Enhancing employment opportunities of people with mental illness through an integrated supported employment approach (ISE)

Abstract

Objectives: We examined the effectiveness of an integrated supported employment (ISE) program, which augments the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model with social skills training (SST) in helping individuals with severe mental illness (SMI) achieve and maintain employment, and compared ISE to IPS only and traditional vocational rehabilitation (TVR). Design: One hundred sixty three participants with severe mental illness were recruited from two non-government organizations and three day hospitals in Hong Kong and randomly assigned into three vocational rehabilitation programs (ISE, IPS, and TVR). Data collection of employment information such as employment rates and job tenure was conducted by a blind and independent assessor at 7, 11, and 15 months after admission. Results: After 15 months of service provision and follow along support service, both IPS and ISE participants had higher employment rates and longer job tenure when compared with TVR participants. In addition, more ISE participants gained competitive employment (78.8% vs 53.6%), and they worked longer (25.12 weeks vs 11.95 weeks) and had less interpersonal conflicts at the workplace than the IPS participants after the 15-month implementation. Conclusion: The integrated approach of supported employment with the addition of social skills training from referral to follow along service enhances the employment outcomes of supported employment.