DIPLOMA CHCMHS008

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Psychology

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Dec 6, 2023

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1.0 Introduction People with mental health needs can be among the most disadvantaged in society, and face many barriers as a direct result of their illness. Stigma, discrimination and misunderstanding about mental health are major barriers that can sometimes be worse than the illness itself. Altering perceptions about mental illness is critical to breaking down some of the barriers that stigma, discrimination and misunderstanding create. Advocacy is about standing up for the rights of others and ensuring that people’s opinions and preferences are heard in matters affecting their daily lives. An advocate is anyone who presents the opinions, requests, rights or needs of people or groups of people for the purpose of negotiating on behalf of those they represent. Where possible, or desired by the individual or group, an advocate provides support to a person to advocate on their own behalf. This is called self-advocacy. The promotion and facilitation of self-advocacy contributes to a person’s self- determination, empowerment and right to make informed choices regarding all aspects of their life. In this module you will learn how to:  apply strategic questioning to clarify advocacy issues  review and provide information on self-advocacy in relation to individual or group issues  assist others to clarify their own needs and rights and to determine if their rights are being infringed or not being met  work with others to evaluate and negotiate advocacy options  document advocacy options according to organisation policy and procedures. 1.1 Apply strategic questioning to clarify advocacy issues As a mental health worker, you will be responsible for assisting individuals or groups who decide to undertake self-advocacy to identify their issues, rights and preferred options. They will need to understand how the self- advocacy process works and what is required of them. By asking strategic questions, you can clarify the advocacy issues of the individual or group. Strategic questioning involves asking a question that will make a difference to the person’s current way of thinking about or viewing an

issue. Strategic questions should be about the person’s experience, invite new thinking, and foster hope, imagination and new possibilities. Watch this video to learn more about strategic questioning: Source: Sharon Browning (Links to an external site.) Apply strategic questioning Strategic questioning means creating personal and social change through the skill of asking questions that make a difference to the person’s or group’s relevant issues. Strategic questioning assists individuals or groups to actively solve problems and develop processes for action, rather than just discussing the issue. Asking questions that encourage others to explore alternative options can lead to unexpected and innovative solutions. According to Fran Peavy (Links to an external site.) , there are seven key features for shaping a strategic question:  A strategic question creates motion.  A strategic question creates options.  A strategic question avoids 'Why'.  A strategic question avoids 'Yes or No' answers  A strategic question is empowering.  A strategic question asks the unaskable questions.  A strategic question is a simple sentence. Strategic questioning is part of broader ‘questioning skills’. Other types of questions can be used for specific purposes, such as context questions, focus questions, observation questions and feeling questions, and group strategic questions. This video demonstrates more questioning skills: Source: ImpactLearningTV (Links to an external site.) Use an ethical approach When applying strategic questioning, it is critical that you keep your own identity, ideas and opinions out of the process. Adopt an empathetic approach to listening without manipulating or controlling the conversation. Carefully design your questions so that the answers materialise from the individual or group affected, rather than providing your own ideas and suggestions. Tips for using strategic questioning:  Use curiosity instead of judgment.

 Make sure questions do not include assumptions.  Allow others to express their feelings without offering solutions.  Shift your own ideas to take into account new information.  Empower the individual or group entering into self-advocacy. To further your understanding and find practical suggestions of how to use strategic questioning effectively, you can learn more from Fran Peavey’s Strategic questioning manual (Links to an external site.) . Types of strategic questions In Fran Peavey’s assessment of approaches to change, Peavey identified strategic questions that should be asked when working with individuals or groups who want to self-advocate. The types of strategic questions are described here.  Focus questions  Observation questions  Feelings questions  Visioning questions  Change questions  Alternative questions  Personal inventory and support questions  Personal action questions Focus questions identify the situation and gather the key facts necessary to understand the issue. These are context questions, rather than strategic, required to establish a general understanding of the issue to be discussed. Example: ‘What are you most concerned about in the area of mental health services?’ Clarify advocacy issues Asking strategic questions of an individual or group will allow you to clarify their advocacy issues. Sometimes there may be a number of issues faced by a person. If this is the case, ask questions that get to the root cause of the problem so that you can get a clear idea of what the person’s main advocacy issue is and work to help them solve their own problems, one at a time. Write down the answers an individual or group gives you so you can refer back to the information in the future, and record how you assisted them to prepare for self-advocacy. Strategic questioning will allow you and the self-advocates to:

