Supported Employment for People with Mental Health Problems
Access to the open labor market is crucial to the social and economic integration of people with mental health problems, and employment can be an important element in an individual's recovery. Unfortunately, for many people who experience mental health problems, finding and/or retaining employment can be a struggle. Stigma related to mental health problems can be a barrier to employment, as employers are less likely to hire a person with mental health problems; unwillingness or inability of employers to provide necessary workplace accommodations can make it difficult or impossible for a person with mental health problems to have access to a job; low self-esteem may make it challenging to undertake a job search in the first place; and some people wanting to enter the workforce may simply never have done so before.
Supported employment programs facilitate competitive employment in integrated settings on the open labor market. The principle behind supported employment is that everyone has both the ability and the right to work, regardless of disability or mental health status. Starting from this belief, supported employment programs are designed to help people with mental health problems to work through the struggles of finding and retaining employment and to ease their integration into the mainstream workforce.
Supported employment programs were first seen in the United States, as large residential institutions were closing and community-based supports were being created and expanded. It was determined that a vital aspect of community integration for people with mental health problems was access to employment. Consequently, as supported employment programs were developed and were successful, the model was adopted by other countries. Today there are supported employment programs all over the world that serve people with mental health problems and other disabilities.
Specific services offered by supported employment programs may include: courses and practice in basic work skills; assistance in undertaking a job search, including creating a curriculum vitae, writing letters of inquiry, and building interview skills; initial and ongoing on-the-job training for the employee; and counseling for employers on how to provide necessary and appropriate workplace accommodations. Supported employment services do not place people in sheltered workplaces or other segregated work settings that serve solely people with mental health problems or other disabilities.
In this section of the website you will find information on best practices in supported employment, publications and reports on employment for people with mental health problems, and a list of other useful links.