Unit 6: Supported Employment, Education, and Peer Delivered Support

This unit looks at the principles of supported employment and education and how this added support helps clients achieve their goals.  Knowledge of these principles helps Peer Support Specialists understand how to best assist clients in addressing their employment and educational goals.

Unit 6 includes the NAMI pamphlet “Road to Recovery: Employment and Mental Illness.” Certified Recovery Support Specialists need to understand some of the logistical problems that are a result of an entitlement system whose payout is based on a formula impacted by hours worked and the time frame in which this occurs.  Models of employment support are covered along with employment data analysis, trends and policy recommendations.

The video in Unit 6 provides perspectives on how education is best supported in the various systems of education from traditional to non-traditional.  This is where theory meets the reality of the system.

The unit concludes with an overview of Peer Recovery Support services to be able to put the supported education and employment models in the context of peer support services.

Unit Objective:

• Identify resources that support employment and education