Advocacy continues to be the heart of the Mental Health Association.  Often it takes the form of advocating on behalf of an individual, other times it focuses on improving the system of care so that people's needs may be met on a more comprehensive, individualized basis.  Moreover, at times, it is reactive to problems with a service or system.  Much progress has been made in the past few years in improving New Jersey's care for children and adults with mental illness.

The MHA was instrumental in helping to develop an innovative, seamless system of care for children with serious emotional disturbances, and their families.  The purpose of this initiative is to enhance and improve New Jersey's child welfare and mental health systems in order to meet critical family needs