Job Preferences of Clients with Severe Psychiatric Disorders Participating in Supported Employment Programs

This article focuses on research that explored the importance of consumer preferences in Supported Employment, the evidence-based practices. The authors conclude that helping people with severe mental illness obtain competitive jobs that correspond with their explicit job preferences increases job satisfaction and tenure. Job preferences are more likely to develop or change through searching for a job or working at a job than through pre-vocational training.

"When the clients entered the supported employment programs, 81 percent expressed job preferences, and their preferences tended to be realistic and stable. People who obtained employment in preferred areas were more satisfied with their jobs and remained in their jobs twice as long as those who worked in non-preferred areas.

Clients were more likely to develop a new job preference or to change their preference if they participated in a program that emphasized rapid job search than if they participated in a prevocational skills training program. They were also more likely to develop a preference or change their preference if they obtained a competitive job" (source: http://ps.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/abstract/47/11/1223).

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