Background: People living with mental ill health are among the most socially and economically marginalized members of the community. Unemployment rates are high and suitable support to return to work may not always be available. Motivational interviewing (MI) is a focused method of communication that was originally developed to assist counsellors in the treatment of problem drinking. However, more recent applications have demonstrated success with a variety of health conditions and problem behaviours. MI helps clients identify and change behaviours that may be preventing them from achieving optimal life goals, for instance, returning to paid employment. Content: This article gives an overview of the MI approach and highlights key research to date in the field. The vocational expectations of mental health service users and barriers to achieving them are examined. The potential for using MI in vocational rehabilitation with people living with mental ill health is then explored. Conclusions: A successful return to work can help people regain a lost sense of purpose and identity, which is crucial to achieving optimal life goals. It is proposed that motivation for work can be clarified and enhanced by the skilled application of a MI technique. Further work and research in this area is needed.
These findings add to previous psychometric evidence and support the continued development of the SRCS for use in community mental health settings. The SRCS has promising utility for occupational therapists involved in psychiatric rehabilitation outcome measurement.
Work-related self-efficacy at a core task level fits with the social cognitive career theory explaining the career development of people with severe mental illness. The aim of this study was to further investigate the psychometric properties of the 'Work-related Self-Efficacy Scale' for use with people with psychiatric disabilities. Sixty individuals with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder participated in repeated telephone interviews conducted 2-5 days apart. Short-cycle test-retest reliability and internal structure were assessed. Face validity, consumer and clinician acceptability and utility were examined qualitatively. Short-cycle test-retest reliability was found to be very good at item and total score levels. The internal structure was consistent with previous investigations. Although face validity, acceptability and utility were adequate, use of face-to-face interviews is preferred over telephone interviews. The construct validity evidence supports wider use for research purposes in community mental health service, supported employment and other psychiatric rehabilitation settings.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.