencing reductions despite rising demand for mental health services Mental health budgets fund needed services for Medicaid enrollees, the uninsured and the underinsured Budget cuts are resulting in children and adults with mental illness not getting the help they need

9. Tell your story Do your part to keep children and adults with mental illness on the road to recovery—advocate for mental health care… You don’t need to be an expert to be an advocate, you just need to tell your story effectively Real stories change hearts andminds—use yours to illustrate the need for public mental health services Your story is always right Your lived experience has value and meaning You don’t have to have all the answers—just a clear “ask”

10. Legislators are not therapists… Keep your story brief (aim for a minute or two—or even less) Illustrate a point Make a clear “ask” Remember that positive concepts like hope and recovery are powerful motivators Tips for telling your story

11. Demo an Effective Story Listen to the sample story Notice your reactions as you listen

12. Deconstruct an Effective Story Use “seven steps to telling your story” Think about parts in the sample story that correspond to the seven steps

13. Practice an Effective Story Use your “story practice sheet” to write your own story Refer to “seven steps to telling your story” for help

14. Introduce yourself Describe who you are, what you are advocating for and how you are affected by mental illness. Tell your story What happened? What helped? How are you different today? Make your point Help others by giving a brief, positive message about mental health services and recovery Make your “ask” Remind your legislator of the action or position you would like them to take Say thank you

15. E-mail, write or call your legislators Send a letter to the editor Blog online Visit your legislators Post a video Talk with the media Provide testimony at a hearing You can tell your story when you…

16. You can make a difference Commit to doing one act of advocacy in the next 72 hours Think about how you can make advocacy a regular part of your life “Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.” –William James

17. Resources www.nami.org/stateadvocacy