Karen Newbigging is a Senior Lecturer at the Health Services Management Centre, University of Birmingham and is active in advocacy research and development. Julie Ridley is a Reader in Applied Social Sciences in the School of Social Work, University of Central Lancashire. Mick McKeown is a Reader in Democratic Mental Health in the School of Health, University of Central Lancashire. June Sadd, an independent survivor consultant, educator and researcher, draws on her personal experience of the psychiatric system in her work. Karen Machin works freelance in mental health from a perspective of lived experience. Kaaren Cruse is an independent user consultant and researcher. Stephanie De La Haye is an independent user consultant, educator and researcher in mental health. Laura Able is a peer researcher with an interest in disability studies. Konstantina Poursanidou is a Post-doctoral Research Fellow at the Service User Research Enterprise (SURE), Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London.

• Acknowledgements. Foreword. Kris Chastey. Preface. Tony Brandon. 1. Introduction. From Powerlessness to Power. Part 1. Setting the Scene. 2. Understanding the Territory. Laura Able and Konstantina Poursanidou, Service User Research Enterprise, Health Service and Population Research Department, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London. 3. 'An intelligent and active sympathy' - a brief historical overview. Karen Machin. 4. Mental Health Advocacy, rights and the law. Stephanie De La Haye, User Mental Health Consultant and Researcher. 5. "My rights TO my voice": Service user experiences of compulsion. Laura Able and Karen Machen. 6. Research and reviews of mental health advocacy. Stephanie De La Haye. Part 2. The Practice and Experience of IMHA Services. 7. IMHA role and services. 8. Making a Difference: Outcomes from independent mental health advocacy. Kaaren Cruse. 9. Doing advocacy well: values, knowledge and skills. Karen Cruse and June Sadd. 10. One size fits all? Meeting diverse needs. June Sadd. 11. Relationships with service providers. 12. Commissioning effective IMHA services. 13. Conclusions - The future for advocacy: a glass half full? References. Glossary. Useful Resources.

It is a thorough and detailed guide to everything that an IMHA requires in order to discharge their functions in the most empowering and equitable way... Should be an essential set text for IMHA training courses... The book has been cowritten by a total of nine authors, whose backgrounds range from the largely academic to people who have had firsthand experience of being service users. The book is all the stronger for this... The chapter giving an historical overview of the evolution of independent mental health advocacy traced it back as far as the 16th century. I also found the chapter looking at research into the experience of detention from the service user perspective enlightening, and gave me much to think about in my approach to my work as an AMHP. This section would be equally helpful for social work and AMHP students... I do think this book provides an essential text for people training and practicing as IMHA's. I would also recommend the book to mental health nursing and social work students, and will certainly be recommending to my own AMHP trainees that they read this book.

Karen Newbigging is a Senior Lecturer at the Health Services Management Centre, University of Birmingham and is active in advocacy research and development. Julie Ridley is a Reader in Applied Social Sciences in the School of Social Work, University of Central Lancashire. Mick McKeown is a Reader in Democratic Mental Health in the School of Health, University of Central Lancashire. June Sadd, an independent survivor consultant, educator and researcher, draws on her personal experience of the psychiatric system in her work. Karen Machin works freelance in mental health from a perspective of lived experience. Kaaren Cruse is an independent user consultant and researcher. Stephanie De La Haye is an independent user consultant, educator and researcher in mental health. Laura Able is a peer researcher with an interest in disability studies. Konstantina Poursanidou is a Post-doctoral Research Fellow at the Service User Research Enterprise (SURE), Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London.

