**NEW in 2009**
The Self Advocacy Workshop (COM008) is an exciting one day workshop for consumers only, who want to learn how to do self advocacy (speak up for yourself) and learn more about rights and where to go for assistance. Get practical information about self advocacy skills including how to keep records, how to make advocacy calls, and how to write advocacy letters.
- The next workshop date is 20 May 2009.
For more information and the application form please click on the image below.
The Consumer Advocacy Course (COM002) is an award winning course that is run 3 times per annum at the NSW Institute of Psychiatry, in Parramatta on the Cumberland Hospital campus. Due to the course’s success, a follow up course is also available, known as the Consumer Advocacy Extension Course (COM004), which runs in September each year. The two separate but linked courses represent 6 days of introductory training about advocacy, social justice, human rights, representation and a whole lot more.
The Consumer Advocacy Courses both run for 3 days, from 9.30 am to 3.30 pm. They are for consumers only: that is for people who are living with a diagnosis of mental illness. The courses are consumer run and developed and provide an excellent starting point for any consumer who would like to develop a better understanding of the knowledge they would need in order to expand their horizons in being active about consumer issues and perspectives, and to feel more confident about finding relevant information and resources whenever they are needed.
The courses are suitable for beginners interested in starting out to do advocacy or representation, or joining consumer networks or being
involved in giving feedback to mental health and other services about consumer issues. Any consumers who are already participating in consumer activities will also benefit from the courses as it will give consumers a strong grounding in ethics, principles, techniques and the theory of consumer advocacy.
These are not skills based courses and therefore there are no assessments; however there are several activities to enhance interaction, discussion and build knowledge about consumer advocacy and social justice issues.
