ConsultationsConferencesMulticulturalToolkits & Materialse-CommunityEvidence-based Practice

Program Manager Jenneth Carpenter,M.S.W. 617-876-0426 X2525 jcarpenter@hsri.org Other Options Request a Consultation

Search Consultations

Consultations

About the Consultation Program
We provide technical assistance on projects related to the evaluation of adult mental health systems change. For example, our staff and consultants can assist with study design, evaluation methodologies, statistical analyses or other aspects of evaluation design and implementation. Please note that this is not an exhaustive list of services.

Who uses the Consultation Program?
We provide consultations to all types of organizations and/or individuals but focus on ones serving the public sector. Organizations that frequently use the program include state, local and county mental health authorities, providers, academic institutions and advocacy groups.

How does the Consultation Program work?
Consultations may involve a brief telephone conversation or email to connect you with the resources you need. A more in-depth consultations may result in a long-term collaboration with our staff with the possibility of in-person assistance.

How do I initiate a Consultation?
Getting involved with our consultation program is easy: either complete a consultation request form or contact Jenneth Carpenter by phone at 617-876-0426 x2525 or by email at jcarpenter@hsri.org.

Featured Consultations

Some consultation memos have been converted into PDF format. To view such documents you will need the free
Acrobat Reader in order to view and print.

Mental Health Consumer Satisfaction Surveys: The Importance of Response Rates
View the consulation memo

The Evaluation Center received a request from states seeking technical assistance with various aspects of the consumer satisfaction survey process. The request for information revolved around issues of how to obtain high quality results at minimal cost, with many questions addressing sampling concerns. In our memo, we briefly discuss sample size and then move to a more focused discussion on how to plan for higher response rates. Our response emphasizes that the greatest challenge for mental health consumer surveys, and a more primary problem than sample size, is obtaining an adequate response rate, as the sample size will be irrelevant if the results are biased.

2002 Evaluation of the Consumer and Consumer-Supporter Technical Assistance Centers
View the 2002 report

The Evaluation Center provided technical assistance to the Kentucky Center for Mental Health Studies for its evaluation of the 5 national consumer and consumer-supporter Technical Assistance Centers funded by the Center for Mental Health Services of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Discussion of Meta-Analysis Software Package
View the consultation memo

The Evaluation Center (TEC) received a request for feedback on a software package called Comprehensive Meta-Analysis that was used by TEC in its meta-analysis on ethnic matching. In our memo, we briefly discuss the software available, both commercially and in the public domain, for doing meta-analysis. We also address what we believe to be the strengths and weaknesses of version 1.0 of Comprehensive Meta-Analysis and provided information on version 2.0, which is currently available.

Internet Resources For Building Community-Agency Collaborations
View The Consultation Memo

The Evaluation Center received a request from a county mental health advisory board looking for internet resources they could draw from to develop a plan to strengthen collaboration between town-directed social services and state-funded mental health services. While there is relatively little material on collaboration involving mental health services specifically, a variety of more general collaboration resources are readily available online. This memo identifies and reviews a selection of these resources, as well as an especially helpful print resource for planning and carrying out retreats.