 Identify the main issue; for example, what makes them angry or upset.  Clarify how the issue makes them feel; for example, angry or upset.  Identify who is causing the problem; for example, the self-advocate or somebody else.  Discover why the issues makes a person feel a certain way; for example, that their rights are not being met.  Identify when the issue occurs the most; for example, when the person is alone, or with others.  Identify where the issue occurs the most; for example, in one place, or in many places. Example: Apply strategic questioning to clarify advocacy issues Rani, a mental health worker, meets with a group of employees who wish to advocate on the issue of their employer meeting the needs of employees with mental health issues. Rani is asked by the group’s representative, Sarah, to advise and assist the group with how they can effectively participate in self-advocacy. To clarify the group’s advocacy issues, Rani asks the group a series of strategic questions with the purpose of eliciting creative answers that empower the group to develop their own original ideas. Rani understands the importance of keeping her own identity, ideas and opinions out of the process. The first question Rani asks the group is, ‘How could the current situation be changed to be just as you would like it?’ One of the group members, Clifton, says that he would like the employer to identify possible workplace practices, actions or incidents that may cause, or contribute to, the mental illness of workers, and take actions to eliminate or minimise these risks. The group agrees with Clifton’s summary and Rani begins to understand their self-advocacy needs. 1.2 Review and provide information on self-advocacy to assist individuals and groups Self-advocates represent and promote the issues and ideals that are important to them. In the mental health sector, self-advocates might actively promote better access to mental health services, or advocate for

the protection of vulnerable people when accessing mental health services. Many people can successfully advocate on their own behalf, but there are others who may experience difficulty speaking up for themselves. As a mental health worker, you may be required to review and provide information on self-advocacy that will assist individuals and groups to effective advocate for a variety of issues relevant to them. Mental health and mental illness To review and provide information on self-advocacy in the mental health sector, you need to understand the difference between mental health and mental illness. The term ‘mental health’ is often misunderstood and interpreted as referring to mental illness. Mental health is a desirable quality, relevant to all people, regardless of whether they are experiencing, or recovering from, a mental illness or disorder. The following definitions will help you understand the difference between mental health and mental illness.  Mental health  Mental illness Mental health is a positive concept relating to the social and emotional wellbeing of individuals, groups and communities. Mental health refers to a person’s ability to enjoy life, cope with stress and sadness, fulfil their goals and potential, and develop a sense of connection to others. Mental health issues arising from life stressors can interfere with a person’s cognitive, emotional or social abilities, but may not meet the criteria for a diagnosed mental illness or disorder. However, if mental health issues are not resolved, they may develop into a mental illness. The following video further explores the definition of mental health and how this differs from mental illness: Source: Mental Health at Work (Links to an external site.) Types of mental illness Many people experience mental health problems such as anxiety and depression at some stage in their lives, often as a response to stress. Most mental health problems do not usually last as long as a serious mental disorder and do not have the same impact on a person’s life. However, they cause distress and can affect the way a person thinks and feels for a time. For this reason, people affected should seek treatment as soon as

possible so occasional problems do not develop into something more serious. Depression Depression is the most common mental health problem and, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), one of the leading contributors to the global burden of disease and disability. Depression affects people of all ages, genders and backgrounds, and WHO predicts the impact of depression will continue to grow worldwide. This WHO factsheet (Links to an external site.) provides clear information and statistics. Treatment for the milder forms of depression involves a combination of medication and psychological treatments, such as cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) and interpersonal psychotherapy. A person with depression may have symptoms such as:  a prolonged and unusually sad mood  loss of interest in activities they previously enjoyed  tiredness and lack of energy  loss of confidence and low self-esteem  difficulty sleeping  difficulty concentrating and making decisions. Beyond Blue is an Australian charity that provides and information and resources to support people with mental illness and to promote good mental health. Their resources on depression (Links to an external site.) include videos, factsheets, checklists, publications and personal stories. This TED-Ed video helps to illustrate the difference between clinical depression and simply feeling depressed, and suggests common ways to provide support: Source: TED-Ed (Links to an external site.) Anxiety disorders As with depression, most people experience anxiety from time to time, but this does not mean they have an anxiety disorder. Normal anxiety is not as severe as an anxiety disorder; it does not last as long and does not disrupt a person’s work or social relationships to the same extent. There are many different types of anxiety disorders, including generalised anxiety disorder, panic disorder, phobic disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The following includes an outline of the symptoms of anxiety disorders.

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