Susan R. McGurk, PhD, is a Professor in the Departments of Occupational Therapy (primary appointment) and Psychological and Brain Sciences, and the Director of Cognitive Remediation Initiatives at the Center of Psychiatric Rehabilitation at Boston University. McGurk is a neuropsychologist whose multi-faceted research program addresses methods and mechanisms in cognitive remediation, the role of cognitive impairments in employment, academic pursuits, and independent living in persons with serious psychiatric illnesses, and in other conditions affecting cognition and community functioning. McGurk and colleagues have developed the “Thinking Skills for Work” Program, a multi-component cognitive remediation program combining restorative task practice of cognitive skills and the teaching of self-management strategies designed to optimize cognitive and work functioning in persons receiving vocational rehabilitation services. The results of a recently completed, NIMH-funded, two-site, randomized controlled trial demonstrated the ability of the Thinking Skills for Work program to improve work outcomes in people who have failed to respond to supported employment, the evidence-based vocational rehabilitation program. This is the first trial to date that has demonstrated the ability of cognitive enhancement program (Thinking Skills for Work) to improve rehabilitation outcomes in people who have failed to respond to an evidence based practice (supported employment). Adaptations of the Thinking Skills for Work Program are being evaluated in people pursuing school goals, and in people wishing to improve their independent living skills. Dr. McGurk has been the recipient of a National Alliance of Research in Schizophrenia and Depression (NARSAD) Young Investigator Award (1997-1990), a NARSAD Independent Investigator Award (2010-2012), the  Rehabilitation Practitioner of Distinction Award by the National Rehabilitation Association, and the Gerard Hogarty Award for Excellence in Schizophrenia Research. She is the Principal Investigator of ongoing NIMH- and NIDILRR-funded randomized controlled trials evaluating the Thinking Skills for Work Program and other cognitive programs in persons with severe mental illness. Other current work addresses potential enhancement of neuroplastic cognitive remediation-related processes with physical exercise, an NIMH-funded multi-site dismantling study of the specific cognitive enhancement services that improve work functioning in people with psychiatric illness, the results of which will inform a personalized medicine approach for the delivery of cognitive services, a NIDILLR-funded scaling up project of the Thinking Skills for Work Program, and a NIDILLR-funded evaluation of augmenting the Thinking Skills for Work program with home-based cognitive practice using tablets. For more information about cognitive remediation, see the Recovery & Rehabilitation Newsletter article “Cognitive Remediation with a Spotlight on the Thinking Skills for Work Program.”

Areas of Expertise

• Methods and mechanisms of cognitive remediation
• Cognitive self-management strategies
• Community based implementation of cognitive remediation programs
• Supported employment
• Psychiatric rehabilitation
• Neuropsychology of psychiatric illness
• Prospective research methods
• Clinical trials

Selected Publications

DeTore, N., McGurk, S.R., and Mueser, K.T. (In press).  What does the managing emotions branch of the MSCEIT add to the MATRICS cognitive consensus battery? Schizophrenia Research.

DeTore, N., Mueser, K.T., Byrd, J. and McGurk, S.R. (In press).  Cognitive Functioning as a Predictor of Response to Cognitive Remediation. Journal of Psychiatric Research.

Wright, A., Mueser, K. T., McGurk, S. R., Fowler, D., & Greenwood, K. E. (In press).  Cognitive and metacognitive factors predict engagement in employment in individuals with early psychosis. Schizophrenia Research: Cognition.

Harvey, P.D., McGurk, S.R., Mahenke, H., Wykes, T. (2018). Controversies in cognitive training.  Biological Psychiatry, 3(11):907-915.

Lindenmayer, J.P., Khan, A., McGurk, S.R., Kulsa, M.K.C., Ljuri, I., Ozog V., Fregenti, S., Capodilupo G., Buccellato, K. Thanju, A., Goldring, A., Parak, M., Parker, B. (2018).  Does social cognition training augment response to computer-assisted cognitive remediation for schizophrenia? Schizophrenia Research, 201:180-186.

Metcalfe, J.D., Riley, J. McGurk, S.R., Hale, T., Drake, R.E., and Bond, G.R. (2018).  Comparing Predictors of Employment in Individual Placement and Support: A Longitudinal Analysis.  Psychiatry Research. 2018 Jun; 264:85-90. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2018.03.050. Epub 2018.

