The Better Health Bakery provides people overcoming mental health issues with an opportunity to do work in a thriving business, gaining new skills and move closer to employment. It was created by the social enterprise arm of the charity Centre for Better Health based in the London Borough of Hackney. This article reports on how the bakery manages the trainee baker' 12 week placements, the role of volunteers within the bakery, and how they help their trainee bakers when the placement ends.
(Edited publisher abstract)
The Better Health Bakery provides people overcoming mental health issues with an opportunity to do work in a thriving business, gaining new skills and move closer to employment. It was created by the social enterprise arm of the charity Centre for Better Health based in the London Borough of Hackney. This article reports on how the bakery manages the trainee baker' 12 week placements, the role of volunteers within the bakery, and how they help their trainee bakers when the placement ends.
(Edited publisher abstract)
Subject terms:
mental health problems, charities, recovery, employment;
Mental Health and Social Inclusion, 18(4), 2014, pp.198-202.
Publisher:
Emerald
Purpose: This paper provides the personal accounts of the journey back to work from the perspective of both the person entering employment and the Employment Specialist who assisted them.
Design/methodology/approach: Two people with mental health problems who received help into employment from an employment service in a London Mental Health Trust were asked to give write their accounts of their journey. The Employment Specialists who assisted them in this journey were also asked to write their accounts.
(Edited publisher abstract)
Purpose: This paper provides the personal accounts of the journey back to work from the perspective of both the person entering employment and the Employment Specialist who assisted them.
Design/methodology/approach: Two people with mental health problems who received help into employment from an employment service in a London Mental Health Trust were asked to give write their accounts of their journey. The Employment Specialists who assisted them in this journey were also asked to write their accounts.
(Edited publisher abstract)
Subject terms:
supported employment, recovery, mental health problems, employment;
Mental Health and Social Inclusion, 21(3), 2017, pp.176-183.
Publisher:
Emerald
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide a perspective on peer work and insights from Flourish Australia’s journey in growing a thriving peer workforce. Flourish Australia is a large not-for-profit organisation that has been supporting people with their recovery journeys for over 60 years. The organisation provides, predominantly, non-clinical community-based support to enable people who
(Publisher abstract)
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide a perspective on peer work and insights from Flourish Australia’s journey in growing a thriving peer workforce. Flourish Australia is a large not-for-profit organisation that has been supporting people with their recovery journeys for over 60 years. The organisation provides, predominantly, non-clinical community-based support to enable people who live with a mental health issue and/or psychosocial disabilities to lead contributing lives in their community.
Design/methodology/approach: Flourish Australia developed and implemented a number of strategic directives in order to support the growth of a peer workforce. Central to these directives were policy positions that encouraged a shared understanding of the value and contribution that people with a lived experience of a mental health issue add to an organisation. From this policy foundation, the Why Not a Peer Worker? strategy and Transformation Peer Worker strategy were implemented and embraced by hiring managers across the organisation.
Findings: The “Why Not a Peer Worker?” campaign, coupled with the Transformation Peer Worker strategy, resulted in an increase in Flourish Australia’s peer workforce of almost 600 per cent over an 18-month period to now number 145 positions.
Research limitations/implications: This paper provides organisations who are seeking to develop or grow their peer workforce with practical ideas that have been successfully implemented by Flourish Australia that can be discussed and debated when developing a peer workforce.
Originality/value: This paper provides unique insights into Flourish Australia’s peer workforce journey.
(Publisher abstract)
Subject terms:
peer support, mental health services, communities, employment, recovery;
Journal of Social Work Practice in the Addictions, 16(4), 2016, pp.358-384.
Publisher:
Taylor and Francis
Place of publication:
Philadelphia, USA
Employment is a goal for many people in recovery from substance use disorders, and might protect against relapse. Interventions that use employment to promote recovery outcomes are well-studied among individuals with serious mental illness, but less is known about the outcomes of such interventions for individuals in recovery from substance use disorders. This article reports on results
(Original abstract)
Employment is a goal for many people in recovery from substance use disorders, and might protect against relapse. Interventions that use employment to promote recovery outcomes are well-studied among individuals with serious mental illness, but less is known about the outcomes of such interventions for individuals in recovery from substance use disorders. This article reports on results of a literature review of published studies that describe the effects of employment interventions on substance abuse treatment outcomes for persons recovering from substance use disorders. Twelve peer-reviewed studies were identified. Although employment interventions varied greatly across the studies, 11 of 12 studies demonstrated a positive relationship between employment interventions and substance use treatment outcomes. This review suggests that employment might be an effective relapse prevention measure, and offers possible opportunities for innovative programming in addiction treatment settings.
