title: The Emergence of Mental Health Self-Direction: An International Learning Exchange.
abstract: Self-direction has emerged worldwide as a promising practice for persons with serious mental health conditions and as a means toward creating more person-centered service systems. In self-direction, service users control an individualized budget, purchasing goods or services that can help them achieve personal recovery goals. This Open Forum describes an international learning exchange meeting, held in September 2015, in which experts in self-direction and mental health from seven nations convened for sharing best practices, discussing challenges, and laying the groundwork for a learning community to support the continued development of self-direction. Meeting participants identified three themes that represent next steps toward ensuring that the promise of self-direction is realized. First, self-direction involves creating a culture shift for value-based systems change. Second, people with lived experience must be involved and supported at every level, including direct support, leadership, and oversight. Third, stakeholder communication about self-direction's impact is critical.
authors.affiliation: Ms. Croft, Dr. Cichocki, and Ms. Weaver are with the Human Services Research Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts (e-mail: bcroft@hsri.org ). Mr. Wang and Dr. Mahoney are with the National Resource Center for Participant-Directed Services, Boston College Graduate School of Social Work, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Bevin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Croft
authors.affiliation: Ms. Croft, Dr. Cichocki, and Ms. Weaver are with the Human Services Research Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts (e-mail: bcroft@hsri.org ). Mr. Wang and Dr. Mahoney are with the National Resource Center for Participant-Directed Services, Boston College Graduate School of Social Work, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Kaipeng
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Ms. Croft, Dr. Cichocki, and Ms. Weaver are with the Human Services Research Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts (e-mail: bcroft@hsri.org ). Mr. Wang and Dr. Mahoney are with the National Resource Center for Participant-Directed Services, Boston College Graduate School of Social Work, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cichocki
authors.affiliation: Ms. Croft, Dr. Cichocki, and Ms. Weaver are with the Human Services Research Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts (e-mail: bcroft@hsri.org ). Mr. Wang and Dr. Mahoney are with the National Resource Center for Participant-Directed Services, Boston College Graduate School of Social Work, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Weaver
authors.affiliation: Ms. Croft, Dr. Cichocki, and Ms. Weaver are with the Human Services Research Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts (e-mail: bcroft@hsri.org ). Mr. Wang and Dr. Mahoney are with the National Resource Center for Participant-Directed Services, Boston College Graduate School of Social Work, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mahoney
mesh_terms: D003226:Congresses as Topic; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D018802:Patient-Centered Care / Q000379:methods*; D000067250:Psychiatric Rehabilitation / Q000379:methods*
keywords: Community mental health services; Mental health systems/hospitals; Participant direction; Recovery; Rehabilitation/psychosocial; Self-directed care; Self-direction