McGurk. S.R. Drake, R.E., Xie, H., Riley, J., Milfort, R., Hale, T.W., Frey W. (2018). Cognitive predictors among work in social security disability insurance beneficiaries with psychiatric disorders enrolled in IPS supported employment. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 44(1):32-37.

Mueser, K.T., McGurk, S.R., Xie H., Bolton, E.E., Janowsky, M.K., Lu,W., Rosenberg, S.D., and Wolfe, R. (2018). Neuropsychological predictors of response to the cognitive behavioral therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder in persons with severe mental illness. Psychiatry Research, 259:110-116.

Teixeira, C., Mueser, K.T., Rogers, E.S., and McGurk, S.R. (2018). Job endings and work trajectories in persons receiving supported employment and cognitive remediation. Psychiatric Services, 69(7):812-818.

Lindenmayer, J.P., Fregenti, S., Kang, G, Ozog V., Ljuri, I., Khan, A., Goldring, A, and McGurk, S.R. (2017). The relationship of cognitive improvement after cognitive remediation with social functioning in patients with schizophrenia and severe cognitive deficits. Schizophrenia Research, 185:154-160.

Lindenmayer, J.P., Ozog V., Khan, A., Ljuri, I., Fregenti, S., and McGurk, S.R. (2017).  Predictors of Response to Cognitive Remediation in Service Recipients with Severe Mental Illness. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 40 (1):61-69.

Lystad, J., Falkum, E., Haaland, V., Bull, H., Evensen, S., McGurk, S.R., & Ueland, T. (2017).  Cognitive Remediation, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Occupational Outcome in Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders: A 2-year follow-up study. Schizophrenia Research, 185:122-129.

McGurk, S.R. (2017).  Cognitive Remediation.  Special issue of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 40(1).  https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/special/6104001

McGurk, S.R. & Mueser, K.T. (2017). Introduction to special issue on cognitive remediation. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 40 (1):1-3, 2017.

McGurk, S.R., Watkins, M.A, Dalton, C.M., Deutsch, H., and Mueser, K.T. (2017). The Feasibility of implementing cognitive remediation for work in community based psychiatric rehabilitation programs. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 40 (1):79-86.

Mueser, K.T., Kim, M., Addington, J., McGurk, S.R., Pratt, S.I., and Addington, D.I. (2017). Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Quality of Life Scale and New Proposed Factor Structure for the Quality of Life Scale-Revised. Schizophrenia Research, 181:117-123.

Twamley, E.W., Thomas, K.R., Burton, C.Z., Vella, L., Jeste, D.V., Heaton, R.K., & McGurk, S.R. (2017). Compensatory strategy training for people with severe mental illnesses in supported employment: A randomized controlled trial. Schizophrenia Research, S0920-9964(17):30471-1.

Keefe, R.S., Haig, G.M., Marder, S.R., Harvey, P.D., Dunayevich, E., Medalia, A., Davidson, M., Lombardo, I., Bowie, C.R., Buchanan, R.W., Bugarski-Kirola, D., Carpenter, W.T., Csernansky, J.T., Dago, P.L., Durand, D.M., Frese, F.J., Goff, D.C., Gold, J.M., Hooker, C.I., Kopelowicz, A., McGurk, S.R., Opler, L.A., Pinkham, A.E., Stern, R.G. (2016).  Report on ISCTM consensus meeting on clinical assessment of response to treatment of cognitive impairment in schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 42(1):19-33.

Khare, C., Mueser, K.T., McGurk, S.R. (2016). Vocational Rehabilitation for Persons with Serious Mental Illness. Current Treatment Options in Psychiatry: Special Section: Schizophrenia Other Psychotic Disorder, 3, 99-110, 2016.

Lo, S.B., Szuhanya, K.M., Kredlow, M.A., Wolfe, R., Mueser, K.T., & McGurk, S.R. (2016). A confirmatory factor analysis of the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery in severe mental illness.  Schizophrenia Research, 175: 79-84.

Lo, S., Watkins, M., & McGurk, S.R. (2016). “Cognitive Remediation for Psychiatric Disorders. ‘Fact Sheet’” published on the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies’ website: (http://www.abct.org/Information/?m=mInformation&fa=fs_COGNITIVE_REMEDIATION).

