New Thinking About Mental Health and Employment

Until recently it has been assumed that people who experience severe and enduring mental health problems are unable to work, unless or until they recover. That assumption is now being challenged by international research demonstrating that, with the right support, people can succeed in finding and keeping a job even when they continue to need support from mental health services. New Thinking about Mental Health and Employment draws together the research undertaken to date and combines it with mental health service users' perspectives on the workplace to validate key points. Vital reading at both policy and practitioner levels, this book will be of great value to mental health nurses, social workers, general practitioners, psychiatrists and occupational therapists. It will also be of interest to employment advisors, government departments, commissioners, and policy makers and shapers.

Bob Grove, Jennifer Secker, Patience Seebolm

Part 1: Work with security when you can, security when you can't. Sheep and goats: new thinking on employability. What do service users want? Working wounded. What's kept me working? Part 2: Hitting the bottom and getting back. Up. Getting back to work: what do we know about what works? Employment support in the UK: where are we now? Recovering a life: an in-depth look at employment support in the UK. Putting the community back in community care. A whole system approach. Unlocking potential in Sheffield. Unlocking the potential of young black men. What's worked for us. Part 3: Avoiding the slippery slope. Getting off the slippery slope: what do we know about what works? Getting off the slippery slope: an example from the UK. Early intervention: a hand up the slippery slope. Conclusion: the end of all our exploring.