Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 12, 2026

Using Visual and Narrative Methods to Achieve Fair Process in Clinical Care
Published on: February 16, 2011
Towards an Integrative Perspective of the Actively Involved Person in Mental Health Care: A Concept Mapping Approach
Ilana L J Buijssen1,2, Sam M H de Haas1,3, Giel J M Hutschemaekers1,3
1Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
Objective:
The importance of being actively involved in dealing with mental health care problems is well-recognized. Many terms and ideas have been introduced to explicate this active involvement, but to date, there is no consensus about a definition. This study aims to create an integrative perspective that brings together different ideas about the actively involved user in mental health care.
Method:
Following a concept mapping procedure, we collected the statements of stakeholders involved with mental health care about this active involvement during two brainstorm sessions (total N = 12). These stakeholders included clinicians, researchers, policy makers, and users of mental health care. A larger group with the same characteristics but that also included people otherwise concerned with mental health care (N = 25) sorted and rated the statements based on perceived similarity and importance.
Results:
The result was a concept map with six clusters: adjustment, participation, agency, networking, self-determination, and resilience. Most clusters were deemed to be equally relevant. The spatial configuration of the clusters suggested two underlying dimensions captured by focus (changing-strengthening) and locus (self-context), which together formed four quadrants representing distinct expressions of active involvement.
Conclusions:
The dimensional and quadrants integrate the literature surrounding active client participation into a coherent framework and give rise to a dynamic interpretation of active involvement in which individuals gradually regain ownership over their mental health state. In doing so, this conceptualization offers a framework for understanding the different ways in how active client participation can be expressed and supported throughout treatment.
Related Concept Videos
Community Based Intervention
Foundations of Community Mental Health Programs
Central to the success of community-based interventions is the...
Concepts of Health and Illness
Humanistic Therapy
Humanistic Psychology
This approach...
Patient-centered Care
Understanding Self-Concept