Graduate student presents study on implementing Manitoba’s mental health strategic plan

Karen De Blonde

One of Karen De Blonde’s goals for her academic career is to improve mental health systems functioning through policy and social mobilization and she is working on doing just that.

De Blonde is a current student in the Masters in Social Work program with research interests in mental health promotion, mental health system improvements, and policy implementation.

“The experiences I have had in supporting people struggling with mental illness in both my personal life and through my work in the mental health system has played a huge role in influencing my research”, says De Blonde.

De Blonde’s most recent study, Implementation of Manitoba’s Mental Health Strategic Plan: A Case Study Application of the Advocacy Coalition Framework, highlights issues facing public mental health policy and may assist policy makers in planning more effectively.

The study examines the factors, processes, challenges, and successes that effected the implementation of Manitoba’s mental health strategic plan, Rising to the Challenge: A strategic plan for the mental health and well-being of Manitobans. It also includes implications for policy practice in social work and highlights the relationships between governments, civil service, and mental health service providers in the administration of public policy in Manitoba

In May, De Blonde will be presenting her research study during the Canadian Association for Health Services and Policy Research (CAHSPR) conference as well as the Canadian Association of Programs in Public Administration (CAPPA).