Center for

Psychiatric

Rehabilitation

940 Commonwealth Ave.

Boston, MA 02215

Phone: 617.353.3549

www.bu.edu/cpr Fax: 617.353.7700

Edited by

Bernard Kingsley

Jointly funded by the

National Institute on

Disability

and Rehabilitation

Research and the

Center for Mental

Health Services, Sub-

stance Abuse and Mental

Health Services

Recovery &

Rehabilitation

Newsletter

Fall 2013

Vol. 13 Number 3

Special

Interview

Issue

Job Development and Job Retention for

Persons in Recovery.

Employment Specialists and Re-

habilitation Counselors who rely

heavily on the good will or sym-

pathy of employers are missing

the point.

Employers want and need em-

ployees who they can count on

to get the job done and there

are great programs designed to

meet those needs. However,

the staff need training and sup-

port to accomplish the daunting

task of matching the right em-

ployer with the right job seeker,

much like a marriage broker.

Such brokers would not try to

convince someone to select a

marriage partner on the basis of

“compassion.”

Joan Rapp, Training Associate

from the Training Division of the

BU Center CPR, along with three

other staff members at the Cen-

ter, designed and launched a

new distance learning course

entitled: Job Development and

Job Retention for Persons in

Recovery.

This course is specifically for Employ-

ment Specialists and those whose job

involves helping people to get and keep

meaningful employment. This course has

resulted in an overwhelming request for

enrollment. (The first session began Sep-

tember, 2013 and the next available

class is in April, 2014.)

Recently we interviewed Joan Rapp to

discuss this unique class, provide an

overview of the training modules, and

obtain some of her thoughts about the

course.

Rationale for the Course:

The purposes for developing this online

course include:

1. High unemployment rate among per-

sons in mental health recovery (SAMHSA

estimates about 75% unemployment

rate.) This results in persons in recovery

being part of a culture of unemploy-

ment.

2. High turnover among youth and adults

in mental health recovery.

3. Research indicates that a strong job

development component increases em-

ployment outcomes by about 500%

(Employment Intervention Demonstra-

tion Project -EIDP).

4. By offering the course as a distance

learning option, it can impact more Em-

ployment Specialists as well as reach those who

do not typically have access to employment re-

lated training.

Course Content:

The course is provided online through: slides, vid-

eos, audio interviews, and text. There are over

160 links which can be used for finding additional

information. There are also web/phone

meetings, held prior to each module and one at

the end. There are five modules as follows:

1. Engaging the Job Seeker

2: Looking through a diversity lens

3: Making your pitch for a win-win situation

4: Job Development. Marketing to employers

5: Retention— Strategies for employer collabora-

tion & worker support

The course begins with a dis-

cussion about meeting poten-

tial job seekers at their own

stage of vocational decision

making, in places that are con-

venient and comfortable for

them. The three primary as-

pects of this initial “getting to

know you” stage of the relationship- building are

described:

Initiating relationship (informal and formal); Sup-

porting the partnership; and Managing challeng-

es to the partnership. The partnership-building

process may include information-sharing, helping

with motivation, helping with inspiration and

providing feedback to the job seeker and other

processes.

Employment Specialists are encouraged to reflect

on their own cultural heritage and also that of

each job seeker especially as it relates to employ-

ment. Each culture places a different value on em-

ployment and each has different expectations.

There are individual beliefs, motivations, values

and priorities regarding work. For example, indi-

vidualist cultures will be more concerned with ob-

taining a job that is best for the individual (e.g.

might accommodate the person’s hobbies or

sleeping habits.) Collectivist cultures are more con-

cerned about how work can best support the fami-

ly’s needs or needs of a group. For example, the

job seeker might have to consider resources for

day care or how helping elderly family members

fits into the work schedule.

Three additional cultural “groups”

are highlighted in this Module: vet-

erans; rural populations and transi-

tion age youth (est. age 16-25). Ms.

