Our primary mission is to serve people with behavioral health disorders – mental illnesses and/or addictions – and their families.

We must provide valid and ethical scientific research that helps people with behavioral health disorders to reach their goals, to find meaningful activities and relationships, to be free of stigma, and to be full citizens in their communities.  We must do this by developing, testing, and disseminating interventions that are useful in real-world settings by all people with behavioral health disorders.

We also serve the workers, clinicians, administrators, and policy makers who provide services to people with behavioral health disorders.  Interventions and services must be practical and useful.  They must enable stakeholders to do their jobs better and more efficiently.

We are responsible to our employees, the men and women who work with us.  We must respect their dignity and merit, provide an environment that encourages collaboration and innovation, and insist on productivity.  Employees must have fair compensation and benefits, working conditions that are decent and respectful, and opportunities to fulfill their family responsibilities.  All employees must feel free to make suggestions and complaints.  There must be equal opportunity for employment and advancement of those who are competent and productive.

Our final responsibility is to the communities in which we live and work and to the world community as well.  We must be good citizens by supporting good works, charities, health care, education, and the environment.

If we meet these responsibilities, we will win research grants, contracts, and gifts; we will exceed our funders’ expectations; we will be a productive research center; and we will leave the world a better place.