(Original abstract)
Purpose: Less than 15 per cent of people starting opiate substitution treatment (OST) in England are employed, but few gain employment during treatment. Increasingly punitive approaches have been tried to encourage individuals with substance dependence into employment in the hope of facilitating recovery. It is not clear which factors are associated with the successful maintenance of employment whilst receiving OST, and whether this group can be said to be “in recovery”. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach: A cross-sectional study of the OST population in one English region was conducted between January and April 2017. Measures of physical health, employment patterns, drug use, mental health, recovery capital, and dependence severity were administered to 55
(Publisher abstract)
Purpose: Less than 15 per cent of people starting opiate substitution treatment (OST) in England are employed, but few gain employment during treatment. Increasingly punitive approaches have been tried to encourage individuals with substance dependence into employment in the hope of facilitating recovery. It is not clear which factors are associated with the successful maintenance of employment whilst receiving OST, and whether this group can be said to be “in recovery”. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach: A cross-sectional study of the OST population in one English region was conducted between January and April 2017. Measures of physical health, employment patterns, drug use, mental health, recovery capital, and dependence severity were administered to 55 employed and 55 unemployed clients. Findings: Those in employment had higher levels of “recovery capital”, better physical and mental health, fewer drug problems, and less severe dependence, despite reporting heroin use at a similar level. Three variables were significantly associated with employment: longest period of employment (OR=1.01, p=0.003); number of chronic medical conditions (OR=0.44, p=0.011); and number of days of psychological problems in the last month (OR=0.95, p=0.031). Practical implications: These results suggest that abstinence may not be required in order to maintain stable employment when OST is in place. Different treatment strategies are required for clients receiving OST already in employment compared with those who are unemployed. Originality/value: This is the first UK study to the author’s knowledge to focus on people receiving OST who are also in employment.
(Publisher abstract)
Subject terms:
employment, recovery, drug misuse, substance misuse, mental health problems, adults, quality of life;
Mental Health and Social Inclusion, 21(3), 2017, pp.168-175.
Publisher:
Emerald
Purpose: Peer support and other consumer-provided services have burgeoned within the USA during the past 30 years and are now a central component of mental health services nationally. However, their growth has been uneven and somewhat dependent on state initiatives, policies, and funding. Recent programmes have matured along myriad paths, resulting in a variety of programme typologies, service structures, and funding streams, but with common values, missions, and principles. The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach: The landscape of peer specialist services in the USA, as well as innovations afoot, is reviewed. The empirical information that speaks to the efficacy of peer support and the need to better understand the mechanisms by which it is effective is described.
Findings: Although peer support has grown exponentially across the USA, its growth has been uneven. Evidence suggests that peer specialists experience role ambiguity within many existing programs and systems. Though the empirical evidence for peer services has grown, research has been most favourable for manualised, group interventions. There is still a need to better understand how individual peer support is beneficial and effective, and how individual peer support can best be utilised to promote the best outcomes for those served.
Research limitations/implications: In order for the workforce of peer support specialists to continue to grow and for services to be responsive and innovative, we need to better understand the mechanisms by which peer support is beneficial and how it can be structured and delivered to promote the best outcomes for those served. The “core conditions” of helping relationships promulgated decades ago by Rogers along with research on self-disclosure may be useful frameworks for understanding and researching the effectiveness of peer support.
Practical implications: More research is needed to better understand the effectiveness of peer support services and how best to insure that they are well-integrated into the mental health programs and systems in which they serve.
Originality/value: There is a need to understand why peer support is effective and how best to sustain peer specialists in their roles within the mental health system.
