A Qualitative Investigation of Foster Youth Mental Health Outcomes: Measuring What Matters

Abstract Current and foster youth regularly lack adequate mental health support before, during, and after leaving the foster care system. Research on mental health care with foster youth rarely relies on the direct experiences and recommendations of those with lived and professional experience in child welfare. The current community-based participatory action research study worked with key stakeholders ( n = 22) in child welfare to understand successful mental health treatment outcomes for foster youth. Five categorical themes emerged from stakeholder interviews, including (a) psychotherapy is a developmental process, (b) increased understanding of self in context is an indicator of improved mental health, (c) therapy effectiveness ought to be individualized, (d) perceptions of helpfulness is a key driver of benefit, and (e) outcomes ought to be conceptualized at the individual and relational levels. Findings highlighted an overall perception that there is a lack of clarity between researchers and clinicians as to what constitutes successful psychotherapy, and offer implication for how to reconcile this by prioritizing the voice of those with lived experience in both processes.