The Menu Approach to supported employment for individuals with severe and persistent mental illness: Outcomes in an Oregon community based program | Knowledge Translation for Employment Research Center

Authors:	Salyers, M. P., Becker, D. R., Drake, R. E.,Torrey, W. C., & Wyzik, P. F.
Year Published	2009
Publication	Work: A Journal of Prevention, Assessment and Rehabilitation
Volume	31
Number	1
Pages	45-51
Publisher	IOS Press
Background	The employment rate for individuals with severe mental illness is poor. This is despite the fact that they have expressed an interest in work. The supported employment model developed to serve people with developmental disabilities has been adapted to serve this group. One approach is the Individual Placement and Support model of supported employment. Another one is the Menu Approach. The Individual Placement and Support approach has been thoroughly investigated and has been deemed effective. The Menu Approach has not.
Purpose	The goal of this study was to evaluate outcomes of a Menu approach to assist individuals with Mental Illness with gaining and maintaining employment.
Setting	The setting was a variety of employment sites located in the Pacific Northwest where individuals with mental illness worked.
Sample	The sample was taken from individuals with severe mental illness who were served by the program from 2000 to 2006. This resulted in a total of 140 people that met the study criteria.
Data Collection	Abacus program records were reviewed to identify individuals served during the established time frame. Then rates of successful employment and trends were identified. To ensure confidentiality each participant was randomly assigned a number during data analysis. General demographics was collect from records. Records were reviewed by the primary investigator and a graduate student. Other data collected from the file review related to employment outcomes and whether or not ongoing support was accessed. Reliability was checked using cross referencing and strengthened by having the student randomly code one fourth of the data which was compared to the primary investigators coding. Coded data was entered into the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences 15.0. The package calculated statistics that were used to develop and describe program employment outcomes.
Control	There was no control condition. There was a pre/post comparison only.
Findings	Among the 140 participants there were 83 reports of successful employment. The majority of those who went to work or 82% received ongoing support services. The mean number of weeks to obtain employment was 13.9. Job search services varied from behind the scenes help to job development. Most positions were entry level. The average number of months employed was nine. The most frequently reported reason for not going to work was client choice (40.4%); followed by physical medical issues (17.5%).
Conclusions	The Menu Approach lead to positive employment outcomes. Additional research is needed to determine if these outcomes were exclusive to the Abacus program or can be replicated.
URL	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19923675
Disabilities	Emotional disturbance
Populations	Male & Female
Outcomes	Other
NIDILRR Funded	No
Research Design	Observational
Peer Reviewed	Yes

Year Published

2009

Publication

Work: A Journal of Prevention, Assessment and Rehabilitation

Volume

31

Number

1

Pages

45-51

Publisher

IOS Press

Background

The employment rate for individuals with severe mental illness is poor. This is despite the fact that they have expressed an interest in work. The supported employment model developed to serve people with developmental disabilities has been adapted to serve this group. One approach is the Individual Placement and Support model of supported employment. Another one is the Menu Approach. The Individual Placement and Support approach has been thoroughly investigated and has been deemed effective. The Menu Approach has not.

Purpose

The goal of this study was to evaluate outcomes of a Menu approach to assist individuals with Mental Illness with gaining and maintaining employment.

Setting

The setting was a variety of employment sites located in the Pacific Northwest where individuals with mental illness worked.

Sample

The sample was taken from individuals with severe mental illness who were served by the program from 2000 to 2006. This resulted in a total of 140 people that met the study criteria.

Data Collection

Abacus program records were reviewed to identify individuals served during the established time frame. Then rates of successful employment and trends were identified. To ensure confidentiality each participant was randomly assigned a number during data analysis. General demographics was collect from records. Records were reviewed by the primary investigator and a graduate student. Other data collected from the file review related to employment outcomes and whether or not ongoing support was accessed. Reliability was checked using cross referencing and strengthened by having the student randomly code one fourth of the data which was compared to the primary investigators coding. Coded data was entered into the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences 15.0. The package calculated statistics that were used to develop and describe program employment outcomes.

Control

There was no control condition. There was a pre/post comparison only.

Findings

Among the 140 participants there were 83 reports of successful employment. The majority of those who went to work or 82% received ongoing support services. The mean number of weeks to obtain employment was 13.9. Job search services varied from behind the scenes help to job development. Most positions were entry level. The average number of months employed was nine. The most frequently reported reason for not going to work was client choice (40.4%); followed by physical medical issues (17.5%).

Conclusions

The Menu Approach lead to positive employment outcomes. Additional research is needed to determine if these outcomes were exclusive to the Abacus program or can be replicated.

URL

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19923675

Disabilities

Emotional disturbance

Populations

Male & Female

Outcomes

Other

NIDILRR Funded

No

Research Design

Observational

Peer Reviewed

Yes