PAARC

The Peer Advisory, Advocacy & Research Council (PAARC; formerly the Consumer Advisory Board) at the Massachusetts Mental Health Center Public Psychiatry Division of BIDMC represents a partnership between research, clinical and/or lived experience with serious mental health conditions. Through collaboration, engagement, shared decision-making, principles of reciprocal relationships, co-learning, trust, honesty, and transparency, the PAARC seeks to improve research outcomes, including its impact, relevance, value and reach, particularly for underserved populations. For over a decade, the PAARC has been reviewing research proposals and collaborating in the design, implementation, and dissemination of research. They have been conducting mental health participatory action research in which the expertise of lived experience overlaps with clinical and research experience to fortify the unique strengths of each perspective. This research has resulted in several conference presentations and manuscripts, including one on therapeutic alliance and publications related to findings from an innovative survey project on renaming schizophrenia.

This page is still under construction. Please return at a future date for updates.