Supported Employment is an evidence-based program that uses the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model (created by Dartmouth Psychiatric Research Center) to help individuals with serious mental illness obtain and keep competitive jobs (not set aside for individuals with disabilities). The participants enrolled in Laurel House’s Supported Employment program want to work. Last year (ending June 30, 2019), the Laurel House Employment program helped over 100 participants achieve their employment goals by assisting them in their job search, placement and job retention in Connecticut.
The Employment Program mission is to help program participants obtain competitive employment in fields of their choice and strengths and provide support for them to stay successfully employed. To do this, Laurel House works collaboratively with employers to match the skills and abilities of qualified candidates to the employer’s hiring needs. Counselors help employers in assessing skills to hire qualified talent in a wide array of occupations including administrative, data entry, hospitality, customer service, financial, food service, information technology, retail sales, distribution, education and counseling.
At Laurel House, the Supported Employment program is more than just helping someone find a job. We believe that the program model is just the means to achieving a higher goal: the self-sufficiency and sense of satisfaction that come from meaningful employment. Some individuals want to test the waters with a temporary entry-level work experience or begin in a volunteer capacity, while others are interested in resuming a previous career that was interrupted by mental illness, which is why we offer a comprehensive array of employment programs that adapt to each participant’s personal goals.
Mobile Employment Services (MES)
Mobile Employment Services (MES), a new Laurel House program offered due to a two-year grant awarded by the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS), provides onsite employment services to individuals in recovery from substance use disorders, particularly opioids, living in DMHAS funded recovery homes, halfway houses, and supported recovery housing. The goal of MES is to help individuals 18 and older with substance use disorders, or co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders, quickly find employment and re-integrate into the community.
How do Employers Benefit from Supported Employment?
- Recruit and retain dependable, skilled employees
- Build a diverse and dynamic workplace
- Receive ongoing support from trained Laurel House Employment Specialists
- Gain access to a reliable pool of motivated, qualified job candidates
- Help members of the community achieve greater independence and self-sufficiency.
- All services and supports are free of charge, for those who income qualify
- No fee to employers
- No contractual obligations