Affiliations: Canadian Mental Health Association Vancouver Burnaby
Branch, Vancouver, BC, Canada | Vancouver Coastal Mental Health Services, Vancouver,
BC, Canada
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Caroline Penhale, Canadian Mental
Health Association – Vancouver Burnaby Branch, 175 West Broadway, BC V5Y 1P4,
Canada. Tel.: +1 604 872 4902; Fax: +1 604 872 5934; E-mail:
[email protected]
Abstract: Background: Individual Placement and Support (IPS) is an effective,
evidence-based intervention to support transition to paid work for individuals
who have a serious mental illness. Currently, there is a lack of qualitative
reporting from the people receiving IPS and their support networks. Approach: A case study of a 42-year-old-man who has schizophrenia and who
attends a community mental health team in a Canadian urban centre is presented.
His experience and that of his mother, employer, and clinical supports are
shared through semi-structured interviews. The authors of this paper include a
peer researcher who has been a participant in an IPS program. Findings: The enduring and individual support of IPS is credited with being central to
the study subject's successful acquisition and maintenance of paid employment.
His involvement in paid work is also associated with improved health outcomes,
including a significant reduction in the frequency of medical appointments to
monitor his mental health. Improved social skills and self-efficacy are also
reported. Conclusion: Provision of IPS services within a
multidisciplinary mental health team can promote the acquisition of durable
employment for individuals in recovery from serious mental illness. Clinicians
are reminded to check their assumptions regarding which individuals could
benefit from IPS, and are encouraged to take their lead from clients in
determining whether to commence or continue employment services.
Keywords: IPS, recovery, mental illness, vocational rehabilitation, case study
