A Working Life for People with Severe Mental Illness

This book describes the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) method of employment services for people with a severe mentally illness. IPS is also known as Supported Employment, the evidence-based practice. 

Traditional approaches to vocational rehabilitation such as skills training classes, job clubs, and sheltered employment have not been successful in helping people with severe mental illness gain competitive employment. Supported employment, in which clients are placed in jobs and then trained by on-site coaches, is a radically new conceptual approach to to vocational rehabilitation designed for people with developmental disabilities.

The Individual Placement and Support (IPS) method utilizes the supported employment concept but modifies it for use with the severely mentally ill. It is the only approach that has a strong empirical research base: rates of competitive employment are 40 percent or more in IPS programs, compared to 15 percent in traditional mental health programs. (Source: Oxford University).

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