Rapp stresses how employment for

youth is an investment of great im-

portance but especially challenging

once a person is on benefits. "Once

they have that check it's very hard

to give it up." She points out how

people with mental health conditions experience a

culture that says: “Don’t work; don’t lose your

benefits. “

Over the years, Ms. Rapp has noted that those try-

ing to “place” persons with disabilities, especially

in the past, have played the “disability card” to

prospective employers. They often begin by saying

how they work with individuals with disabilities

and may imply that it is the employer’s civic duty

Usually agencies treat each

other as if in competition

with each other. Under this

model, they would instead

treat each other as potential

resources.

to employ the disabled. The business and indus-

try communities, however, are typically more

interested in whether someone can work, will

show up when expected, performs the tasks re-

quired and won’t create problems.

The course details three stages of job finding (or

the three P’s) which are The Pitch (community

development); The Presentation (employer de-

velopment) and The Proposal (individual job de-

velopment).

Learners are taught to make a very short Pitch to

members of the community and members of

one’s personal network using a short story. The

Pitch is something that is done by the Employ-

ment Specialist and the Job Seeker as well, each

using their own networks. The third module also

contains information about self-employment, an

emerging option for persons with psychiatric dis-

abilities.

The most inconsistent skill in the field of employ-

ment is job development. Key to successful job

development efforts is participation in networks

that include the providers of mental health and

rehabilitation services and networks of employ-

ers.

Collaboration and common vision is needed to

counteract a sense of competition which is likely

to occur when agencies and job seekers are com-

peting for the same jobs.

In collaborative situations, the Employment Spe-

cialists treat each other as potential resources

for ideas, tips, and even leads. Examples of col-

laborative efforts could include coming together

to host job fairs, informational interviews, intern-

ship opportunities, bartering opportunities, etc.

In the Presentation the Employment Specialist

practices listening skills and attempts to under-

stand the needs of the company as a whole. At

the same time s/he presents information about

the services that are provided and some of the

benefits of the partnership.

When the time comes to match a job seeker to a

particular job or employment setting that is when

the Proposal occurs. The employer learns about

On the whole, employers care less about a

prospective employee’s weak-nesses, and more about

potential positives.

Like Lowe’s motto: “Let’s build something to-

gether”, the Job Development and Job Reten-

tion course promotes successful job develop-

ment based on collaborative approaches.

Numerous products and services of the Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation are supported by a Rehabilitation Research and Training Center

Grant from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, Department of Education and the Center for Mental Health Services,

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (NIDRR/CMHS), and specifically Grant: H133B090014. Content of these products

do not represent the policies of these federal agencies and viewers should not assume endorsement by the federal government.

For information or registration please see

http://cpr.bu.edu/resources/courses/job-development

or contact Ms. Rapp, at 617-353-3549 or email JoanRapp@bu.edu

Joan C. Rapp coordinates training in Psychiatric Reha-bilitation to a wide audience of providers, researchers, consumers, families and others. This includes work-shops, conferences, summit meetings, online courses, webinars and webcasts.

She has worked in the field of rehabilitation and men-tal health for over 40 years as practitioner, supervisor, program developer, administrator and training special-ist. Her particular areas of interest are education and employment: supporting individuals in the road out of poverty.

Ms. Rapp is President Elect of the MA. Psychiatric Re-habilitation Assn. and active member of USPRA since 1976. Ms. She has been instrumental in the develop-ment of Supported Employment, Supported Education, Rehabilitation Clubhouse Programs, Consumer Advoca-cy (M-POWER), family supports and other rehabilita-tion services.

Much of her efforts were directed at creating local net-works especially in the North East area. She has co-chaired and served on the coordinating com-mittee of the Friends, Voices for Recovery and reha-bilitation for 35 years which has pro-vided over 100 fo-rums on Rehabilita-tion and recovery topics around the state. She was one of the founders of the New England IAPSRS (now MA.- PRA, RI – PRA).

the specific skills and interests of the individual.

Employment Specialists need to take many fac-

tors into consideration after the job is secured.

The two most important keys to success

(besides the right match) are skills and supports.

Skills:

Some examples are: Job task skills; soft skills

(company traditions, how to speak to a supervi-

sor, lunch hour conversation, timing etc.)

Additional education or training that would in-

crease or change job related skills, broaden ca-

reer options or make the job more meaningful.

Supports:

Examples include: Coaching from a program or

Employment Specialist; support from coworkers;

information from a benefits specialist or other

professional (or peer) about how to use work

incentives for post placement resources.

To provide us feedback on our newsletters please go to

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CPRNews2013

Thank you!