Lived Experience as a Bridge from Public Health Knowledge to Action

In this course, Dr. Quincy A. Lezine, Ph.D., Director of the Lived Experience Academy, utilizes a six-phase model to illustrate how political will utilizing lived experience can bridge from political health knowledge to effective action toward suicide prevention. Explaining the difference between advocacy and lobbying, Lezine contrasts what is likely to be allowed and what is not in the United States, where organisations may fail to advocate sufficiently for suicide prevention because of fear of losing tax-exempt status. Observing that there are no barriers to political will for suicide prevention, Lezine emphasises the importance of maximising the impact of outreach by partnering with those with lived experience.