IPS
Individual Placement and Support (IPS) is a type of supported employment that helps people living with behavioral health conditions work at regular jobs of their choosing.
Once upon a time, employment services for people with behavioral health conditions meant you’d probably get a job in food, filth, or filing (restaurant, janitorial, or clerical) and it would probably be at a place the agency already had a relationship with. In addition, the employment specialist of days gone by would have made sure you were “compliant with your medications” or “100% clean and sober” before they’d even work with you. IPS turns all of that on its head. In IPS, the only requirement for an employment specialist to work with you is your desire to work. And in IPS, an employment specialist works with you to help you identify what kind of work would be meaningful to you, helps you apply for a job of your choosing, and then provides on-going support to help you keep that job.
To learn more about the research behind IPS and training opportunities, go to the IPS National Employment Center.