Elevating community mental health
June 05, 2023
June 05, 2023
Stephen Parker tells Design Intelligence how the design of mental health spaces can dignify the patient experience and defy stigma in communities
When designing for humanity at its most vulnerable, those with the greatest interest in addressing mental health are often closest to its cause.
One degree of separation can be all that divides us from close friends and family struggling with mental health, addiction or both. As the child of a parent admitted to a behavioral health facility, this hits close to home. My namesake is a family member who lost his life to addiction. My godfather is a Vietnam veteran whose invisible war wounds resulted in extended stays with our family to help him get back on his feet. My graduate thesis in wounded warrior polytrauma care was informed by friends’ challenges returning from serving abroad.