Consumers' perspectives on helpful and hindering factors in mental health treatment

We summarize the four papers in this issue by consumers evaluating their me ntal health treatment, focusing on aspects of their treatment that they col lectively found helpful and hindering. These factors include the context of treatment, the therapy relationship, interventions used and issues address ed, helpful experiences outside the mental health system, and hindering Vie ws of mental illness and treatment. We then present comments by two clients in outpatient therapy on the same topic. Research on clients' perceptions of their outpatient psychotherapy is discussed in reference to these six co nsumer perspectives, and future directions for therapists and researchers a re suggested. (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons. Inc.