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Below are some general guidelines which aim to increase community engagement and retention of clients in mental health agencies. An important theme throughout is the potential for stigma surrounding mental health services and lack of awareness to function as a major obstacle to individuals seeking mental health services. Thus, this list emphasizes specific steps that address stigma reduction by focusing on raising awareness and building trust. Most notable is the importance of “meeting the community halfway”, or building a productive, sustainable, and collaborative relationship in which the community is actively shaping the manner in which services are provided.

Increasing Community Engagement 

 

Who: Identify your community 

  • Determine who is in your community

    • General characteristics (e.g. demographics, primary language(s), crime rates, education and income level, etc.)  

  • Determine what is in your community

    • What are the resources available for the average community member? (e.g. public transportation, grocery stores, gym and recreational centers, faith based establishments, soup kitchens, etc.)

    • Consider strengths can you can capitalize on

      • Are any of these potential partners (i.e. people and/or organizations in the community that your community admires, respects, and turns to for guidance)?

  • Determine how these could affect mental health perception and care

    • How do your community demographics, including cultural values and history, affect perceptions surrounding mental health service seeking?

    • Are there certain mental health disorders that are more prevalent in your community?

Where: Meet your community  

  • Determine where you can meet your community

    • ​E.g. Recreational centers, churches, local festivals, community celebrations

  • Determine potential partnerships with other establishments and influential individuals

    • E.g. Other mental health clinics, hospitals, free clinics, schools

  • Determine how your location is relevant to your ability to provide services to the community

    • E.g. Is your clinic easily accessible? Can you bring services to your community? (e.g. mobile clinics, school mental health screening days, etc.)

How: Connect with your community

Please note that the recommendations below are general guidelines. Agencies may vary in their current level of community involvment. Thus, your agency may already implement some of these procedures. We recommend that your agency consider community connections that have already been established, and use these suggestions to augment your community involvement in new ways.

  • Become an active, present member of the community

    • Participate in established festivals and community events

      • E.g. Host a booth or activity, volunteer to help with the implementation of community events (e.g. become ushers, distribute water to runners, etc.)

    • Host your own festivals or community events

      • E.g. Host a mental health run or walk, a mental health screening day at a community center, or a mental health workshop where you provide basic psychoeducation about common mental health disorders

    • Build trust in the community 

      • Determine shared visions and goals

      • What are some common goals that you and your community share regarding mental health outcomes?

      • How do you include community members on boards and in other executive roles?

    • Enable communication between your agency and the community

      • Does the community feel that they can provide feedback about your services honestly?

    • Deliver on promises

      • Does your agency have the skill and resources to fulfill your commitments to the community?

    • Respect diversity

      • Has your agency made it clear to the community that you value a diversity of opinions? 

      • Does your mission statement accurately reflect your diversity values?

    • Build an agency that reflects commitment to the community

      • Have you built an agency that clearly communicates your desire to be a long-term resource for the community?

  • Reduce mental health stigma in your community

    • Distribute educational materials that debunk myths regarding mental illness

    • Ensure that your audience knows that:

      • Mental illness affects almost every family in America

      • People with mental illness make important contributions to our society

      • People with mental illnesses recover, often by working with mental health professionals and by using medications, self-help strategies, and community supports

      • Stigma and fear of discrimination are key barriers to accessing treatment

    • Avoid language that promotes mental health stigma

    • Develop a compelling theme for your stigma reduction campaign

    • Participate in mental health stigma reduction efforts led by other national or local organizations

  • Form a committee/group within your agency that is responsible for community outreach

  • Create an accessible website

    • The website should:

      • Be designed for people who have little to no knowledge about mental illness

      • Make referral information easily accessible

      • Feature information about mental illness that works to reduce the associated stigma

      • Include information about diversity issues related to mental health  

      • Include additional resources and information related to mental illness

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