(Edited publisher abstract)
Purpose: Peer support and other consumer-provided services have burgeoned within the USA during the past 30 years and are now a central component of mental health services nationally. However, their growth has been uneven and somewhat dependent on state initiatives, policies, and funding. Recent programmes have matured along myriad paths, resulting in a variety of programme typologies, service structures, and funding streams, but with common values, missions, and principles. The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach: The landscape of peer specialist services in the USA, as well as innovations afoot, is reviewed. The empirical information that speaks to the efficacy of peer support and the need to better understand the mechanisms by which it is effective is described.
Findings: Although peer support has grown exponentially across the USA, its growth has been uneven. Evidence suggests that peer specialists experience role ambiguity within many existing programs and systems. Though the empirical evidence for peer services has grown, research has been most favourable for manualised, group interventions. There is still a need to better understand how individual peer support is beneficial and effective, and how individual peer support can best be utilised to promote the best outcomes for those served.
Research limitations/implications: In order for the workforce of peer support specialists to continue to grow and for services to be responsive and innovative, we need to better understand the mechanisms by which peer support is beneficial and how it can be structured and delivered to promote the best outcomes for those served. The “core conditions” of helping relationships promulgated decades ago by Rogers along with research on self-disclosure may be useful frameworks for understanding and researching the effectiveness of peer support.
Practical implications: More research is needed to better understand the effectiveness of peer support services and how best to insure that they are well-integrated into the mental health programs and systems in which they serve.
Originality/value: There is a need to understand why peer support is effective and how best to sustain peer specialists in their roles within the mental health system.
(Edited publisher abstract)
Subject terms:
employment, peer support, mental health services, literature reviews, service provision, recovery;
British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 79(5), 2016, pp.275-283.
Publisher:
Sage
... and promote recovery.
Conclusion The need for sick leave was not disputed, but an important discovery was its iatrogenic (‘side-’) effects, whereby isolation and reduced activity levels could exacerbate mental health problems. Negative impacts of sick leave need to be mitigated by support to maintain worker identity and orientation and by opportunities and encouragement to sustain routine, activities
(Publisher abstract)
Introduction This research explored return-to-work and sick leave experiences of workers with mental health issues in contact with acute or community mental health services.
Method Using a critical realist methodology with a comparative case study and collaborative design, 21 employed participants recovering from mental health problems participated in semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using inductive and deductive thematic and constant comparative analysis.
Findings While on sick leave, despite a range of challenges, participants treasured their work identities. They were sustained by positive and troubled by negative memories of work. People missed the routine of work and felt isolated. To varying degrees of success, they searched for alternative activities to fill this gap and promote recovery.
Conclusion The need for sick leave was not disputed, but an important discovery was its iatrogenic (‘side-’) effects, whereby isolation and reduced activity levels could exacerbate mental health problems. Negative impacts of sick leave need to be mitigated by support to maintain worker identity and orientation and by opportunities and encouragement to sustain routine, activities and social contacts. A new concept of ‘occupational capital’ emerged, comprising accessible external opportunities and supports for occupational participation, and internal capacities and skills required to access these.
(Publisher abstract)
Subject terms:
mental health problems, leave, community mental health services, recovery, employment, rehabilitation;
... support. It then looks at what recovery colleges are, how they operate, and their role in delivering employment outcomes. The report draws on the findings of a literature review on the barriers to employment faced by people with mental health problems and an analysis of prospectuses from a selection of recovery colleges in England. Initial evidence suggests that the educational approach of recovery colleges as having significant potential for impact on improving employment outcomes. It argues that recovery colleges should therefore increase their focus on these employment outcomes, supported by more rigorous and systematic evaluation of the overall impact of the model. The report presents five key recommendations.
People with mental health problems face numerous disadvantages in making the transition from economic inactivity into work. This report looks at the barriers that prevent people with mental health problems making the transition to employment and examines the effectiveness of current programmes to address these barriers, such as Work Programme, Work Choice, Access to Work and Individual placement support. It then looks at what recovery colleges are, how they operate, and their role in delivering employment outcomes. The report draws on the findings of a literature review on the barriers to employment faced by people with mental health problems and an analysis of prospectuses from a selection of recovery colleges in England. Initial evidence suggests that the educational approach of recovery colleges as having significant potential for impact on improving employment outcomes. It argues that recovery colleges should therefore increase their focus on these employment outcomes, supported by more rigorous and systematic evaluation of the overall impact of the model. The report presents five key recommendations.
