1. Legislative Advocacy Interactive Module
Target Length: 30 minutes
Participants: Psychiatry Residents and Fellows
Facilitators: AACAP staff, attendings (e.g. senior AACAP members)
Scenario:
“You have been very concerned about the shortage of mental health providers
available for your patients and community, and feel strongly that loan repayment
programs would be an ideal method to attract these providers to underserved areas.
You have made just made an appointment with your Legislator’s health affairs aide.
Utilizing the information provided, craft a 2-3 minute informal presentation to the
legislative aide. Assume that the aide has limited knowledge of mental health
services, systems, and financing . If there are multiple members in your group, you
may choose to prepare together and have a single presenter or share the presenting
duties (team presentations will likely give everyone more opportunity to learn and
participate).”
Remember to:
Introduce yourself, position, organization (offer a card)
Identify yourself as a constituent
Compliment if you can (“Thank you for agreeing to meet with us, for supporting X,
for voting for XYZ Act, etc.”)
Clearly state the issue about which you are concerned
Present evidence, leave a handout.
Make it personal. How will this issue affect their constituents back home?
Don’t argue!
Mention other supporters or coalition-partners.
Don’t leave without officially ASKING for something – support for a bill being
considered, co-sponsorship of a new bill, a “Dear Colleague,” letter.
Follow-up!
Directions:
Have audience split up into groups of 2-3 members. The groups will be given 5-10
minutes to practice their presentation.
Each group will then present to a facilitator (attendings/senior fellows/presenters/
AACAP staff). Facilitator should play the role of an interested, somewhat
uninformed, generally non-committal staffer. Questions can and should be asked,
but not in an antagonistic way. Facilitators should assess for key components listed
above, as well as body language, presentation style. They should then give brief
feedback after the presentation.
The last ~5 minutes at the end of the session should be used to solicit residents’
experience, evaluate challenges and/or surprises.