NAMI Ask the Expert: How Employment Supports Mental Health Recovery OD032

An on-demand video and transcript of the presentation are available here [opens in new tab].

About The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. They are an alliance of more than 650 local Affiliates and 49 State organizations who work in your community to raise awareness and provide support and education to people with mental illness and their loved ones. Through awareness, advocacy and education, NAMI is committed to building stronger communities and a better future for everyone affected by mental illness.

Course Summary

Practice Level: Beginner

This course, based on the Ask the Expert webinar series by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), explains why competitive, integrated employment is a key driver of recovery and well-being and presents evidence-informed approaches—including the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model—for helping people with mental health conditions get and keep jobs of their choosing. Faculty and a lived-experience presenter illustrate common barriers (e.g., stigma, benefit loss fears, résumé gaps) and practical strategies that clinicians and care teams can use to partner with clients, families, and employers. The course also highlights the roles of benefits counseling, coordinated care, and reasonable accommodations in sustaining employment and wellness. Guidance is framed for direct practice across community and healthcare settings.

The course, with an intended audience of social workers, psychologists, marriage and family therapists, and counselors, then presents empirical evidence with practical, scope-of-practice interventions that these professionals can use to support clients’ work goals, coordinate services, and improve functional outcomes.

Course Format

This course contains a participant guide, practice test, and on-demand video (with a slide deck of the presentation). When you’re ready, purchase the course by clicking the “Add To Cart” or “Enroll” button. This will let you take the test, complete the course evaluation and receive your certificate for CE credits.

Learning Objectives

1. Define the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model and its core principles for competitive, integrated employment.
2. Describe the mental health and recovery benefits associated with paid employment and common barriers that clients face.
3. Identify strategies and resources to help clients obtain and sustain employment.

Course Syllabus

• The value of work in recovery and well-being
• IPS supported employment: Principles, roles, and evidence
• Access pathways: Benefits counseling, service coordination, and family engagement
• Practical issues: Résumé gaps, disclosure/accommodations, and sustaining employment

Current References

Adamus, C., Richter, D., Sutor, K., et al. (2025). Preference for competitive employment in people with mental disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis of proportions. Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, 35, 143–158. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10926-024-10192-0[opens in new tab]

Åsbø, G., Haavind, H., Kruse, S. H., et al. (2025). Taking what you get or getting what you need: A qualitative study on experiences with mental health and welfare services in long-term recovery in first-episode psychosis. Community Mental Health Journal, 61, 350–364.https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-024-01356-6[opens in new tab]

Bond, G. R., Al-Abdulmunem, M., Marbacher, J., Christensen, T. N., Sveinsdottir, V., & Drake, R. E. (2023). A systematic review and meta-analysis of IPS supported employment for young adults with mental health conditions. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 50(1), 160–172. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-022-01228-9[opens in new tab]

Bond, G. R., Drake, R. E., & Becker, D. R. (2025). Update on individual placement and support for new populations: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10926-025-10347-7[opens in new tab]

Gyamfi, N., Bhullar, N., Islam, M. S., & Usher, K. (2025). Models and frameworks of mental health recovery: A scoping review of the available literature. Journal of Mental Health, 34(2), 153–165. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638237.2022.2069713[opens in new tab]

Howe, E., Czarnuch, S., & Ricciardelli, R. (2025). Public safety communications employment and mental health: Contributing factors and desired changes from those on the front lines. International Journal of Emergency Services. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJES-07-2025-0035[opens in new tab]

Kotera, Y., Newby, C., Charles, A., et al. (2025). Typology of mental health peer support work components: Systematised review and expert consultation. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 23, 543–559. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-023-01126-7[opens in new tab]

Kaya, C., Bishop, M., & Torres, A. (2023). The impact of work incentives benefits counseling on employment outcomes: A national vocational rehabilitation study. Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, 33(3), 538–549. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10926-022-10092-1[opens in new tab]

Mascayano, F., & Drake, R. E. (2024). Supported employment as a global mental health intervention. Cambridge Prisms: Global Mental Health, 11, e102.https://doi.org/10.1017/gmh.2024.112[opens in new tab]

Pichler, E.-M., Stulz, N., Wyder, L., Heim, S., Watzke, B., & Kawohl, W. (2021). Long-term effects of the Individual Placement and Support intervention on employment status: 6-year follow-up of a randomized controlled trial. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12, 709732. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.709732[opens in new tab]

Whitworth, A., Baxter, S., Cullingworth, J., & Clowes, M. (2024). Individual Placement and Support (IPS) beyond severe mental health: An overview review and meta-analysis of evidence around vocational outcomes. Preventive Medicine Reports, 43, 102786.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2024.102786[opens in new tab]

Zhang, X., et al. (2026). Longitudinal outcomes of Individual Placement and Support for patients with severe mental illness and personality disorders. International Journal of Public Health. https://doi.org/10.3389/ijph.2026.1608701[opens in new tab]

Instructors

Peggy Swarbrick, PhD, FOATA

Wellness Institute Director·Collaborative Support Programs of New Jersey (CSPNJ)

Swarbrick has worked for over 25 years at CSPNJ, where she developed the strengths-based eight-dimensional wellness model to promote recovery from mental health and substance use. She is known for collaborating with the peer community and family groups to identify and address social determinants that are barriers to recovery and wellness. Peggy is also a professor at The Rutgers Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology and Associate Director of the Center of Alcohol Abuse and Substance Use Studies.

George H. Brice, Jr.

Program Development Specialist·Collaborative Support Programs of New Jersey (CSPNJ)

George H. Brice Jr., MSW, is a part-time program development specialist at CSPNJ. George has worked for many years in a variety of roles including coordinator of a peer recovery and wellness education program, wellness coach, wellness trainer, and supported education and employment specialist. George worked for 10 years as a faculty member at Rutgers University. George earned an associate degree in criminal justice/psychology at Burlington County College and both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in social work at Rutgers University-Camden.

Robert Drake, MD, PhD

Professor of Clinical Psychiatry·Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons Bob Drake is a Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and a Vice President at the Westat Corporation. He is an active clinician and has studied psychiatric rehabilitation for over 50 years. Along with Deborah Becker, he developed the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model of supported employment, the IPS Employment Center, and the International IPS Learning Community. He has published more than 700 articles and books on psychiatric rehabilitation.

Nicole Errickson, LCSW

Nicole is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in the state of Georgia. She brings over 19 years experience in the social work field, primarily working in school systems as a school social worker and with the McKinney-Vento grant. Over her career, Nicole has had several opportunities to help develop and execute professional development events. Nicole has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of South Alabama and a Masters in Social Work from the University of Alabama.

Accreditation Approval Statements

CE4Less.com is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. CE4Less.com maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

CE4Less.com, provider #1115, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 8/8/24-8/8/27.

Social workers completing this course receive 1 general continuing education credits.

We are committed to providing our learners with unbiased information. CE4Less never accepts commercial support and our authors have no significant financial or other conflicts of interest pertaining to the material.