Using Community-Based Participatory Research to Conduct a Collaborative Needs Assessment of Mental Health Service Users: Identifying Research Questions and Building Academic-Community Trust.

This article focuses on a community-based participatory research (CBPR) needs assessment conducted with adult mental health service users in Massachusetts, particularly those with serious mental illnesses (SMI). The study engaged people with SMI as peer consultants to co-lead 18 listening groups involving 159 participants, identifying six key service priorities: reducing stigma, improving access to services, focusing on whole-person care, including peers in recovery, having respectful clinicians, and recruiting diverse staff. Findings highlight structural and process-related barriers in mental health care and emphasize the importance of equitable academic-community partnerships to build trust and ensure research relevance. The article discusses implications for policy and practice, including enhancing organizational culture, workforce diversity, peer specialist integration, and culturally informed training to improve mental health services.