Employment provides an economic means, gives social status and promotes social inclusion. While people with mental health problems attach a high priority to gaining employment, they face many barriers that inhibit their ability to gain and retain employment. This paper describes how a mental health trust actively promoted vocational rehabilitation through implementing evidence-based principles within the clinical teams. It reports how the trust acknowledged the unique contribution of occupational therapy in partnership with vocational services to enable its clients to access competitive employment, mainstream education and voluntary work.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AnthonyW (1994) Characteristics of people with psychiatric disabilities that are predictive of entry into the rehabilitation process and successful employment. Psychosocial Rehabilitation Journal, 17, 3–14.
2.
AnthonyW (1996) Managed care case management for people with mental illness. Behavioural Health Care Tomorrow, 5, 67–69.
3.
BondGRBeckerDRDrakeRERappCAMeislerMSWLehmannABellMDBlyerCR (2001) Implementing supported employment as an evidence-based practice. Psychiatric Services, 52 (3), 313–22.
4.
ClarkCCKrupaT (2002) Reflections on empowerment in community mental health: giving shape to an elusive idea. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 25 (4), 341–49.
5.
CrowtherREMarshallMBondGRHuxleyP (2001) Helping people with severe mental illness to obtain work: systematic review. British Medical Journal, 322, 204–208.
6.
CrowtherREMarshallMBondGRHuxleyP (2004) Vocational rehabilitation for people with severe mental illness (Cochrane review). Cochrane Library, Issue 1. Oxford: Update Software.
7.
Department of Health (1999) The National Service Framework for Mental Health. London: DH.
8.
Department of Health (2001) Safety first: five-year report of the national confidential inquiry into suicide and homicide by people with mental illness. London: DH.
9.
DrakeRBeckerD (1996) The individual placement and support model of supported employment. Psychiatric Services, 47, 473–75.
10.
EvansJRepperJ (2000) Employment, social inclusion and mental health. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 7, 15–24.
11.
HarriesPGilhooleyK (2003) Generic and specialist occupational therapy casework in community mental health teams. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 66 (3), 101–109.
12.
GroveB (1999) Mental health and employment: shaping a new agenda. Journal of Mental Health, 8, 131–40.
13.
JahodaM (1979) The impact of unemployment in the 1930s and the 1970s. Bulletin of the British Psychological Society, 32, 309–14.
14.
LewisGSloggettA (1998) Suicide, deprivation and unemployment: record linkage study. British Medical Journal, 317, 1283–86.
15.
MacDonald-WilsonKRogersESAnthonyW (2001) Unique issues in assessing work function among individuals with psychiatric disabilities. Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, 11 (3), 217–32.
16.
NagleSCookJ ValliantPolatajkoH (2002) Occupational choice of persons with severe and persistent mental illness. Journal of Occupational Science, 9 (2), 72–81.
17.
National Institute for Clinical Excellence (2002) Schizophrenia: core interventions in the treatment and management of schizophrenia in primary and secondary care. Clinical guideline 1. London: NICE.
18.
Office of National Statistics (2003) Labour force survey. London: HMSO.
19.
PerkinsRERinaldiM (2002) A decade of rising unemployment. Psychiatric Bulletin, 26, 295–98.
20.
PollockN (1993) Client-centred assessment. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 47 (4), 298–301.
21.
RidgewayP (2001) Restorying psychiatric disability: learning from first person recovery narratives. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 24 (4), 335–44.
RinaldiMPerkinsR (2001) Creating work opportunities that work: vocational services strategy. London: South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust.
24.
SeckerJGroveBSeebohmP (2001) Challenging barriers to employment, training and education for mental health service users: the service user's perspective. London: Institute for Applied Health and Social Policy, King's College.
25.
SeckerJMembreyHGroveBSeebohmP (2002) Recovering from illness or recovering your life? Implications of clinical versus social models of recovery from mental health problems for employment support services. Disability and Society, 17 (4), 403–18.
26.
SeebohmPSeckerJ (2003) Increasing the vocational focus of the community mental health team. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 17 (3), 281–91.
27.
Social Exclusion Unit (2004) Mental health and social exclusion. London: Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.
28.
WarrP (1984) Job loss, unemployment and psychological well-being. In: AllenVLvan der VliertE, eds. Role transitions. New York: Plenum Press.
