The Center to Study Recovery in Social Contexts (The Center) is a National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH) funded grant to investigate the well being of people who are diagnosed with mental health issues. The Center applies a perspective used in economic development, Sen’s Capabilities Framework, to guide research on recovery. This project examines real opportunities that people have to do and be what they value within the social contexts of resources, law, custom and policy. The Center takes a Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) approach that involves members of the mental health community in formulating research questions, designing methods of inquiry, and interpreting findings.