Service User Participation Within the Mental Health System: Deepening Engagement

Over the past decade, there has been a marked uptick in interest in increasing service user participation in the U.S. mental health care system, including clinical practice, research, and policy. Too often, however, these efforts remain superficial and unlikely to bring about the deeper transformation of systems long called for by grassroots activists. This Open Forum—addressed to mental health administrators, researchers, and clinicians—highlights the importance of considering diverse, critical perspectives and engaging in ways that move beyond purely intellectual rapprochement.