People serve on community mental health boards, provider agency boards and advisory councils for many different reasons, but primarily because they want to make a difference. People with a mental illness/psychiatric diagnosis are no different than people in the general population.  They often serve because they want to make a difference.

There are many times when it is hard to be a consumer on a board or advisory committee. Many times people feel like they are in a minority. This may be especially true if they are receiving services or treatment from the agency for which they are serving as a board member. They may feel internal conflict, and not want to disappoint or cause waves. It also may be a totally new social situation or it may not be. Some boards make time to listen to the community because they are required to, but may not make it easy for a new board member to know or understand when to bring things up in a meeting, if they are not familiar with Roberts Rules of Order.

It takes a year or two for people to feel comfortable on a board. It takes that long for contracts to begin repeating, for a person to see the contract agency more than once. When repeating contracts happen, people on a board or committee get the opportunity to get to know a provider, and can better understand what is happening.

On an advisory committee there may be too many opportunities to listen, and not enough opportunities to speak. When a person feels sentenced to listen, it can be frustrating to find a way to make changes, which was the reason they agreed to become a part of the committee or board anyway.

What to do if you are uncomfortable being on a board or committee:

1. If you are on a board or committee, congratulations. You deserve to be there.
2. Find a person who has been on that board or committee for a while who you can ask questions of. Staff people and many board and committee members come at things from different perspectives.
3. Try to find a way to get to know the other people on the board. Remember that everyone is on that board or committee for a reason. Try to understand what that reason is.
4. When a change doesn't happen, and you think it should have, understand that for everyone who has a reason to want something to happen one way, there may be an equal number of people who don't want things to happen that way.
5. Much of the board meeting lobbying truly does happen away from the table. People will call others, and find out about things before the meeting. It may look like everyone else knows everything. It may just be that they called and asked a lot of questions ahead of time.

What to do to help other newer members be more comfortable on a board or committee.

1. Explaining to another person is always a great thing, when they don't know what they might want or need.
2. Make sure the other person has a copy of the agenda, and if there are no time constraints on the agenda, you might help them understand how long the meeting will last.
3. If a conference has come up, and you have been to the hotel or conference center before, and have any tips that will help them feel more comfortable, talk to them about them.
4. Mention any committees that let new board or committee members on. Some of the plush committee memberships will be taken by other people who have been on the board longer, but some great opportunities may be passed up because the new committee or board member didn't understand what was being asked.
5. If you have time to mentor someone, ask if they would like that. You never know if you want or need a mentor.
6. If there is a lot of reading, help the person understand what is immediate, required reading, and what can wait.

Serving on a board or committee can be a rewarding experience. Give it some time and things will start to work out.