Subject terms:
mental health problems, employment, recovery, intervention, supported employment, mental health services;
Mental Health Review Journal, 20(1), 2015, pp.48-64.
Publisher:
Emerald
Purpose: This paper aims to systematically identify, appraise and synthesise qualitative research into how working as a peer support worker (PSW) affects personal recovery.
Design/methodology/approach: Ten articles were identified through a systematic search of seven databases, grey literature, reference lists, citations and contact with authors in the field. Identified articles were critically to personal recovery, with most explicit connection between the PSW role and personal recovery being the increased knowledge of about mental health and recovery.
Research limitations/implications: The review found that the quality of existing studies varies widely and identified the potential to significantly improve the quality of the research in this field. Further, high-quality research is required to specifically investigate the effects of employment as a PSW on personal recovery.
Practical implications: The findings are tentative in light of the quality of the studies, but should be considered in the employment, training and ongoing support of PSWs and the services they join.
(Edited publisher abstract)
Purpose: This paper aims to systematically identify, appraise and synthesise qualitative research into how working as a peer support worker (PSW) affects personal recovery.
Design/methodology/approach: Ten articles were identified through a systematic search of seven databases, grey literature, reference lists, citations and contact with authors in the field. Identified articles were critically appraised and their results synthesised using metaethnography.
Findings: Four categories were constructed to synthesise the findings of the reviewed studies: increased knowledge about their own mental health, sense of identity, position within a professional team, and the impact of employment. The findings demonstrated that being a PSW has the potential to be both facilitative of and detrimental to personal recovery, with most explicit connection between the PSW role and personal recovery being the increased knowledge of about mental health and recovery.
Research limitations/implications: The review found that the quality of existing studies varies widely and identified the potential to significantly improve the quality of the research in this field. Further, high-quality research is required to specifically investigate the effects of employment as a PSW on personal recovery.
Practical implications: The findings are tentative in light of the quality of the studies, but should be considered in the employment, training and ongoing support of PSWs and the services they join.
(Edited publisher abstract)
Subject terms:
employment, peer support, support workers, mental health problems, recovery, service users;
British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 82(1), 2019, pp.23-37.
Publisher:
Sage
... but health-related quality of life was lower (EuroQuol Visual Analogue Scale mean 77.4 [SD 11] to 70.7 [SD14]). Six interviewees felt returning to work was the correct decision but struggled with invisible impairments. Conclusion: This study suggests that long-term follow-up is feasible and that those who made a good recovery were more likely to respond. Work remains important to stroke survivors 6 years post
(Publisher abstract)
Introduction: Little is known about long-term work sustainability of stroke survivors. A feasibility trial of early stroke specialist vocational rehabilitation had 32/46 (69.5%) participants available for follow-up at 12 months post stroke. Of these, 19/32 (59.4%) were in work. This study aims to determine the feasibility of longer-term follow-up and explore work status 6 years post stroke. Method: Forty-eight participants fitting criteria for the feasibility trial were sent postal questionnaires measuring employment, income, mood, functional ability and quality of life, and were invited for interview to explore working 6 years after stroke. Ethical approval was obtained. Results: Of the 48 participants, five (10.4%) had died; 19/43 (44.2%) responded. Fourteen were men; mean age 62 (24–78) years. Fourteen (74%) reported working (paid work n = 10, voluntary work n = 3, full-time education n = 1). Five had retired. Most (11/13) remained with preinjury employers. Half (8/15, 53%) reported decreased income since stroke. Compared to one year, median functional ability was marginally higher (extended activities of daily living 63 (IQR 8, range 32–66) to 60 (IQR 9, range 17–66)), but health-related quality of life was lower (EuroQuol Visual Analogue Scale mean 77.4 [SD 11] to 70.7 [SD14]). Six interviewees felt returning to work was the correct decision but struggled with invisible impairments. Conclusion: This study suggests that long-term follow-up is feasible and that those who made a good recovery were more likely to respond. Work remains important to stroke survivors 6 years post stroke.
(Publisher abstract)