A job-specific social skills training program for people with severe mental illness : a case study for those who plan to be a security guard

Abstract

This study identified the factor structure of essential social skills necessary and developed a corresponding Job-Specific Social Skills Training program (JSST) for mental health consumers who have a vocational preference to work as security guard. A sample of 102 employed security guards was surveyed through a 44-item questionnaire survey. Exploratory factor analysis suggested a six-factor solution: knowledge and attitudes, communication in professional manners, social skills when interacting with customers, arrangement of duties, problem solving skills, and skills for conflict prevention, accounted for 59.9% of the total variance. Based on these results, we developed the JSST program to help consumers with a preference to be security guards to gain competitive employment. We discussed how the JSST program is to be used and integrated into existing vocational programs to produce better vocational outcomes for individuals with severe mental illness.