McGurk, S.R. (2016).  Cognitive enhancement to improve substance abuse outcomes in persons with so-occurring disorders.  Journal of Dual Diagnosis, 12:72-3, 2016.

McGurk, S.R., & Mueser, K.T. (2016).  Editorial: Sustaining the long-term effects of supported employment for persons with psychiatric disabilities. American Journal of Psychiatry,   Published online: October 01, 2016.  https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2016.16070811

McGurk, S.R., Mueser, K.T., Xie, H., Feldman, K., Shay, Y., Klein, L., & Wolfe, R. (2016). Cognitive remediation for vocational rehabilitation non-responders.  Schizophrenia Research. 175, 48-56.

McGurk, S.R., Mueser, K.T., Xie, H., Welsh, J.,  Kaiser, S., Drake, R.E., Becker, D., Bailey, E., Fraser, G.,  Wolfe, R., & McHugo, G.J. (2015). Cognitive Enhancement Treatment for People with Mental Illness Who Do Not Respond to Supported Employment:  A Randomized Controlled Trial. American Journal of Psychiatry. 172(9):852-61.

Milfort, R., Bond, G., McGurk, S.R., and Drake, R.E. (2015).  Barriers to Employment among Social Security Disability Insurance Beneficiaries in the Mental Health Treatment Study. Psychiatric Services, 66(12), 1350-2.

Mueser, K. T., Penn, D. L., Addington, J., Brunette, M. F., Gingerich, S., Glynn, S. M., Lynde, D. W., Gottlieb, J. D., Meyer-Kalos, P., Cather, C., McGurk, S. R., Saade, S., Robinson, D. G., Schooler, N. R., Rosenheck, R. A., & Kane, J. M. (2015).  The NAVIGATE program for first episode psychosis: Rationale, overview, and description of psychosocial components. Psychiatric Services, 66(7):852-61.

Lindenmayer, J.P., Khan, A., Lachman, H., McGurk, S.R., Goldring, A., Thanju, A., Kaushik, S. (2015).  COMT genotype and response to cognitive remediation in schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Research, 168(1-2):279-84.

Lord S.E., McGurk, S.R., Nicholson J., Carpenter-Song E.A., Tauscher, J.S., Becker, D.R., Swanson, S.J., Drake, R.E., and Bond, G.R. (2014). The potential of technology for enhancing individual placement and support supported employment. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 37(2):99-106.

Mueser, K.T., & McGurk, S.R. (2014).  Supported employment for persons with serious mental illness: Current status and future directions.  L’Encéphale, 40:S45-56.

Lindenmayer, J.P., McGurk, S.R., Khan, A., Saurabh, K., Thanju, A., Hoffman, L., Valdez, G., Wance, D., Herrmann, E. (2013).  Improving Social Cognition in Schizophrenia: A Pilot Intervention. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 39(3):507-17.

McGurk, S.R., Mueser, K.T., Mischel, R., Adams, R., Harvey, P.D., McClure, M.M., Look, A.E., Leung, W.W., Siever, L.J.  (2013). Vocational Functioning in Schizotypal and Paranoid Personality Disorders. Psychiatry Research, 5;210(2):498-504.

McGurk, S.R., Mueser, K.T., Covell, N.H., Ciccerone, K.D., Drake, R.E., Silverstein, S.M., Medalia, A., Myers, R., Bellack, A.S., Bell, M.D., and Essock, S.M. (2013).  Mental Health System Funding of Cognitive Enhancement Interventions for Schizophrenia: Summary and Update of the New York Office of Mental Health Expert Panel and Stakeholder Meeting. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal,36(3):133-45.

Bowie, C.R., McGurk, S.R., Mausbach, B., Patterson, T.L., Harvey, P.D. (2012).  Combined Cognitive Remediation and Functional Skills Training for Schizophrenia: Effects on Cognition, Functional Competence, and Real-World Outcomes. American Journal of Psychiatry, 169(7):710-8.

Ferron, J.C., Brunette, M.F., McGurk, S.R., Xie, H., Frounfelker, R., Cook, J.A., Jonikas, J.A., McHugo, G.J. (2012). Do Symptoms and Cognitive Problems Affect the Use and Efficacy of a Web-Based Decision Support System for Smokers with Serious Mental Illness? Journal of Dual Diagnosis, 8(4):315-325.

