Panelists will discuss the importance of mental health advocacy for the profession of psychiatry and their patients. Policies developed at the federal, state, and regulatory levels impact the way psychiatrists practice and deliver services to patients; this advocacy series will provide an overview of why it is important for every psychiatrist to be involved in personal advocacy, why it matters, how to get involved and sustain your advocacy efforts, resources available, and real world examples of how to take action.
Format
Recorded lecture videos, asynchronous content.
Learning Objectives
- Provide an overview of what advocacy is, why it matters, the implications of legislation and regulation on psychiatric practices and patients, and how psychiatrists can take an active role in helping to shape and change policy.
- Identify the resources available to psychiatrists, through APA, coalitions, and personal relationships to support personal advocacy efforts with legislators.
- Explore communications strategies and how to prioritize advocacy outreach initiatives to be an effective advocate.
Curriculum Outline
Session 1: Demystifying Advocacy: Why Advocacy Matters
Katherine Kennedy, MD, LFAPA
In this session Dr. Kennedy will discuss why advocacy matters, how to become a physician advocate, forms of advocacy, why psychiatrists need to advocate & ethical considerations.
Session 2: You Are Not Alone: How to begin to advocate on legislation and how it can enrich your career
Laura Willing, MD
In this session Dr. Willing will outline the advocacy tools available from APA—what they are and the role for each, where to start, how to build your personal plan for sustainable advocacy, how to get motivated to develop and implement a localized strategy to engage your legislators.
Session 3: Effective Advocacy Communication Strategies
Katherine Kennedy, MD, LFAPA
This session will look at effective advocacy communication and messaging, tools, and strategies for legislative advocacy through speeches, writing, storytelling, follow up and engagement.
Session 4: Building Alliances and Coalitions—Expanding Your Reach Through Partnership and Third-Party Validation
Lannis (Lee) Tynes, MD, DLFAPA
Dr. Tynes will outline ways to build alliances and coalitions and present examples of large scale and small-scale campaigns, coalition, and partnership efforts. The session will look at the value of forming legislative alliances, what to expect from third parties who have stepped up to assist with your priorities, how alliances are relevant with patient-level, health system, community-level, or self-advocacy, and how you can be a third-party validator for others.
Session 5: Prioritizing: Seizing Opportunities and Avoiding Rabbit Holes and Wishful Thinking
Jasleen Chhatwal, MD, DFAPA
Dr. Chhatwal will focus on the many issues facing psychiatry and how to prioritize your advocacy priorities while weighing which issues merit the most attention. She will delve into how to analyze and adjust your approach and expectations throughout the advocacy process, how to mobilize champions (including bill sponsors) and building support. She will also discuss how to build timelines for advocacy goals and understanding when to change tactics or priorities based on the advocacy environment.
Session 6: Journeys in Advocacy: You Can Be What You Can See
Captured at the 2024 APA Annual Meeting
In 2001, the AMA’s Code of Physician Responsibility emphasized that physician advocacy for patients and public health is a key professional duty, especially in addressing health disparities caused by systemic issues like laws, social determinants, and healthcare economics. As state legislatures increasingly restrict physician care, advocacy becomes even more crucial. While many psychiatrists advocate for individual patients, many struggle to engage in broader advocacy that promotes population health at institutional and legislative levels. Advocacy is a complex skill set, best developed through instruction, mentorship, and hands-on learning. Although no standardized advocacy curriculum exists for psychiatric residency programs, many are incorporating advocacy training. For psychiatrists post-training, professional organizations offer opportunities for skill development. Advocacy role models play an important but often overlooked role in teaching these skills, serving as examples of how to integrate advocacy into a physician’s identity. This workshop aims to highlight the importance of advocacy for marginalized groups, present various approaches to teaching advocacy, and showcase the journeys of trailblazers in the field. Participants will be guided to identify role models and strategies to enhance advocacy programs within their own institutions.
Learning Objectives:
- Explain why advocating for patients and populations, especially those who are marginalized and minoritized, is a physician’s responsibility.
- Recognize various approaches for teaching advocacy skills to psychiatrists who are at different stages in their careers.
- Consider how role models inform and advance an advocacy curriculum.
- Identify ways to implement an advocacy curriculum at home institutions and organizations.
Target Audience
Medical Students, Residents/Fellows, Psychiatrists
Estimated Time to Complete
Estimated Duration: 6 hours
Begin Date: April 25, 2025
End Date: April 25, 2028
How to Earn Credit
Participants who wish to earn AMA PRA Category 1 Credit ™ or a certificate of participation may do so by completing all sections of the course including the evaluation. After evaluating the program, course participants will be provided with an opportunity to claim hours of participation and print an official CME certificate (physicians) or certificate of participation (non-physicians) showing the event date and hours earned.
Continuing Education Credit
This activity has not been approved to offer CME. Participants may claim a maximum of 6.0 Participation (COP) credits upon completion of the course contents.
Faculty and Planner Disclosures
The American Psychiatric Association adheres to the ACCME’s Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Medical Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CME activity — including faculty, planners, reviewers or others — are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities (commercial interests). All relevant conflicts of interest have been mitigated prior to the commencement of the activity.
Program Presenters
- Katherine Kennedy, MD, LFAPA
- Laura Willing, MD
- Jasleen Chhatwal, MD, DFAPA
- Lannis (Lee) Tynes, MD, DLFAPA
Program Planners
- Vishal Madaan, MD. Chief of Education and Deputy Medical Director, APA.
Accessibility for Participants with Disabilities
The American Psychiatric Association is committed to ensuring accessibility of its website to people with disabilities. If you have trouble accessing any of APA’s online resources, please contact us at 202-559-3900 for assistance.
Technical Requirements
This internet-based CME activity is best experienced using any of the following:
- The latest and 2nd latest public versions of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Safari
- Internet Explorer 11+
This Web site requires that JavaScript and session cookies be enabled. Certain activities may require additional software to view multimedia, presentation, or printable versions of the content. These activities will be marked as such and will provide links to the required software. That software may be: Adobe Acrobat Reader, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Windows Media Player.
Optimal System Configuration:
- Browser: Google Chrome (latest and 2nd latest version), Safari (latest and 2nd latest version), Internet Explorer 11.0+, Firefox (latest and 2nd latest version), or Microsoft Edge (latest and 2nd latest version)
- Operating System: Windows versions 8.1+, Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) +, Android (latest and 2nd latest version), or iOS/iPad OS (latest and 2nd latest version)
- Internet Connection: 1 Mbps or higher
Minimum Requirements:
- Windows PC: Windows 8.1 or higher; 1 GB (for 32-bit)/2 GB (for 64-bit) or higher RAM; Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM driver; audio playback with speakers for programs with video content
- Macintosh: Mac OS X 10.5 or higher with latest updates installed; Intel, PowerPC G5, or PowerPC G4 (867MHz or faster) processor; 512 MB or higher RAM; audio playback with speakers for programs with video content
For assistance: Contact educme@psych.org for questions about this activity | Contact learningcenter@psych.org for technical assistance