Assessing Mental Health Providers' Perceptions of Consumer-Providers

To gain insight into the challenges of the occupational role of consumer-provider, the authors describe a program evaluation that assessed mental health providers' perceptions of consumer-providers. A qualitative research design was used to assess non-consumer providers' attitudes toward and perceptions of consumer-providers, perceptions of the quality of services consumer-providers deliver, and knowledge and awareness of consumer-providers' education and training background. Four themes emerged, including: (1) service delivery, (2) comparisons between consumer-provided and non-consumer staff provided services, (3) perception and opinion of consumer-providers' education and training background, and (4) power dynamics. Implications of the findings are discussed.