• Acknowledgements. Foreword. Kris Chastey. Preface. Tony Brandon. 1. Introduction. From Powerlessness to Power. Part 1. Setting the Scene. 2. Understanding the Territory. Laura Able and Konstantina Poursanidou, Service User Research Enterprise, Health Service and Population Research Department, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London. 3. 'An intelligent and active sympathy' - a brief historical overview. Karen Machin. 4. Mental Health Advocacy, rights and the law. Stephanie De La Haye, User Mental Health Consultant and Researcher. 5. "My rights TO my voice": Service user experiences of compulsion. Laura Able and Karen Machen. 6. Research and reviews of mental health advocacy. Stephanie De La Haye. Part 2. The Practice and Experience of IMHA Services. 7. IMHA role and services. 8. Making a Difference: Outcomes from independent mental health advocacy. Kaaren Cruse. 9. Doing advocacy well: values, knowledge and skills. Karen Cruse and June Sadd. 10. One size fits all? Meeting diverse needs. June Sadd. 11. Relationships with service providers. 12. Commissioning effective IMHA services. 13. Conclusions - The future for advocacy: a glass half full? References. Glossary. Useful Resources.

It is a thorough and detailed guide to everything that an IMHA requires in order to discharge their functions in the most empowering and equitable way... Should be an essential set text for IMHA training courses... The book has been cowritten by a total of nine authors, whose backgrounds range from the largely academic to people who have had firsthand experience of being service users. The book is all the stronger for this... The chapter giving an historical overview of the evolution of independent mental health advocacy traced it back as far as the 16th century. I also found the chapter looking at research into the experience of detention from the service user perspective enlightening, and gave me much to think about in my approach to my work as an AMHP. This section would be equally helpful for social work and AMHP students... I do think this book provides an essential text for people training and practicing as IMHA's. I would also recommend the book to mental health nursing and social work students, and will certainly be recommending to my own AMHP trainees that they read this book.

Karen Newbigging is a Senior Lecturer at the Health Services Management Centre, University of Birmingham and is active in advocacy research and development. Julie Ridley is a Reader in Applied Social Sciences in the School of Social Work, University of Central Lancashire. Mick McKeown is a Reader in Democratic Mental Health in the School of Health, University of Central Lancashire. June Sadd, an independent survivor consultant, educator and researcher, draws on her personal experience of the psychiatric system in her work. Karen Machin works freelance in mental health from a perspective of lived experience. Kaaren Cruse is an independent user consultant and researcher. Stephanie De La Haye is an independent user consultant, educator and researcher in mental health. Laura Able is a peer researcher with an interest in disability studies. Konstantina Poursanidou is a Post-doctoral Research Fellow at the Service User Research Enterprise (SURE), Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London.

• Acknowledgements. Foreword. Kris Chastey. Preface. Tony Brandon. 1. Introduction. From Powerlessness to Power. Part 1. Setting the Scene. 2. Understanding the Territory. Laura Able and Konstantina Poursanidou, Service User Research Enterprise, Health Service and Population Research Department, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London. 3. 'An intelligent and active sympathy' - a brief historical overview. Karen Machin. 4. Mental Health Advocacy, rights and the law. Stephanie De La Haye, User Mental Health Consultant and Researcher. 5. "My rights TO my voice": Service user experiences of compulsion. Laura Able and Karen Machen. 6. Research and reviews of mental health advocacy. Stephanie De La Haye. Part 2. The Practice and Experience of IMHA Services. 7. IMHA role and services. 8. Making a Difference: Outcomes from independent mental health advocacy. Kaaren Cruse. 9. Doing advocacy well: values, knowledge and skills. Karen Cruse and June Sadd. 10. One size fits all? Meeting diverse needs. June Sadd. 11. Relationships with service providers. 12. Commissioning effective IMHA services. 13. Conclusions - The future for advocacy: a glass half full? References. Glossary. Useful Resources.

It is a thorough and detailed guide to everything that an IMHA requires in order to discharge their functions in the most empowering and equitable way... Should be an essential set text for IMHA training courses... The book has been cowritten by a total of nine authors, whose backgrounds range from the largely academic to people who have had firsthand experience of being service users. The book is all the stronger for this... The chapter giving an historical overview of the evolution of independent mental health advocacy traced it back as far as the 16th century. I also found the chapter looking at research into the experience of detention from the service user perspective enlightening, and gave me much to think about in my approach to my work as an AMHP. This section would be equally helpful for social work and AMHP students... I do think this book provides an essential text for people training and practicing as IMHA's. I would also recommend the book to mental health nursing and social work students, and will certainly be recommending to my own AMHP trainees that they read this book.