NYAPRS Note: The Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation at Boston University is offering free on-line technical assistance to organizations that want to build capacity to address organizational and individual barriers around employment. This is an opportunity for providers to work with national subject matter experts from across the country. For more information contact: Rick Forbess, Project Director at rforbess@bu.edu
Online Technical Assistance Response for Employment Service Providers
The Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation is currently offering an online technical assistance service to organizations providing employment services to people in mental health recovery. As a component of the Center’s National Resource Center of Employment and Vocational Recovery, the service will be offered at no expense to the organization. The project is funded by the National Institute on Disability and Independent Living Research and Rehabilitation.
What is the focus of the service?
Assisting organizations to build program structures and components to address a range of individual and environmental factors that impact employment and vocational recovery outcomes including:
- Overcoming Stigma
- Employment Services to Special Needs/Underserved Populations
- Integrating the Peer Workforce
- Using Social Capital to Improve Employment Outcome
- Impacting Family and Provider Perceptions of Employment
- Financial Self-Sufficiency and Asset Management
- Benefits Counseling
- Engaging Employers
- Self-Employment and Micro-enterprise Pathways to Employment
- Peer-driven Social Marketing
- Recovery Oriented Employment Approaches
- Promoting Work-Life Balance for Employment Retention
- Peer Employment Support
- Career Development
- Integrating Individual Planning and Support with other Employment Services
- Integrating Employment and Treatment Services
How are the services provided?
The technical assistance will be provided through webinars, conference calls, and email. Following an initial exploration to establish the area of need, each organization will be matched with a consultant who has expertise in the topic area. With support from Center for Psychiatric project leader, the consultant and organization staff members will establish the goal of the technical assistance and develop a plan to guide the actions of the consultant and organization staff for accomplishing the goal. More than one technical assistance topic may be addressed and ongoing technical assistance activities will be provided for up to one year after establishing the initial goal. After conclusion of the technical assistance, the organization completes a brief online evaluation survey.
What were the outputs of the TA during the yearlong pilot?
- A training and individual support program to enhance participant knowledge about financial self-sufficiency and asset management
- Presentation slides designed to increase treatment providers’ referral to and support of employment services
- A cadre of Peers supported and trained to present their personal employment success stories to other Peers, providers, family members in order to increase confidence and motivation to engage in employment services
- A comprehensive manual of best practice strategies and skills for engaging employers
- Informational support and guidance for effectively utilizing WICA and for selecting staff training programs on financial and medical benefits
How do I begin receiving the technical assistance or find out more about the service?
To learn more about the service or to begin the technical assistance process, contact:
Rick Forbess, Project Director