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
Which empowerment principle is demonstrated when a peer specialist shares their own recovery story to give hope?
Answer: Use of self as instrument of change
Peer specialists intentionally use their lived experience to inspire hope and demonstrate that recovery is possible.
A peer wants to stop taking psychiatric medication against their psychiatrist's advice. The peer specialist should:
Answer: Respect the peer's autonomy, explore their reasons, and discuss potential risks collaboratively
Peer specialists support autonomy and informed decision-making, which includes exploring reasons and risks without overriding a person's right to choose.
When helping a peer navigate the Social Security disability application process, which action best reflects the empowerment model?
Answer: Teach the peer how to gather required documents and walk them through each step
Teaching skills and walking alongside the peer builds capacity and empowers them to navigate systems independently in the future.
The Olmstead decision (1999) is significant to mental health advocacy because it established that:
Answer: Unjustified institutionalization of people with disabilities is discrimination under the ADA
The Olmstead Supreme Court decision ruled that keeping people with disabilities in institutions when community-based care is appropriate violates the ADA.
A peer specialist notices that a community agency consistently schedules appointments during hours when people relying on public transit cannot attend. This is best described as:
Answer: A systemic barrier to access that warrants advocacy
Scheduling that structurally excludes people who rely on public transit is a systemic access barrier that peer specialists can help identify and address.
Which of the following best supports a peer's sense of empowerment during a psychiatric crisis?
Answer: Presenting the peer with options and involving them in decisions to the greatest extent possible
Even during crises, involving the person in decisions to the extent possible preserves dignity and supports recovery.
A peer specialist is asked to co-facilitate a community education event about mental health rights. Which topic is most aligned with their advocacy role?
Answer: Understanding patients' rights in psychiatric settings, including the right to refuse treatment
Educating peers about their rights in psychiatric settings is a core advocacy function of peer support specialists.