Consumer: Any person who identifies as having a current or past lived experience of psychological or emotional issues, distress or problems, irrespective of whether they have a diagnosed mental illness and/or have received treatment. Other ways people may choose to describe themselves include “peer”, “survivor”, “person with a lived experience” and “expert by experience”.
Consumer Voice: Speaking out about the needs, priorities, and perspectives we share, from the common ground of our lived experience, informed and enriched by the diversity of our experiences.
Recovery: A personal process of attaining a life that is meaningful, empowered and fulfilling from the person’s own perspective, irrespective of diagnosis and/or symptoms. Some people prefer the word “wellbeing” instead of “recovery” as a way of describing their personal journeys.
Systemic Advocacy: The process of representing and advocating for the needs and interests of a group in services, government policies and community.
Peer Support: Support provided between one or more people who have similar or shared experiences, and who recognise each other as peers. These similar or shared experiences provide conditions for mutuality, trust, equality, respect and understanding. This can be offered professionally (Peer Support Work), or informally (such as through friendships and support groups).
Psychosocial: Psychosocial disability is a relatively new term that describes the disability experience of impairments and participation restrictions related to mental health conditions. It has become more commonly used since the introduction of the NDIS. Put simply it is a disability associated with a person’s psychosocial experience eg involving aspects of both their social and psychological behaviour.
