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Promoting Healthy Organizational Partnerships and Collaboration Between Consumer-run and Community Mental Health Agencies

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Community mental health agencies (CMHAs) and consumer-run agencies (CRAs) both provide critically important services to persons with severe psychiatric disabilities. Emerging research has begun to support the effectiveness of the CRA approach, a newer service delivery mechanism. However, collaboration between the two service systems, when it occurs, is often problematic. This article briefly identifies the core features of CRAs, discusses their potential for collaboration with CMHAs, and suggests ways to promote healthy organizational partnerships between the two based upon the model proposed by Gidron and Hasenfeld [(1994) Nonprofit Management & Leadership, 5(2), 159–172]. Salient collaboration theories are reviewed and barriers to collaboration are discussed. Finally, implications for mental health practice and future research directions are identified.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Dr. Charles Cowger, Professor Emeritus, Dr. Michael Kelly, Professor, of the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Social Work and Dr. Hal Lawson of the University at Albany, State University of New York’s School of Social Welfare for their helpful ideas, discussion and guidance as this manuscript evolved.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Work, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA

    John Q. Hodges

  2. School of Social Welfare, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, USA

    Eric R. Hardiman

  3. School of Social Work, University of Missouri, 721 Clark Hall, Columbia, 65211, MO, USA

    John Q. Hodges

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  1. John Q. Hodges
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  2. Eric R. Hardiman
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Correspondence to John Q. Hodges.

Additional information

John Q. Hodges, Ph.D., is assistant professor of social work at the University of Missouri, Columbia. His research interests include mental health consumer-run services, consumer perspectives on the mental health service system, homelessness, and severe mental illness.

Eric R. Hardiman is assistant professor of social welfare at the University at Albany, State University of New York. His research interests include mental health service utilization, consumer-operated services, peer support, and psychiatric recovery.

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Hodges, J., Hardiman, E. Promoting Healthy Organizational Partnerships and Collaboration Between Consumer-run and Community Mental Health Agencies. Adm Policy Ment Health 33, 267–278 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-005-0029-8

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