KPA Home Study

Effective Advocacy - Every Voice Counts!, 1.5 CE

Presented by Sheila Schuster, Ph.D.

About the Home Study Course

Legislative advocacy – changing public policy to improve people’s lives – is important for health and mental health professionals, consumers, family members, and advocates. The legislative process and ways to make policy change happen through advocacy will be described from the perspective of an experienced lobbyist/psychologist, legislators, and others who know Frankfort well. Questions to be addressed: “How can I make my voice be heard? Why get into the game? How can I become a player? How can I influence the outcome?” Skill Level: Beginning

Home Study Objectives:

Participants will be able to:

Describe the “inner workings” of the legislative process from the perspective of an experienced legislative agent/psychologist and others who work and advocate in Frankfort, and identify the most effective communications with legislators and other policy-makers.
List the issues of primary focus in the 2019 Kentucky General Assembly session, such as school safety, protection of those with serious mental illness from the death penalty; restoration of voting rights, maintaining the Medicaid Expansion, services and supports for those with disabilities; issues of social justice which impact our most vulnerable Kentuckians; measures to improve the health of the Commonwealth; and generating the advocacy arguments which these and other issues suggest.
Discuss the contributions which various stakeholders and coalition members can make in mounting a successful advocacy campaign, focusing on the roles that consumers, family members, professionals, advocates, and other partners play as critical members of the public policy team.

Presenter Information

Sheila A. Schuster, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist who served for many years as the Federal Advocacy Coordinator and Legislative Liaison for the KY Psychological Association. Dr. Schuster also represents a number of mental health and health care organizations in Frankfort. She currently serves as Executive Director of the Advocacy Action Network, an umbrella organization encompassing the work of the KY Mental Health Coalition, the Medicaid Consortium, and the United 874K Disabilities Coalition. Dr. Schuster also serves as Board Chair of Kentucky Voices for Health, a statewide coalition whose mission is to improve the health of Kentuckians. Additional presenters may include members of the Kentucky General Assembly, the staff of the KY Legislative Research Commission (LRC) and others who advocate in Frankfort on health/mental health/disabilities/social justice issues.

Registration Fees:

For Continuing Education Credit

KPA Member: $25
Non-Member: $40

Click here to register for CE Credit.

NOT for Continuing Education Credit

KPA Member: FREE
Non-Member: FREE

Click here to register for NO for CE Credit.

Continuing Education

In order to obtain CE credit for this webinar you will need to complete an online home study quiz (10 multiple choice questions) which will need to be completed after listening to the webinar. In order to obtain credit for the home study workshop you are required to pass the quiz with test scores of at least 80%. Once the quiz has been submitted it will be reviewed within 10 days and you will be notified via email of your results. At that time, assuming you have received at least 80% on the quiz, you will also receive a printable copy of your CE certificate via email.

Continuing Education Approval

The Kentucky Psychological Association is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Kentucky Psychological Association maintains responsibility for the above KPA Home Study courses and their content. KPA is also approved to offer professional continuing education by the Kentucky Board of Examiners of Psychology, the Kentucky Board of Social Work and the Kentucky Board of Professional Art Therapists.