McGurk, S.R., Eack, S.M., Kurtz, M., Mueser, K.T. (2012). Cognitive remediation and psychosocial rehabilitation for individuals with severe mental illness.  Rehabilitation Research and Practice.

Mueser, K.T., & McGurk, S.R. (2011).  New tools for cognitive remediation and psychiatric rehabilitation of schizophrenia: Review of Integrated Psychological Therapy (IPT) for the Treatment of Neurocognition, Social Cognition, and Social Competency in Schizophrenia Patients by V. Roder, D.R. Müller, H.D. Brenner, & W.D. Spaulding.  PsychCritiques, 56, Release 16, Article 2.

Rapp, M.A., Schnaider-Beeri, M., Purohit, D.P., Reichenberg, A., McGurk, S.R., Haroutunian, V., Harvey, P.D. (2011).  Cortical neuritic plaques and hippocampal neurofibrillary tangels are related to dementia severity in elderly schizophrenia patients. Schizophrenia Research, 116(1):90-96.

Wykes, T., Huddy, V., Cellard, C., McGurk, S. R., & Czobar, P. (2011). A meta-analysis of cognitive remediation for schizophrenia: Methodology and effect sizes.  American Journal of Psychiatry, 168(5):472-85.

McGurk, S.R., Schiano, D., Mueser, K.T., & Wolfe, R. (2010). Implementation of the Thinking Skills or Work Program in a psychosocial clubhouse. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 33:190-9.

McGurk, S.R., Mueser, K.T., DeRosa, T., & Wolfe, R. (2009). Work, recovery, and comorbidity in schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 35(2):319-335.

Nandlal, J.M., Bettazzoni, M., Priolo, T., McGurk, S.R., Flora, N., & Perrier, C. (2009). Augmented Education: Effectiveness of a new employment training and support model for people with mental illness. Canadian Council on Learning, 1:2-29.

Lindenmayer, J.P., Kaushik, S., Branch, C., McGurk, S.R., Khan, A., Li, H., Hoffman, L. (2008). Does computerized cognitive remediation change brain activation patterns in schizophrenia: fMRI pilot data.  European Psychiatry, 23 (S2):S127-S128.

Lindenmayer, J.P., McGurk, S.R., Mueser, K.T., Khan, A., Wance, D., Hoffman, L., Wolfe, R., & Xie, H. (2008). Cognitive remediation in persistently mentally ill inpatients: A randomized controlled trial.  Psychiatric Services, 59:241-247.

McGurk, S.R. and Mueser, K.T. (2008). Response to cognitive rehabilitation in older vs. younger persons with severe mental illness.  American Journal of Psychiatric Rehabilitation, 11:90-105.

McGurk, S.R., & Wykes, T. (2008). Cognitive remediation and vocational rehabilitation in schizophrenia.  Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 31:350-359.

DeRosa, T., McGurk, S.R., Mueser, K.T., Morin, I., & Wiesen, T. (2007). Clients’ perceptions of effective supports in vocational rehabilitation. Clinical Schiz & Related Disorders, 1:154-160.

Marshall, R., McGurk, S.R., Karow, C., & Kairy, T. (2007). Problem solving abilities of participants with and without diffuse neurologic involvement.  Aphasiology, 21:750-762.

McGurk, S.R., Mueser, K.T., Feldman K., Wolfe, R., & Pascaris, A. (2007). Cognitive training for supported employment: 2-3 year outcomes of a randomized controlled trial.  American Journal of Psychiatry, 164:437-441.

McGurk, S.R., Twamley, E.W., Sitzer, D., McHugo, G., & Mueser, K.T. (2007). A meta-analysis of cognitive remediation in schizophrenia. American Journal of Psychiatry, 164:1791-1802.

Harvey, P.D., Friedman, J.I., Bowie, C., Reichenberg A., McGurk, S.R., Parrella, M., White, L., & Davis, K.L. (2006).  Validity and stability of performance-based estimates of premorbid educational functioning in older patients with schizophrenia.  Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 28:178-192.

McGurk, S.R., & Mueser, K.T. (2006). Cognitive and clinical predictors of work outcome in clients with schizophrenia receiving supported employment services: 4-year follow-up.  Adm Policy Mental Health, 33:598-606.

McGurk, S.R, & Mueser, K.T. (2006). Strategies for coping with cognitive impairment in supported employment. Psychiatric Services, 57:1421-1429.

