Support for psychiatric patients: the Citizen Advocate Volunteer

This paper describes the background, structure, methods and objectives of a citizen advocacy organization in Pointe-Claire, Quebec. It discusses the various roles of the citizen advocate volunteer in advancing the interests of the psychiatric patient, both in the hospital and in the community. These roles may be instrumental, expressive, legal, or a combination of these. The examples discussed are taken from actual cases from the West Island Citizen Advocacy office.