Advocacy, Empowerment, and Navigating Systems Flashcards
7 cards from real PSS practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Advocacy, Empowerment, and Navigating Systems flashcards as text
A peer specialist is helping someone navigate the mental health system for the first time. What is the most empowering approach?
Answer: Walk alongside the person as they make their own calls and decisions
Empowerment means supporting the person to take the lead in their own recovery, not doing things for them.
Which of the following best describes 'systems advocacy' in peer support work?
Answer: Working to change policies, practices, or laws that affect people with mental health conditions broadly
Systems advocacy targets structural change at the policy or organizational level to benefit a population, not just one individual.
When supporting a peer in self-advocacy, a peer specialist should primarily:
Answer: Help the person identify and clearly articulate their own needs and rights
Self-advocacy skills empower peers to express their needs and rights independently, which is a core recovery goal.
A peer specialist notices a systemic barrier preventing people from accessing medication-assisted treatment in their community. The most appropriate next step is to:
Answer: Document the barrier and bring it to the attention of supervisors or advocacy groups
Identifying and reporting systemic barriers is a legitimate and important part of a peer specialist's advocacy role.
The concept of 'nothing about us without us' in mental health advocacy means:
Answer: People with lived experience must be included in decisions that affect them
This principle asserts that people with lived experience of mental illness should be central participants in policies, services, and decisions affecting them.
A peer is frustrated that their insurance repeatedly denies coverage for a needed service. A peer specialist should:
Answer: Help the peer understand the appeals process and support them in filing one
Supporting a peer through the appeals process builds their self-advocacy skills while addressing the immediate barrier.
Which federal law prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities, including mental health conditions, in public accommodations and employment?
Answer: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
The ADA prohibits discrimination based on disability in employment, public accommodations, and government services.