Designing With—Not For: How Peer Support is Revolutionizing Behavioral Health Spaces Interview with Sydney Harris and Parker LaCombe

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It’s easy to forget who we’re really designing for—especially in behavioral health, where the stakes are high and the people we serve are too often left out of the process. In this episode, Parker LaCombe and Sydney Harris of Mind Care Connect reveal how co-design that engages those with lived experience is rewriting the rules of behavioral health architecture.

1. Co-design isn’t just a process—it’s a mindset shift. When architects design with people, not for them, we build dignity, community, and true healing into the spaces that need it most.

2. Design can either amplify power dynamics or become an equalizer. Including people with lived experience prevents assumptions and creates more balanced, empathetic spaces.

3. Co-design is a feedback loop, not a one-time input. Maintaining communication ensures participants know how their voices shaped the outcome—even when every request can’t be met.

4. Designing for recovery is important in behavioral health spaces. This means providing connection and community where someone feels safe to be vulnerable. It isn't about designing for compliance.

Work with Mind Care Connect: https://www.mindcareconnect.org

Contact Parker: https://www.linkedin.com/in/parker-lacombe/

Contact Sydney: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sydney-h-6a3a3a61/

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Angela

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