Advocacy

Advocacy helps people get what they need. This means that if you have mental health problems an advocate (someone who does advocacy for you) can help you say clearly what kind of care, treatment and support you want, and help you to get your rights. Without help from an advocate many people with mental health problems find it difficult to say what they need, especially to professionals. This may become even more difficult if you have mental health problems and are deaf. You may have needs and feelings that someone is hearing may not know about, or understand.

There are a number of organisations in Leeds that may help with advocacy. Some work only with particular groups of people.