Abstract
Harm Reduction seeks to mitigate harms associated with health behaviors without the expectation that these behaviors be extinguished completely. Client-Centered Representative Payee (CCRP) is an intervention that modifies the US Social Security Administration’s (SSA) Representative Payee policy by incorporating relational harm reduction. We used Human-Centered Design (HCD) methods to elucidate ways that harm reduction principles are present in and integral to CCRP and to create a blueprint for replication. Thirteen individuals familiar with CCRP brainstormed 88 statements, which were parsed, consolidated, and then independently assigned by a subgroup of participants to six principles of harm reduction. After refining the data, 29 statements aligning with harm reduction principles remained. Delineating harm reduction within CCRP, which can empower and establish trust with clients, may help other providers identify how to offer representative payee services that are respectful, compassionate, rooted in harm reduction, and ultimately improve client outcomes.
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Crystal Patterson of The Open Door, Inc., and Morgan Lane and Augie Romano from Action Wellness for their contributions to this project. In addition, we are grateful to participants of the CCRP study for their role in this project.
Funding
This work was funded by National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, R01 MH112416.
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Abua, J., Hagert, Z., Baumann, S. et al. Elucidating Harm Reduction Principles in a Client-Centered Representative Payee Program. Community Ment Health J 60, 366–375 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-023-01180-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-023-01180-4