Challenges in conducting family-centered mental health services research

In this article, the authors provide an analysis of the challenges facing researchers as they respond to the ideas that guide family-centered services and incorporate these themes into research focused on improving services for children with emotional, behavioral, or mental disorders and their families, The concept of ''family-centered services'' has emerged only recently as a generally well understood set of practice principles. Traditional approaches to conducting mental health research have not yet responded to the fundamental changes in thinking about service delivery evoked by a family-centered service system. The authors examine the fit between traditional mental health research and family-centered services and provide an introduction to the articles in this special issue.