Services
Collective Advocacy MHAP offers collective advocacy opportunities to enable service users in West Lothian to raise collective issues with service providers, policy makers and any other relevant organisation. MHAP facilitates the West Lothian Services Users’ Forum (WLSUF) and the Community Reps’ Group to provide a supported structure for groups of service users to have their collective voices and opinions to be heard as part of MHAP’s commitment to challenging inequality.
West Lothian Service Users' Forum
The WLSUF aims to provide a forum where people who have used mental health services within West Lothian can come together to air their views, discuss relevant issues, and gain information and to provide a structure which enables and supports members to collectively express their views and opinions on issues that affect them. MHAP:
- Coordinates services users’ responses to issues and forward them to relevant organisations.
- Invites visitors to provide information about services and mental health service developments to the Forum at the request of its members.
- Provides an opportunity for services to consult mental health service users (as agreed by Forum members).
- Keeps service users up to date with the changing environment and assist services users to make informed choices.
The WLSUF meet on the 2nd last Friday of every month in Bathgate House. If you are interested in attending please feel free to contact MHAP.
The Community Reps' Group
The Community Reps' group meet monthly with MHAP’s role being:
- To enable service users to participate in in new service developments.
- To coordinate and facilitate discussion around mental health service provision in the hospital and community settings and communicate service users opinions to service providers.
- To keep service users up to date with local and national mental health service developments.
MHAP supports the idea of self-advocacy and services users supporting themselves and has supported the development of peer support groups in West Lothian for over 20 years.
The Step Out Group
The ‘Step Out’ group is a self-help group promoting natural healing for body and mind for people suffering with agoraphobia, anxiety, depression, insomnia and stress etc. Set in a tranquil, caring and understanding environment you can learn to experience the many techniques from breathing exercises to aromatherapy to help you relax. Groups are held weekly in Whitburn and Livingston.
See the Step Out leaflet for more information.
To make a referral, please contact MHAP.
Volunteering
We greatly appreciate the support received from service user volunteers and from time to time there are new opportunities to volunteer with MHAP. If this is something you are interested in contact us to find out if there are any current opportunities.