Mental health sensitive employment assistance

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Mental health sensitive employment assistance

• Using research to enhance best practice
• Roberta Ryan, Ronald K Woods, Alison Wallace,
  Fran Haynes, Jennifer Power and Karen Olver

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The study and this presentation

• We have been engaged by DEEWR to undertake a
  study of best practice employment assistance to
  people with mental illness
• The study forms part of the DEEWRs commitment to
  the Council of Australian Governments (COAG)
  National Action Plan on Mental Health 2006-11
• The project is one of a suite of research
  projects being undertaken to explore the
  relationship between mental illness and
  employment
• The study is at an early stage, today I will
  present some of the findings of the literature
  review.

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This presentation

• Describes developing knowledge of predictors of
  successful employment outcomes
• Identifies the importance of recognising the
  barriers to employment success
• Emphasises the importance of developing enhanced
  knowledge of employment assistance processes and
  methods.

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Employment is important

• Mental health service users want and are able to
  work (Secker Membrey, 2003 207)
• Employment can benefit mental health (Secker
  Membrey, 2003 207).
• The employment status of people with severe
  mental illness is recognised as an indicator of
  the quality of our society (King et al, 2006
  472).
• Currently PWMI have a workforce participation
  rate of only 28.8 (MHCA, 2007 17 18).

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Research can assist in (at least) the following
three ways

• Developing knowledge of recognised predictors of
  successful employment outcomes and factoring this
  knowledge into staff training and into your
  organisations employment assistance methods
• Recognising and increasing staff sensitivity
  toward barriers to employment success for people
  with mental illness, and finding ways to address
  these barriers
• Developing enhanced knowledge of and
  organisational expertise in the employment
  assistance processes and methods that have been
  shown to be successful for job seekers with
  mental health problems.

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Understand and factor in predictors of successful
employment outcomes

• Level of functioning before the onset of mental
  illness
• Links between specific psychiatric diagnoses and
  work outcomes
• Assessment of work behaviours
• Social skill or social functioning level
• Basic social skills
• Core work related social skills
• Cognitive functioning
• On site (at work) supports and accommodations
• Training in critical vocational skills
• Job satisfaction.

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Recognise and address barriers

• The varieties and severity of mental illnesses
• Effects of treatment on labour market
  participation
• The stressors related to having mental illness
• Lack of access to appropriate care
• Low expectations of health professionals
• Limited community treatment
• Organisation of employment-related services
• Characteristics of labour markets
• Employer and colleague attitudes.

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Effective employment assistance processes and
methods

• Are not impeded by poor social skills and
  negative symptomatology
• Have worked before
• Have positive attitudes towards work
• Are placed as soon as possible in a job of their
  choice
• Receive preparation targeted at work rather than
  general training
• Receive ongoing support in their job
• Actively participate in an occupational
  intervention
• Are not worse off as a result of
  working (Schneider et al, 2002)

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Employment strategies to assist people with
mental illness

• Assessment and evaluation
• Prevocational interventions and career
  counselling
• Building an employer demand strategy
• On site supports targeted at the individual
  employee
• On site organisational interventions AND..

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Employment strategies to assist people with
mental illness

• Strengthening the informal support provided by
  family and friends
• Off site job skills training and education
• Off site vocational counselling, mentoring and
  support
• Job related transportation

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Comments

• Psychiatric illness is a significant health issue
  in this country
• Currently in Australia, more people are in
  receipt of disability support payments than
  unemployment benefits
• There are many people with mental health issues
  that would like to work and that are not
  currently in employment
• Employment is a major contributor to positive
  mental health outcomes
• Success factors for people with a mental illness
  in employment do not necessarily relate to their
  skill levels or their type of mental illness but
  their work history and experience, their
  motivation to work, their social skills and the
  quality and duration of the employment and mental
  health supports they receive.

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Comments

• There is broad support for, and an international
  trend towards, improving employment outcomes for
  people with mental illness large scale studies
  have been carried out in the UK and the United
  States to explore what works and what does not,
  many of these have produced findings that provide
  strong indications of successful models,
  approaches and practices.

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THANK YOU

• a copy of the literature review will soon be made
  available on the DEEWR website and EA3000
• hard copies are available for you to take with
  you today
• QUESTIONS about the Literature Review

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References

• Becker, D.R. Drake, R.E. 2005. Supported
  Employment for people with severe mental illness
  a guideline developed for the Behavioral Health
  Recovery Management Project, Illinois
• Bill, A. Cowling, S. Mitchell, W. Quirk, V.
  2006. Employment programs for people with
  psychiatric disability the case for change.
  Australian Journal of Social Issues, 41 (2)
  209-220
• Dorio, J. Marine, S. 2004. Tying it all
  together the PASS to success. Psychiatric
  Rehabilitation Journal, 28 (1) 32-39
• Frost, B. Carr, V. Halpin, S. 2002. Employment
  and Psychosis National Survey of Mental Health
  and Wellbeing, Bulletin 3. Commonwealth
  Department of Health and Ageing, Canberra
• Hutchinson, D. Anthony, W. Massaro, J. Rogers,
  E.S. 2007.Evaluation of a combined supported
  computer education and employment training
  program for persons with psychiatric
  disabilities. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal,
  30 (3) 189-197
• King, R. Waghorn, G. Lloyd, C. McLeod P. McMah T.
  Leong C. 2006. Enhancing employment services
  for people with severe mental illness the
  challenge of the Australian service environment.
  Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry,
  40 (5) 471-477
• McAlpine, D.D. Warner, L. 2002. Barriers to
  employment among persons with mental illness a
  review of the literature. Rutgers University, New
  Brunswick NJ
• Mental Health Council of Australia 2007. Lets
  Get to Work A national mental health employment
  strategy for Australia. MHCA, Canberra
• Schneider, J. Heyman, A. Turton, N. 2002.
  Occupational outcomes from evidence to
  implementation. Centre for Applied Social
  Studies, University of Durham
• Secker, J. Membrey, H. 2003. Promoting mental
  health through employment and developing health
  workplaces the potential of natural supports at
  work. Health Education Research, 18 (2) 207-215
• Shankar, J. Collyer, F. 2002. Support needs of
  people with mental illness in vocational
  rehabilitation programs the role of the social
  network. International Journal of Psychosocial
  Rehabilitation, 7 15-28
• Tsang, H. Lam, P. Ng, B. Leung, O. 2000.
  Predictors of employment outcome for people with
  psychiatric disabilities a review of the
  literature since the mid 80s. Journal of
  Rehabilitation, 66 (2) 19-31
• Waghorn, G. Lloyd, C. 2005. The employment of
  people with mental illness. Australian e-Journal
  for the Advancement of Mental Health, 4 (2) 1-43

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