McGurk, S.R., Carter, C., Goldman, R., Green, M.F., Marder, S.R., Xie, H., Schooler, N.R., & Kane, J.M. (2005).  The effects of clozapine and risperidone on spatial working memory in schizophrenia. American Journal of Psychiatry, 162:1013-1016.

McGurk, S.R., Mueser, K.T., & Pascaris, A. (2005).  Cognitive training and supported employment for persons with severe mental illness: One year results from a randomized controlled trial.  Schizophrenia Bulletin, 31: 898-909.

McGurk, S.R., Coleman, T., Harvey, P., Reichenberg, A., White, L., Friedman, J., Parrella, M., & Davis, K.L. (2004). Working memory performance in poor outcome schizophrenia: relationship to age and executive functioning.  Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 26:153-160.

McGurk, S.R., Green, M.G., Wirshing, W.C., Ames, D., Marshall, B.D., & Marder, S.M. (2004).  Effects of antipsychotic and anticholinergic effects on two types of spatial memory in treatment-resistant schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Research, 68:225-233.

McGurk, S.R, Mueser, K.T., Walling, D., Meltzer, H.Y., & Harvey, P.D. (2004). Executive functioning predicts mental health service use in outpatients with schizophrenia.  Mental Health Services Research, 6:185-188.

McGurk, S.R., & Mueser, K.T. (2004).  Cognitive functioning, symptoms, and work in supported employment: A review and heuristic model.  Schizophrenia Research, 70:147-173.

Mueser, K.T., & McGurk, S.R. (2004). Schizophrenia.  Lancet, 363:2063-2072.

McGurk, S.R., & Mueser, K.T. (2003). Cognitive functioning and symptomatology in unemployed, supported employed, and independently employed clients with severe mental illness.  Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 191:789-798, 2003.

McGurk, S.R., Mueser, K.T., Harvey, P.D., Marder, J., & LaPuglia, R. (2003). Cognitive and symptom predictors of work outcomes in clients with schizophrenia.  Psychiatric Services, 54:1129-1135.

McGurk, S.R., & Meltzer, H.Y. (2000). The role of cognition in vocational functioning in schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Research, 45:175-184.

Anneliese de Wet is a research scientist at the Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation at Boston University. She completed her PhD in Psychology at Stellenbosch University in South Africa in 2020. For her dissertation she developed an individual measure of recovery for a South African context by exploring the understanding of recovery for persons, their carers and their service providers, as well as the barriers and facilitators of recovery. This was the first such measure developed for a South African context. Anneliese is particularly interested in peer support work. She would like to contribute to the firm establishment of professional peer support work as a resource, and the empowerment of persons through peer support work, in South Africa. 

 Another related interest she has, is positive psychological ways of addressing mental health challenges, such as stigma. For her postdoctoral study at the Center, she focused on exploring workplace stigma resistance and the mechanisms thereof among peer support specialists. Anneliese has also been engaged in other research at the Center which included a randomized controlled trial testing the effectiveness of a coaching intervention to address peer specialists’ stress and distress on the job. Currently, she is involved in a Center study on exploring state-level policies to support older persons with serious mental illnesses. Previously, she conducted research on the lived experience of recovery from first-episode psychosis in a South African sample and worked on a Canadian CIHR-funded international, multi-site study on community engagement in HIV vaccine research. 

Selected publications 

De Wet, A., & Maru, M. (2023). The importance of family involvement with service users from three perspectives in a South African context. WAPR e-Bulletin, 51, 29-37. https://www.wapr.org/bulletin-archive/wapr-bulletin-51/ 

De Wet, A., & Augustine, L. (2022). True mental health recovery for young South Africans: With the help of our peers. Quest, 18(4), 30-32. https://research.assaf.org.za/assafserver/api/core/bitstreams/06ea07f0-28b7-4ada-b7f0-9bde39b9174e/content 

De Wet, A., & Kagee, A. (2022). Community participation in epidemiological research. In G. Joubert & Myer, L. (Eds.). Epidemiology: A Research Manual for South Africa. Oxford University Press. https://www.oxford.co.za/book/9780190758691-epidemiology-a-research-manual-for-africa-4e 

De Wet, A., & Pretorius, C. (2022). From darkness to light: Barriers and facilitators to mental health recovery in the South African context. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 68(1), 82-89. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020764020981126 

