ACCESS’ Community Empowerment Workshop educates clients, peers, advocates, and community stakeholders on their rights under the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) and key provisions of the Act, including its requirements pertaining to the Community Program Planning Process and meaningful stakeholder involvement in mental health systems development, oversight, and evaluation. This Workshop also teaches attendees how to craft impactful policy statements to deliver at public meetings. ACCESS then accompanies participants to a local Mental Health Board/Commission meeting or MHSA planning meeting, where they are supported in delivering their public statements and given a real-world opportunity to advocate for services and policies that positively impact clients in their community.

Many mental health leaders and policy makers have never received a meaningful overview of the MHSA and other applicable mental health laws that apply to their work, the role of committees and bodies in the public mental health system, stakeholder inclusion and accountability, fiscal transparency, or open meeting laws prior to assuming the responsibilities of their positions. Without a deep understanding of the goals and values of the MHSA and the principles upon which public mental health services are founded, they cannot be truly effective in their roles. ACCESS’ Leadership Training educates participants about their responsibilities under the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA), and teaches them how to implement the MHSA’s six General Standards and Community Program Planning Process requirements. This training provides agency leaders and other key decision-makers in California’s Public Mental Health System with a better understanding of their roles and how to operationalize the transformative change and community participation envisioned under the MHSA.