Welcoming places: Perspectives of individuals with mental illnesses

There are many factors that influence community participation of individuals with serious mental illnesses. Research often focuses on barriers to participation. This study, however, takes a different approach, by exploring features of community locations considered welcoming by individuals with serious mental illnesses. This is important because welcoming environments are more likely to promote community participation. Using a survey approach, 75 participants were asked to identify and describe locations where they felt welcomed as a person with a mental illness. Our findings suggest that there are a number of places within the general community individuals with serious mental illnesses perceive as welcoming. Participants described religious communities, restaurants/cafés shops, parks, libraries, and cultural centers. Welcoming places were often perceived as architecturally open, featuring natural light and plants. Places provided opportunities for individuals to engage in a number of activities (e.g., socializing, entertainment, improving health, among others); data suggest welcoming places facilitated reciprocal relationships. We link these findings to a number of key recovery principles and make recommendation for multilevel interventions. This study may facilitate conversations with mainstream community organizations about inclusion and strategies to create welcoming environments and with mental health providers to consider strategies to encourage participation in welcoming places. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).