Supported Employment: Training Frontline Staff - SAMHSA Store ...

Engagement
Engagement is the first step toward developing
a working alliance with consumers. It is through
this working relationship that all SE services are
provided.
Successful engagement involves enlisting the
support, feedback, and involvement of people in
consumers’ support network. Thus, in addition
to developing a working alliance with consumers,
engagement includes developing a collaborative
relationship with family members or other
supporters and treatment team members.
The following vignette demonstrates key
techniques of engagement:
• How to initially engage consumers;
• How to meet with family or other supporters; and
• How to keep consumers’ treatment team
involved.
After reading the vignette, think about possible
strategies for engaging consumers, family or other
supporters, and treatment team members.
José’s story
José has been referred for SE and has not yet met his
employment specialist. José is 34 years old and has
schizophrenia. The last job he held was 7 years ago,
when he worked for 3 weeks as a dishwasher before
being fired for unexcused absences.
José’s case manager told him about the SE program
and he expressed some interest in it. José hears
voices most of the time, and he and his case manager
thought that work might distract him from these
voices.
After talking about the SE program with his case
manager several times, José wants to give it a try but
has a number of concerns. He is concerned that he
will lose his disability entitlement if he works and that
he will be unable to handle the stress of competitive
employment.
José’s parents, with whom he has regular contact
but does not live, also have concerns. They think
José needs something to do with his time, but are
concerned about the stress of working.
Despite his concerns, José is interested in work for
several reasons. He feels that work would give him
something to do with his time. José would also
like to have money to buy nice clothes, which he
enjoys wearing. José’s case manager contacts the
employment specialist and refers José to the SE
program.
Tackling the issues
Q: If you were José’s employment
specialist, what would you do
While there is no single correct answer for handling
José’s situation, here are a few ideas:
As the employment specialist, you could arrange to
meet with José to begin to get to know him, to learn
about his work history, and to start exploring his
vocational interests. Because the case manager has
a good working relationship with José and it took
a long time for him to warm up to the idea of SE,
some of the early meetings with José should include
the case manager.
You could arrange some of these meetings in the
community. For instance, you could join José
over a cup of coffee at a local coffee shop. Ask
José where he prefers to meet. An advantage of
meeting outside of the mental health agency is that
consumers often reveal more about who they are in
community settings than in office settings. Through
conversations in community-based settings, you are
more likely to learn about José’s skills, experiences,
likes, and dislikes.
Training Referral, Frontline Engagement, Staff and Benefits Counseling 5 Module 2