Our Approach

This Consortium is founded on the idea that our current crisis will not be addressed by simply doing more of what we are currently doing.  Taking on this crisis is a very unique challenge that will require a very unique solution – a paradigm shift where we expand our focus on new ways of approaching this work, as described below: 

1. We need to expand our focus on the wisdom and capacity of youth and parents to devise and implement prevention and promotion strategies, while facilitating their participation in treatment.

Our Consortium prioritizes youth and parent leadership in developing and implementing prevention and promotion strategies, recognizing their unique capacity to drive meaningful change in mental wellness and behavioral health. While we support expanding clinical interventions, our primary focus is on fostering youth and parent led solutions, ensuring professionals collaborate to frame discussions and support peer-led initiatives for system transformation.

2. We need to expand our focus on a public health approach.

Our Consortium emphasizes the need for a public health approach to mental wellness and behavioral health, addressing the social and environmental root causes of illness while promoting prevention and self-care at a community level.

3. We need to expand our focus on collaborative learning and collective impact.

Our Consortium's research, practice, and policy advocacy organizations are typically incentivized and required by public and private funders to work independently of each other and in competition with each other, leading to disconnected, duplicative, and less impactful work. This consortium seeks to integrate our organizational efforts and work with public and private funders to support this integrative work.

4. Process matters as much as products.

Our Consortium is transforming mental wellness efforts by replacing top-down, efficiency-driven systems with trust, equity, and community engagement. Through participatory approaches like community-based system dynamics, we foster collaboration among professionals, students, and parents, building on the foundation of the Stakeholder Learning Community and advancing pilot projects with youth and families.

1. We co-create.

Research questions and pilot projects with youth, parents, and professionals. Round 1 research questions and pilot projects are created by professionals, youth and parents.

2. Learning is a top priority.

We believe it is essential to develop new knowledge and new levels of understanding among youth, parents and professionals in order to re-imagine systems of care through which we can meet the challenges of today. 

3. Learning must be multi-directional and networked.

We believe every member of our consortium has something to learn and something to teach, and that all knowledge is the province of every member.

4. We work through a Plan-Do-Study (PDS) process. 

We begin with a set of planning questions (Plan), create pilot projects to collect data on these questions (Do), analyze data to inform the next round of piloting (Study). 

5. We focus on student-led and parent-led activities in schools. 

We believe we can learn the most, and have the greatest impact, by focusing on the activities that are student-led and parent-led and take place in schools.  All of our research, practice, and advocacy will focus on these activities, or the understanding and enabling thereof.