PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH - IMPLICATIONS FOR RESEARCH AND EVALUATION IN PSYCHIATRIC REHABILITATION

The consumer/ex-patient movement has moved the field of psychosocial r ehabilitation to new ground with respect to the consumer's role in ser vice planning and evaluation. In a similar fashion, a methodology call ed Participatory Action Research (PAR) offers a paradigm for involving consumers in rehabilitation research and program evaluation efforts. The development of this paradigm is discussed as are the benefits and potential drawbacks to using this approach, the way in which PAR diffe rs from traditional research, and the implications for policymakers, r esearchers and evaluators.