See, Believe and Achieve: Mental Health Policy and Advocacy - 2013 Federation of Families conference

2013 Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health conference

Session: See, Believe and Achieve: Mental Health Policy and Advocacy

By Crystal Karenchak

One of the trainings I attended was called “See, Believe and Achieve: Mental Health Policy and Advocacy” the presenter was Ane Romero who is the Sr. legislative Assistant / Mental Health Advisor to US Congresswoman Grace F. Napolitano.  Ane spoke about her early experiences within her family with mental health as well as her close friend when she was a teenager who ended her life and the profound effect this had on her and the decisions she made as a career choice.  Ane as a teen decided to compete in beauty pageants, and even though at first she was not successful Ane   keep competing and with her platform on mental health and stigma platform won Miss New Mexico. 

While in college Ane took on making policy change at the state level around mental health, and she ended up writing legislation.  She also organized her college peers  as well as high school students  so they could attend sessions at the Capitol.  Collectively,  those youth and older adults advocated on a consistent basis for the policy change that was eventually voted on and passed. 

Ane described the different types of legislation and how anyone can write legislation.  She further explained how she worked to receive sponsorship from the legislature in order to have the policy she wrote make it through committee to the floor to be voted on.  Although the policy she wrote for had no funding attached it did have the effect of making change over a long period of time.   One change example from the audience was that schools in New Mexico are having school personnel trained in Youth Mental Health First Aid.
This was a very informative training and explained how legislation works its way from an idea or thought, written format, signed onto , committee discussion then to the floor for a vote.  Ane also explained resolutions and joint resolutions and how that happens and what they mean. 

She also spent time looking at the historical background of how mental health has been viewed including the  stigma.  Ane noted the language around mental health has helped increase the stigma and create barriers to change.