Managing disclosure following recent-onset psychosis: utilizing the individual placement and support model.
OBJECTIVE
Individual Placement and Support is the most defined and evidence-based approach to supported employment for severe mental illness, including recent-onset psychosis. However, there is limited evidence or detailed guidelines informing the management of mental illness disclosure to educators or employers when delivering individual placement and support. In this paper, we describe the initial disclosure preferences of young people with recent-onset psychosis enrolled in individual placement and support and provide guidance for managing disclosure when delivering Individual Placement and Support with this population.


METHODS
Drawing from sites in Melbourne, Australia and Los Angeles, USA, clients' initial disclosure preferences were examined. We describe approaches to providing individual placement and support when no disclosure is permitted compared with when disclosure is permitted, including two illustrative case vignettes.


RESULTS
No disclosure of mental illness or disability was requested by 54-59% of clients; 41-46% of clients permitted partial or complete disclosure. The 'no disclosure' scenario required the individual placement and support worker to provide support 'behind the scenes', whereas when disclosure was permitted, the individual placement and support worker could have contact with instructors/employers and work 'on the front lines'. The case vignettes illustrate how both approaches can lead to successful vocational outcomes.


CONCLUSIONS
We found that Individual Placement and Support can be provided in an educative, flexible, creative and collaborative manner according to client disclosure preferences. We suggest that disclosure preferences do not prevent successful vocational outcomes, although this supposition requires empirical investigation.
Orygen Youth Health Research Centre, Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia. kallott@unimelb.edu.au
Kelly A
KA
Allott
Luana R
LR
Turner
Gina L
GL
Chinnery
Eoin J
EJ
Killackey
Keith H
KH
Nuechterlein
D000328:Adult; D030881:Disclosure; D004493:Education; D016832:Employment, Supported / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D057240:Patient Preference / Q000523:psychology*; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D012050:Rehabilitation, Vocational
Individual Placement and Support; disclosure; recent-onset psychosis; supported education; supported employment