Are you interested in participating in a research study related to advocating for change in the mental healthcare system?

The purpose of this research, Exploring the Experiences of Mental Health Service Users Advocating for Changes in Mental Healthcare and Policy in Ontario is to:

• Understand the experiences of mental health service users who have advocated for improvements to mental healthcare and policy in Ontario
• Highlight the challenges associated with doing advocacy work
• Understand the impact advocacy work has made on mental healthcare and policy
• Explore promising approaches for improving mental healthcare and policy

You are eligible to participate in this study if you have used mental health services in Ontario and are currently engaging in advocacy work to improve mental healthcare and policy in Ontario. Advocacy work can include mental health peer support work, education, research, publications, committee work, projects, initiatives, programs, practice, policies, etc. You must be 18 years of age or older. You must be able to speak and understand English.

If you agree to volunteer, you will be asked to complete an online demographic survey through Qualtrics that will take less than five minutes to complete and participate in a Zoom interview that will take approximately one hour.

Your participation in the study is completely voluntary and you may choose to stop participating at any time. Your decision not to volunteer, to stop participating, or to refuse to answer particular questions will not influence the nature of the ongoing relationship you may have with the researchers or study staff and the nature of your relationship with York University either now, or in the future.

If you are interested in more information about the study, would like to volunteer, or know anyone who would like to volunteer, please email me at ayeshabh@yorku.ca. Feel free to forward this email to anyone you think would be interested in volunteering. This study has been approved by York University’s Research Ethics Board.