De Wet, A., & Pretorius, C. (2021). Perceptions and Understanding of Mental Health Recovery for Service Users, Carers and Service Providers: A South African Perspective. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 44(2), 157-165. https://doi.org/10.1037/prj0000460 

De Wet, A., Dowling, T., Swartz, L., Lesch, A., Kagee, A., Kafaar, Z., Hassan, N. R., & Newman, P. A. (2020) Complexities in the process of translating research documents in cross-cultural settings. Global Public Health, 15(6), 818-827. https://doi.org/10.1080/17441692.2020.1718736 

De Wet, A., Swartz, L., Kagee, A., Lesch, A., Kafaar, Z., Hassan, N. R., Robbertze, D., & Newman, P. A. (2020). The trouble with difference: challenging and reproducing inequality in a biomedical HIV research community engagement process. Global Public Health, 15, 22-30. https://doi.org/10.1080/17441692.2019.1639209 

De Wet, A., Swartz, L., & Chiliza, B. (2015). Hearing their voices: The lived experience of recovery from first-episode psychosis in schizophrenia in South Africa. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 61, 27-32. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020764014535753 

Selected presentations 

De Wet, A., Shulman, A., & Russinova, Z. (2023). Workplace prejudice and discrimination as a barrier to the integration of mental health peer support specialists: An ecological lens. Poster presentation at the American Public Health Association 2023 Annual Meeting and Expo, Atlanta, GA. November 12th – 15th, 2023. 

De Wet, A. (2023). Exploration of workplace stigma resistance among peer support specialists. Oral presentation at the 100th Annual Conference of the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine, Atlanta, GA. October 30th – November 2nd, 2023. 

De Wet, A., & Shulman, A. (2023). Stigma resistance: Peer support specialists withstanding prejudice and discrimination on the job. Workshop at the 2023 National Association of Peer Supporters Annual Conference, Norfolk, VA. October 24th – 26th, 2023. 

De Wet, A., Shulman, A., & Russinova, Z. (2023). Re-imaging peer support as an equitable mental health service. Plenary presentation at the 6th International Refocus on Recovery conference, Nottingham, United Kingdom. September 6th – 7th, 2023. 

De Wet, A. (2019). For different clients it will be different: Interviews with service users, service providers and carers regarding the meaning of mental health recovery in the South African context. Oral presentation at the 5th International Refocus on Recovery conference, Nottingham, United Kingdom. September 3rd – 5th, 2019. 

De Wet, A., Pretorius, C., & Parker, J. (2017). The development of a contextually-appropriate measure of individual recovery for mental health service users in the South African context. Poster presentation at the 4th International Refocus on Recovery conference, Nottingham, United Kingdom. September 18th – 20th, 2017. 

De Wet, A., Swartz, L., & Chiliza, B. (2015). Hearing their voices: The lived experience of recovery from first-episode psychosis in schizophrenia in South Africa. Oral presentation at the 19th International Society for the Psychological and Social Approaches to Psychosis Congress, The Cooper Union, New York, United States of America. March 18th – 22nd, 2015. 

De Wet, A., Swartz, L., & Chiliza, B. (2014). Hearing their voices: The lived experience of recovery from first-episode psychosis in schizophrenia in South Africa. Oral presentation at the 3rd International Refocus on Recovery conference, New Hunt’s House, Guy’s Hospital, London, United Kingdom. June 2nd – 3rd, 2014. 

Jane is a member of our Training, Dissemination and Technical Assistance (TDTA) team. She has extensive experience in implementation and evaluation of best-practice programs in supported employment and other mental health services. She is particularly interested in understanding change processes in scaling up mental health services policy and practice.

Dr. Zlatka Russinova is a Research Associate Professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy at the Boston University Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences and the Director of Research at the Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation.  She is a Principal Co-Investigator for the NIDILRR-funded Advanced Rehabilitation Research Training Program in Psychiatric Rehabilitation. She has directed projects exploring various aspects of recovery, such as vocational recovery and successful employment, the role of spirituality in recovery and the use of alternative therapies, and mental health practitioners’ recovery-promoting competence. Dr. Russinova has led the development and evaluation of several recovery-oriented interventions incorporating Photovoice methodology as an empowerment tool to promote proactive coping with prejudice and discrimination, engagement in vocational services, and community participation.

Dr. