Approximately one-fifth of all Americans experience a significant Mental Health or Substance Abuse problem every year. Such problems may lead to family conflict, reduced productivity at work or school, or even to homelessness and suicide. Effective treatments and more accepting public attitudes have stimulated expectations for expanded services and for parity in insurance coverage. But numerous challenges remain for behavioral health:

• removing policy, programmatic, and insurance barriers that still reflect the traditional separation of physical and behavioral health services;
• recalibrating public and private responsibilities for behavioral health;
• measuring and assuring quality of care; increasing focus on prevention as well as treatment; and
• translating the wealth of research advances into practice.

The Lewin Group's behavioral health work is grounded in an understanding of the multiple systems and interests in the complex and dynamic behavioral health environment. We help state and federal agencies, foundations, associations, and providers to plan strategically, design and manage effective initiatives, and evaluate the impact of policy and program change. We assist clients in developing solutions that serve consumers while achieving public policy goals.