Psychiatrists are often faced with barriers that prevent their patients from accessing and engaging in appropriate care. These barriers occur on many levels, ranging from barriers specific to an individual clinic, a health care system, a community, a state or on a National level. In order to adequately care for the mental health needs of the individuals who they serve, some providers find themselves taking on advocacy roles. This presentation discusses how advocacy can be introduced into resident education both formally and informally by providing an overview of advocacy on a variety of scales and in multiple settings.

**This content was captured at the 2019 APA Annual Meeting and may reference information from various sources and terminology from previous editions of the DSM.

Course References

• Piel J. Legislative advocacy and forensic psychiatry training. J Am Acad Psychiatry Law. 2018 Jun;46(2):147-154.
• Vance MC & Kennedy KG. Developing an advocacy curriculum: lessons learned from a national survey of psychiatric residency programs. Acad Psychiatry. 2020 Jan 16. [Epub ahead of print].

Learning Objectives

• Describe advocacy as it relates to the field of psychiatry
• Compare and contrast three different forms of advocacy
• Identify an area within participant’s professional setting where principles of advocacy discussed in this session could be applied
• List two to three potential barriers to advocating for change within psychiatric settings and a strategy to overcome each of these barriers
• Participate in advocacy as it relates to a professional setting

Target Audience

Psychiatrists, Residents/Fellows

Estimated Time to Complete

Estimated Duration: 40 minutes
Begin Date: April 1, 2020
End Date: April 1, 2023

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 completion date and hours earned. 

Continuing Education Credit

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. 

The APA designates this enduring CME activity for a maximum of 0.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Faculty and Planner Disclosures

Program Presenters

• Samuel Murray, M.D., Public Psychiatry Fellow, APA Council on Advocacy and Government Relations. Reports no financial relationships with commercial interests.
• Ana Holland, M.D., Psychiatry Resident, University California Davis Health. Reports no financial relationships with commercial interests.
• Rachel Robitz, M.D., Assistant Clinical Professor at University California Davis. Reports no financial relationships with commercial interests.
• Christina Bourne, M.D., M.P.H, Psychiatry Resident, University California Davis Health. Reports no financial relationships with commerical interests.
• Rachel Mitchell, M.D., M.P.H, Psychiatry Resident, University California Davis Health. Reports no financial relationships with commercial interests.

Program Planners

• Tristan Gorrindo, M.D., Director of Education, American Psychiatric Association. Reports no financial relationships with commercial interests.

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 Flash, 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