The Inner Compass Research Institute is a policy-oriented think tank synthesizing and disseminating cutting-edge research that questions normative assumptions in the mental health industry.
Topically, the Institute focuses on two pillars:

The Institute aims to become an important think tank in mental health research and policy, bringing together credible expertise from the psychiatric, psychological and social work professions to inform an alternative, de-medicalized approach to the management of mental and emotional distress. The Institute functions as ICI’s in-house think tank, producing actionable knowledge products and coordinating with thought leaders and policymakers.

The Inner Compass Research Institute (ICRI) is a group of researchers, academics, and clinicians who share ICI’s commitment to enabling informed choice, respecting layperson expertise, and providing accessible resources to people looking for non-clinical support.  

While ICI is an organization founded and led by laypeople who envision a future beyond the medicalized, professionalized offerings of the mental health industry, we recognize the urgent need to reorient current mental health research and clinical practice towards rigorous science, scholarly inquiry, and the reduction of iatrogenic harm in mental health care for those who seek it.  

As such, the ICI team is focused on building beyond the mental health industry, while our esteemed ICRI clinician, researcher, and academic colleagues are focused on reforming what lies within it. 

Though our approaches may differ, we share a commitment to expanding informed consent and ensuring that patients receive support that is grounded in both evidence and layperson expertise.