Utah program connects employers with mental health recovery candidates
Employment is a significant part of recovery, and mental health experts said society needs to view it as essential. A Utah program connects employers with mental health recovery candidates, with Sharon Cook, Supported Employment Administrator for the Utah Department of Health and Human Services Office of Substance Use and Mental Health stating that employment is essential in reducing stigma. The Individual Placement and Support program, an evidence-based initiative under the DHHS, aims to zero exclusion, meaning no one is excluded based on readiness, diagnosis, symptoms, psychiatric hospitalizations, homelessness, disability, or legal system involvement. Patrick Blythe, Program Manager of Employment Preparation and Placement at First Step House, provides employment support for people transitioning from intake to independent living. The program includes training, safe spaces, mental health days, and suicide prevention toolkit.
发表 : 11 个月前 经过 Jim Spiewak, https://www.facebook.com/KUTV2News/, KUTV 在 Health
Employment is a significant part of recovery, and mental health experts said society needs to view it as essential.
"We are reducing stigma," says Sharon Cook, Supported Employment Administrator for the Utah Department of Health and Human Services Office of Substance Use and Mental Health.
"People ask if employment is too stressful for those with mental health conditions. I say, have you heard of unemployment? That's pretty stressful," she said.
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One in five Americans will experience a mental health condition in their lifetime. Although 66% of those with mental health conditions want to work, only 15% are employed, Cook said.
"We need to do a better job of hiring and retaining people with mental illnesses and co-occurring substance use disorders," she said.
This effort is supported by the Individual Placement and Support program, an evidence-based initiative under the DHHS.
One of its principles is zero exclusion, meaning no one is excluded from consideration based on readiness, diagnosis, symptoms, psychiatric hospitalizations, homelessness, level of disability, or legal system involvement.
"It doesn't matter where they're at in their recovery process, everyone can work," Cook said.
The process starts with a referral from treatment facilities like First Step House.
Patrick Blythe, Program Manager of Employment Preparation and Placement at First Step House, oversees a team providing employment support for people transitioning from intake to independent living. They assist with tasks like resume building and interview coaching.
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"We help prepare them for the transition to full-time work, which reflects life outside the treatment world," Blythe said.
Blythe creates relationships with employers, who then come to them for candidates.
"We help build a bridge for our residents to have opportunities to work and for employers to access a workforce ready to get back to work," Blythe said.
People with various mental health conditions are placed in all job types, from those with a Master's degree to others who have never held a job.
The battle against stigma is ongoing.
"They have support, job coaches, therapists, and peer support specialists to ensure that this employee is everything they want them to be," Blythe said.
He argued that when more people are employed, taxpayers benefit.
"If someone is constantly going through the justice system, we ultimately pay for the services they receive," Blythe said.
Employers are encouraged to create safe spaces, provide mental health days, train employees on the suicide prevention toolkit, and provide the suicide prevention line.
话题: Social Issues, Social-ESG