Why Peer Advocacy & Youth Voice Matters for Behavioral Health
By Anna Cady Clouse, Youth MOVE Massachusetts
“ Peer support can provide something crucial to young people experiencing mental illness: community”
I have struggled with my mental health for as long as I can remember. I was a painfully shy and anxious child who was diagnosed with OCD at a very young age. As I grew up, I only struggled more. My journey with my mental health was defined by a deep, intense feeling of guilt for my struggles. And with that guilt came silence. I was totally unwilling to let anyone, family, friends, teachers, etc., know what I was going through. Of course, this was not a recipe for success.
Throughout high school, I was placed in partial programs and inpatient placements, almost failing both my junior and senior years. Up until my first hospitalization, I was still hiding everything: my emotions, my suicidal thoughts, the harmful ways I was coping. During that hospitalization, though, I was forced to confront the fact that my silence was not protecting anyone. It had never protected me, and now it was hurting my family more than it kept them safe. The transition to being more communicative did not happen overnight. It took over a year, and it was incredibly challenging for me (and I still have a long way to go).
Along the way, I learned that expressing myself and talking about my mental health actually helped. And I began to learn that being open with others made them feel safe enough to open up to me about what they were going through. Speaking up for myself gave me control and power that I had lacked throughout my life. So, when a family friend reached out to me about a job opening as a Youth Peer Specialist at the Parent/Professional Advocacy League and Youth MOVE Massachusetts, I jumped at the opportunity. I wanted to help others have the outlet I so desperately needed as a high schooler.
Youth and young adults with mental health struggles almost always agree on one thing: they don’t feel heard. They feel like case files being pushed through the system, rather than real people with unique experiences and perspectives. Peer support and advocacy can change that. Every young person is the expert on their own experience and should be empowered to advocate for themselves.
As a peer support organization, Youth Move Massachusetts (YMM) exists to elevate the voices of youth with lived experience in mental health. We equip young people with the skills they need to share their voice and equip adults to listen and partner with young people authentically, and to advocate in systems that affect or serve youth. It’s tough for young people and their families to find quality mental health resources, and YMM helps with that - as peers we have been through the system too and understand what it’s like. We can provide support without judgement and work to break the stigma.
We can also create opportunities for young people to build on their own experience and contribute to systemic change. Our youth peers and youth advocates sit on panels, speak at events, and provide trainings to ensure youth voice is heard and, most importantly, listened to. Young adults who have experienced mental health care often have an incredible understanding of what’s needed to improve care; we leverage that lived experience.
Youth MOVE MA hosts the Statewide Young Adult Council (SYAC), which serves as an advisory board to the Massachusetts State Mental Health Planning Council and the Department of Mental Health’s Transitional Age Youth Initiative. SYAC meets virtually every month and hosts young adults, aged 16-30, who are interested in mental health advocacy. At SYAC, we host discussions, invite speakers, and build advocacy skills so young adults across the state feel empowered to advocate for themselves and create change.
Peer support can provide something crucial to young people experiencing mental illness: community.
YMM provides free services to young adults through our online peer community. Our Discord space allows young adults (16-25) to have a safe space to connect with YMM staff and other youth. This community gives youth a place where they can share experiences, exchange resources, and support one another. YMM offers a weekly peer support drop-in hour as well as a monthly game night.
My peer support and advocacy work has helped me grow in so many new ways, and I’m excited to continue my journey at YMM post-college. If you are a young adult, like me, a parent, or a professional who is interested in connecting to YMM, you can email us at youthmovema@ppal.net or check out our website youthmovemassachusetts.net. For our most current updates, find us on Instagram or Facebook youthmovemassachusetts
To stay connected with the New England Children's Behavioral Health Network, reach out to our team at info@necbhn.org. Follow us for updates on upcoming events, resources, and advocacy opportunities.
