Supported employment, supported education, and career development.

Abstract

Two articles in the current issue of the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal bring into focus the important question of the importance of work, and in particular meaningful employment, in people with a serious mental illness. Gewurtz, Cott, Rush, and Kirsh (see record 2012-34112-003) present findings from a change in policy in Canada for the funding of vocational services for people with a serious mental illness from a fee-for-service model to an outcomes-based model, with reimbursement based on successful competitive job placement and retention, irrespective of job type and consumer preference. The results indicated increased rates of competitive work, mainly in entry-level jobs, but they also raised questions as to whether the narrow focus on job attainment may have been at the cost of less career development and ultimately less meaningful work for the consumers. Baksheev, Allott, Jackson, McGorry, and Killackey (see record 2012-34112-002) found that a combined supported employment and education program for people with a first episode of psychosis led to higher rates of employment and class completion than usual services. The analysis presented in this report showed that no individual consumer characteristics other than program assignment (supported employment and education vs. usual services) predicted vocational or educational outcomes. The findings underscore the potency of supported employment, and suggest that combining it with educational services may be fruitful for people who have recently experienced an episode of psychosis. These findings raise several questions that will be touched on in this editorial, including: Why are career development and supported education important? What have we learned about supported education? What are the current gaps in our knowledge about supported education?

Peer Career Implications of an Academic Credential: Report from the Field

“…Moreover, few linkages currently exist between peer certification and credit-bearing programs. 3 Consistent with findings of a positive relationship between education and employment, type of job, and income in general (Blank, 1995;Hoynes, 2000;Herrnstein & Murray, 1994;Jencks, 1979), as well as among individuals with behavioral health conditions (Baron & Salzer, 2002;Cook et al, 2008;Mueser & Cook, 2012;Mueser, Salyers, & Mueser, 2001), ''higher educational attainment and longer work history predicted higher wages among participants with mental illnesses'' (Gao, Schmidt, Gill, & Pratt, 2011, p. 117). Schmidt & Burns-Lynch (2010, p. 249) noted, ''This involvement in educational activity is promising as pursuing academic credentials is important for the long-term professional growth and development of peer providers.''…”

“…Though the importance of national policy on peer education and training and career development has been recognized (Brockelman, 2010;Cook, 2011;Mueser & Cook, 2012;Reifels & Pirkis, 2012), the lack of relevant literature about academic peer training programs suggests attention has not yet turned to peer academic curriculum and career development work at entry levels (Baron, 2007;SAMHSA, 2012;Salzer, 2012).…”

A Qualitative Study of Career Exploration Among Young Adult Men With Psychosis and Co-occurring Substance Use Disorder

“…Although efforts to support the process of finding and supporting educational placements began in the 1990s (Unger, 1998), supported education has not yet crystalized into one evidence-based model (Mueser & Cook, 2012). The absence of a systematic strategy to integrate support for education or training goals with vocational rehabilitation services presents a practical conundrum for young adults with psychosis who seek career advancement opportunities and an important potential target for intervention developers.…”

Recovery Assessment Scale: Testing validity with Portuguese community-based mental health organization users.

“…TESTING PORTUGUESE VERSION OF RAS changes (Mueser & Cook, 2012). Likewise, participatory aspects of measurement conditions are pertinent upcoming issues for test validity and reliability improvements in the mental health field in the near future (Hancock et al, 2012;Maltzman, 2013).…”