Self-Help and Peer Support Ontario

Question 1

Philosophy of mental patients associations

Answer 1

• Started in the early 70s in Vancouver
• Ex-mental patients wanted to liberate themselves and be heard not treated like something was wrong with them
• They embrace being mental health consumers and didn’t want to hide it

Question 2

Structure of MPA

Answer 2

• Coordinators instead of presidents, elected by the group and voted out if you weren’t doing their job
• No professionalism, just friendship and mutual support

Question 3

Housing at MPA

Answer 3

• Bought houses and let people stay there
• People had their own chores and everyone had their part
• They also had 24 hours centres for anyone to come in and hang out

Question 4

The consumer/survivor movement

Answer 4

• Beginnings in early 1970s
• Formal residents of psychiatric institutions began to meet on their own to offer mutual support
• Evolved to include advocacy to improve programs and services and change policy

Question 5

Consumer run organizations

Answer 5

• Organizations with consumers of mental health services in charge of operations and which have principles of choice and self determination as elements of their basic philosophy
• Goals: improved coping skills, advocacy, support, improved recovery
• Ex: drop in centres, residential programs, etc.

Question 6

Ontario’s consumer/Survivor development initiative

Answer 6

• Influenced by the MPA in the 70s
• slowly progressed to first national policy framework identifying consumer/survivor initiatives as a key element

Question 7

Community Resource Base

Answer 7

• Person is in the middle of housing, work, income, and education
• Everything in between

Question 8

Key elements of Ontario’s consumer/survivor development initiative

Answer 8

Non-service approach
- Uses the skills and capacities of the people to help themselves and advocate for change

Independence
- Supports independent consumer/survivor controlled projects and organizations

Member-Driven Approach
- Projects must be democratic, membership driven
- Must have a board, steering committee, or some other governing structure who was elected

Question 9

Consumer/Survivor Initiative Projects (CSIP) Projects and Activities

Answer 9

• Groups offering self help and mutual supports
• Cultural activities
• Skill development
• Platforms for sustained attempts to influence mainstream services
• Etc.

Question 10

CSIP Development initiative

Answer 10

• Longitudinal, mixed methods, quasi experimental study
• Demonstration of significant benefits for participants in community integration, quality of life, etc.
• Also good for system level change activities like public education, political advocacy, community planning, and action research

Question 11

Ongoing challenges for CSIP

Answer 11

• Organizational instability
• Erosion in number of fully independent organizations
• Low funding levels
• Loss of provincial level support for organizations
• Usually a few heroes but not enough
• A lot of turnover makes it difficult