Supported Employment: Building Your Program - SAMHSA Store ...

In addition to group supervision, employmentspecialists should meet weekly to share job leads,which are often obtained through networking.Instruct employment specialists to keep anemployer log to track the businesses they contact.In this meeting, SE staff can review the employer logand plan ways to build more employer relationships.Your SE policies should also outline clearprocedures for how SE staff will communicatewith other treatment team members. SE servicesare most effective in an environment whereemployment specialists are part of a clinicaltreatment team that communicates frequentlyand meets weekly. Close coordination of SEservices with other mental health rehabilitationand treatment ensures that everyone involved(not just employment specialists) provides servicesthat support consumers’ vocational goals.Employment specialists can work on severalmultidisciplinary treatment teams. However, if theywork on more than two teams, they generally haveto spend too much time in meetings or don’t havethe chance to adequately communicate with otherteam members.Treatment teams are organized differently from oneagency to the next. Some teams quickly run throughthe list of consumers they serve, communicatingwith team members about employment and clinicalissues. Other treatment teams just shareinformation about crisis situations. In the latter kindof meeting, time must be set aside and guarded bythe team leader for proactive communication aboutemployment. Additionally, employment specialistsmust actively participate and speak duringtreatment team meetings.Integrating SE services with mental healthtreatment may be more challenging if employmentspecialists and other team members work fordifferent agencies. Seek creative solutions to ensurethat employment specialists are able to meet weeklyand communicate frequently with consumers’clinical treatment teams.Involve significant othersSE policies and procedures should encourage andfacilitate involving family and other supporters tohelp consumers increase their natural supports.Instruct employment specialists to ask consumersto identify a family member or other supporterwhom they would like to involve in SE services.Involving family or other supporters helpsemployment specialists to do the following: Clarify consumer interests, strengths, skills,and abilities; Identify job leads; Determine whether a potential job is a goodmatch; Identify challenges consumers are facing on thejob; and Provide ongoing support to working consumers.With consumers’ permission, family or othersupporters may join meetings with the consumerand employment specialist, meet or talk with theemployment specialist alone, or attend treatmentteam meetings.Building Your Program 27 Tips for Agency Administrators and SE Leaders