Table 2.

Types of Power/Knowledge and Examples in Children’s Mental Health

Knowledge	Power	Example of oppression	Example of liberation
Representative—issues, facts, objective data	Advocacy	Funding traditional power structures for evaluation and research; research is often blaming of individuals	Advocating for the less powerful through professional leadership and issue-based argument; research is often focused on structural or systemic problems
Relational—people relating and sharing perspectives	Organizing and mobilizing	Nondecision making--Excluding families from decision making in research and evaluation practice	Organizing and mobilizing to demand authentic participation in research and evaluation
Reflective—awareness of a problem and reflection on its roots and context	Education/ control over consciousness	Insidious blaming, shaming, stereotyping of family members as incapable and powerless	Critical reflection, awareness building workshops, empowerment and action

Note. This table borrows heavily from Williams, 1999 and Gaventa & Cornwall, 2001