Mental health leadership perspectives on self-direction

ABSTRACT

Self-direction is a model for organizing services and support in which the service user is at the center of an individualized budgeting and planning process. Mental health program directors are key in self-direction’s adoption and implementation, and understanding their views is critical. Using a descriptive cross-sectional study, the researchers in this current study used a survey (n = 46) and interviews (n = 17) to gauge expectations for self-direction and to identify barriers and facilitators for adoption and implementation. Respondents evinced strong interest in self-direction and endorsed its potential to support well-being and improve mental health service quality. Respondents also voiced concerns, including competing agency priorities, provider resistance, and administrative challenges.

KEYWORDS:

• Financing
• mental health leadership
• self-directed care
• self-direction
• state and county behavioral health departments

Funding

Support for this research was provided by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

Note

Some of the material presented in this article was presented at meetings of the New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services, the Gerontological Society of America, the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors, and the National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities Directors. Some of the findings presented in this manuscript were included in a summary project report posted on the National Resource Center for Participant-Directed Services website. The funder also posted some program results on its website.

Additional information

Funding

Support for this research was provided by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.