Implementing supported employment as an evidence-based practice.
Supported employment for people with severe mental illness is an evidence-based practice, based on converging findings from eight randomized controlled trials and three quasi-experimental studies. The critical ingredients of supported employment have been well described, and a fidelity scale differentiates supported employment programs from other types of vocational services. The effectiveness of supported employment appears to be generalizable across a broad range of client characteristics and community settings. More research is needed on long-term outcomes and on cost-effectiveness. Access to supported employment programs remains a problem, despite their increasing use throughout the United States. The authors discuss barriers to implementation and strategies for overcoming them based on successful experiences in several states.
Bond
G R
GR
Department of Psychology at Indiana University-Perdue University Indiapolis, Indianapolis 46202, USA. gbond@iupui.edu
Becker
D R
DR
Drake
R E
RE
Rapp
C A
CA
Meisler
N
N
Lehman
A F
AF
Bell
M D
MD
Blyler
C R
CR
D003155:Community Mental Health Centers; D016832:Employment, Supported / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D005380:Financing, Government; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D016730:Program Development; D015397:Program Evaluation; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D014481:United States