Designing With—Not For: How Peer Support is Revolutionizing Behavioral Health Spaces

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.

Architecting with Angela

Amplifying Lived Experience with Co-Design with Sydney Harris & Parker LaCombe

Sydney Harris, President of MindCareConnect & Parker LaCombe, Vice President of MindCareConnect, join us to discuss the importance of listening to the voices of those with lived experience, and why it is important to include them through the co-design of mental health built environments.

Design in Mental Health

George Pressler 40 Under 40 Award 2025 Recipient Sydney Harris

MindCareConnect Co-Founder, Sydney Harris was recognized for her achievements in mental health design at the 2025 Healthcare Facilities Symposium & Expo in San Diego, California. Watch to learn more about her extraordinary achievements.

Healthcare Facilities Symposium and Expo

SAMSHA 2024 STAR Peer Support Worker of the Year awarded to Parker LaCombe

Parker LaCombe, Co-Founder of MindCareConnect receives the 2024 SAMSHA Trailblazer in Advancing Recovery (STAR) Peer Support Worker of the Year in Washington D.C.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration