Evidence-based supported employment for people with severe mental illness: Past, current, and future research. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation
by Luciano, A., Drake, R. E., Bond, G. R., Becker, D. R., Carpenter-Song, E., Lord, S., & Swanson, S. J.
Available formats: PDF
Luciano, A., Drake, R. E., Bond, G. R., Becker, D. R., Carpenter-Song, E., Lord, S., & Swanson, S. J. (2014). Evidence-based supported employment for people with severe mental illness: Past, current, and future research. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 40(1), 1-13.
BACKGROUND: Individual Placement and Support (IPS) is an evidence- based vocational rehabilitation intervention for people with severe mental illness. IPS emphasizes client choice, rapid job finding, competitive employment, team-oriented approaches, benefits counseling, and ongoing supports.
OBJECTIVE: This paper summarizes 20 years of research on IPS, describes studies in the field now, and proposes priorities for future research.
METHODS: To identify published and unpublished IPS research studies, we conducted an electronic search of qualitative and quantitative IPS studies, findings from recent reviews, and sought expert recommendation.
RESULTS: Past research indicates that IPS supported employment is the most effective and cost-effective approach for helping people with psychiatric disabilities find and maintain competitive employment. Employment improves clinical, social, and economic outcomes. Current studies on IPS address several research gaps: IPS modification, generalizability, program settings, international dissemination, cultural awareness, and supportive technology. Looking forward, the field needs studies that report long-term outcomes, financing mechanisms, cost offsets, and standardized supported education models.
CONCLUSIONS: While IPS is one of the most extensively studied of all vocational models, significant literature gaps remain.
