ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the initiation, implementation, and accomplishments of a practice-based research group within a mental health program serving inner-city adolescents. It provides an account of the initiation, development, implementation, and accomplishments of this practice-based research group. "Reflective practice" and "practice-based research" are two central concepts that were used by the Practice-Based Research Group (PBRG). Definitions of these terms will provide a frame of reference for the following description of the origins of practice-based research within the Adolescent Health Center and the evolution of the practice-based research group. In 1992, a practitioner and a manager in fulfillment of respective qualitative research doctoral coursework initiated two small-scale studies. In one study, a small sample of clinicians was interviewed about their perceptions of the reasons for client dropout from mental health treatment. The PBRG responded to these challenges by conducting a strategic assessment of the opportunities and constraints it faced in developing practitioner research.
