Advocating for Yourself: Know Your Rights and Find Your Voice

You can soar like an eagle when you understand your rights and know how to advocate for yourself.

Have you ever wondered what your rights are within the public mental health system?

What would it feel like to speak with your doctor or case manager as an informed and confident equal?

This self-paced training is designed to help you do just that.

In this course, you will learn:

• Your rights as a person with lived experience in the public mental health system
• Practical assertiveness skills to strengthen your voice and confidence
• How to effectively communicate with providers and members of your care team
• Where to turn for help if you experience rights violations, abuse, neglect, or exploitation
• How to navigate the system and access the support you deserve

This training empowers you to move from feeling uncertain or unheard to becoming informed, confident, and in control of your journey.

Course Details

• Format: Self-paced, online
• Duration: Approximately 1.5 hours
• Structure: Three modules, each featuring a 20–30 minute video and a short     knowledge assessment
• Certificate: Issued upon completion of all modules and course evaluation

Continuing Education

1.5 CEUs are available for:

• Certified Mental Health Peer Specialists (MHPS)
• Recovery Support Peer Specialists (RSPS)
• Family Partners
• Peer Support Supervisors
  
  

Current Cost: Free*

Price will increase on September 1, 2026

Use your voice and lived experience to make a difference for others! You are the expert on yourself! Use your experiences to empower and advocate for others! 

Advocating for Others will teach you how to advocate with and for others. 

It is a 1.5-hour, self-paced, online training.

You will learn:

To honor the person wishes 

About their rights and where to get help 

To encourage them to speak up and empower them 

To assist them navigate systems (LMHAs, etc.)

How to document 

What questions to ask the doctor about medications 

What LMHAs / LBHAs and PNACs are 

To listen and interpret what the person is saying 

What skills are needed to advocate for and with someone

1.5 CEUs are available for:

Certified Mental Health Peer Specialists (MHPS)

Recovery Support Peer Specialists (RSPS)

Family Partners

Peer Support Supervisors

Current Cost: Free*

Price will increase on September 1, 2026

Do you want to use your voice to change the system?

You will learn:

• How to use your voice
• Find out who your elected officials are
• The importance of our voice
• How to testify at a hearing or with your legislator!

7 CEUs are available for:

• Certified Mental Health Peer Specialists (MHPS)
• Recovery Support Peer Specialists (RSPS)
• Family Partners
• Peer Support Supervisors

Current Cost: Free*

Price will increase on September 1, 2026

Would you like more information about Systemic Advocacy? 

The voice of lived experience of mental health concerns is very important and is absent from decision making tables!

Join us in making sure our voice is heard where policy decisions are made.  Advocacy is best done with partners and allies and we are looking forward to you joining the efforts to ensure that the state of Texas has recovery-based, peer-run, and supportive mental health services. 

You will learn: 

• The power of critical thinking 
• Issues the Texas Public Mental Health System faces 
• Analyzing a bill 
• Getting to know elected officials 
• Setting up appointments
• This is a self-paced, online training.

 10 CEUs are available for:

• Certified Mental Health Peer Specialists (MHPS)
• Recovery Support Peer Specialists (RSPS)
• Family Partners
• Peer Support Supervisors

Current Cost: Free*

Price will increase on September 1, 2026