NYAPRS Note:
A Practical Guide for People With Mental Health Conditions Who Want to Work.
Although a staggering number of individuals with mental health conditions do not work, competitive employment remains a vibrant goal for most, and the truth is that most people with mental health conditions are able to work successfully if they receive the supports they need. The Temple University Collaborative is proud to present “A Practical Guide for People With Mental Health Conditions Who Want to Work,” designed for people with mental health conditions who want to return to successful careers. In fifteen brief and beautifully illustrated chapters, the Guide offers encouragement and vital information on the importance of work, the availability of rehabilitation programs, the ins and outs of the Social Security Administration’s work incentives, the challenges of starting a new job and grappling with disclosure, and strategies for long-term success at work – and more. Designed for those with mental health conditions to use on their own or as part of a return-to-work group in community mental health centers, psychiatric rehabilitation programs, or peer-run agencies, the Guide focuses on helping people to achieve economic self-sufficiency. The document can be found on our websitehere(http://tucollaborative.org/pdfs/Toolkits_Monographs_Guidebooks/employment_circles_of_support/A_Practical_Guide_for_People_With_Mental_Health_Conditions_Who_Want_to_Work.pdf)
Facilitator’s Manual: A Practical Guide for People With Mental Health Conditions Who Want to Work
The “Facilitator’s Manual” is designed to be used in conjunction with the Practical Guide to Employment to help counselor’s in community mental health centers, consumer self-help programs or psychiatric rehabilitation services (among other settings) who want to develop structured ways to use the Guide with groups of people with a mental health condition who are considering work. The Manual provides an overview of the demands of operating a ‘work-focused group’ and then provides a chapter-by-chapter set of exercises, suggestions, discussion questions and additional sources of information which group leaders will find helpful in structuring group activities around each of the Guide’s important topics.The guide can be found on our websitehere(http://tucollaborative.org/pdfs/Toolkits_Monographs_Guidebooks/employment_circles_of_support/Facilitators_Manual.pdf).
The Roles of Peer Specialists in Promoting Competitive Employment
The roles that peer specialists can play in promoting competitive employment with the people they serve are delineated in this ‘Policy Guidance’ from the Pennsylvania Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (P/OMHSAS) to county mental health offices and community based programs. Because Pennsylvania’s peer specialist programs are Medicaid-funded, the Policy Guidance focuses on what types of employment-related services are and are not reimbursable under existing Medicaid guidelines, as well as approaches to documentation that can insure the delivery of appropriate services and supports in the vocational arena. The Policy Guidance can serve as a useful tool in other Medicaid-funded state settings. The guideline can be foundhere(http://tucollaborative.org/pdfs/Toolkits_Monographs_Guidebooks/employment_circles_of_support/Final%20OMHSAS%20Policy%20Announcement.pdf).
Scattergood Innovation Awards
One of our partners needs your help! The Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania (MHASP) is one of the five finalists (out of 61 applicants) for the Scattergood Innovation Award! Voting will determine the winner! You can vote for MHASPfrom nowuntil March 18, 2013. Scroll down athttp://scattergoodfoundation.org/innovideas/mental-health-association-southeastern-pennsylvaniauntil you see “Vote for this Innovation.” (You can also leave comments, although they will not be counted as a vote.) Votes will not be visible to the public. All nominations will start at zero, and individuals who voted before the finalists wereannouncedon February 18 will be able to vote again. Each email address will be allowed one vote per innovation nomination.We hope that you will support MHASP by voting on MHASP’s Scattergoodweb page.Questions? Please contact Joseph Rogers, MHASP’s Chief Advocacy Officer (jrogers@mhasp.orgor267-507-3844).
Save the Date for the 2014 International Conference on Families with Parental Mental Health Challenges
The Fourth International Conference on Families with Parental Mental Health Challenges will be held April 25-27, 2014, on the Ed Roberts Campus in Berkeley, CA. The conference will explore “the impact of parental psychiatric disability on children; evidence-based solutions for parents, children and families; interactions with the child welfare system; the legislative/legal barriers parents confront in maintaining custody of their children; the development and application of services for parents and children including effective tools that support families; strategies for building trust and reducing stigma while supporting and educating parents and their children; information on how psychiatric disabilities are experienced by parents and both their young and adult children; and the recovery path – a deeply personal, unique process of changing one’s attitudes, values, feelings, goals, skills and/or roles.” Updates, including the call for abstracts, will be posted on the conference website at the source below. Please email this address if you’re interested in getting more information about this conferencemarketing.ipce@ubc.ca.