Community Engagement and Involvement are increasingly recognized as essential components of Mental Health research. Here we showcase some of the existing guidelines and frameworks to explore why engagement is undertaken, how it is conceptualized and implemented, the theories that underpin it, and the principles and standards that can support meaningful, ethical, and effective engagement practices.
NIHR – Resource Guide for Community Engagement & Involvement (CEI) in Global Health Research (2019)
Global-health research in LMIC settings. Emphasises community engagement & involvement across research lifecycle; focuses on marginalised populations, power dynamics, “people, process and power”. Useful for mental health because it addresses inclusion in resource-limited contexts.
NIHR – Guidance for Developing CEI in Global Health Research Applications (2025)
Focuses on design of CEI strategies for global health research funding/applications. Helps embed engagement/involvement from design stage. For mental health research it supports building meaningful engagement in low- and middle-income settings.
WHO – Framework on Meaningful Engagement: Integrating Lived Experience in NCD and Mental Health Agenda (2024)
Mental-health and NCD specific, global scale. Focuses on lived-experience engagement in global policy, programmes and research. Very relevant for mental-health research engagement globally
WHO – Community Engagement: A Health Promotion Guide for UHC and SDGs (2017)
Broad health systems/health promotion engagement globally. Not mental-health specific but foundational for embedding engagement approaches in global health research. Useful as a baseline for mental-health research in global health settings.
CAMH – Best Practice Guidelines for the Engagement of People with Lived Experience in Mental Health and Substance Use Health Research (2024)
Guidance focused on engagement of people with lived experience (PWLE) in mental health/substance-use research. Though not explicitly global-LMIC, provides strong principles applicable in any setting.
GMHPN – CONSULT Guidelines: Lived Experience Engagement and Consultation for Policymakers (2024)
Global mental-health lived experience engagement guidance. Focus on policymaker-level engagement; relevant when research connects with policy or system-change in global settings.
Murphy et al. – Considerations for Supporting Meaningful Stakeholder Engagement in Global Mental Health Research (2023/24)
Scholarly guidance/editorial on stakeholder engagement (policy-makers, PWLE) in global mental health research. Not a formal guidance document but contains actionable recommendations. Useful for research design in global settings.
Wellcome Trust – Embedding Lived Experience Expertise in Mental Health Research (Guidance)
Funders’ guidance (global mental health research) on embedding lived experience in mental-health research. Helps address researcher/funder roles, budgeting, governance, and global contexts.
WHO Regional Office for Europe – Transforming Mental Health through Lived Experience: Roadmap (2022)
Although region-specific (Europe), this Roadmap provides structured framework for integrating lived-experience practitioners into systems — useful for global research settings as transferable.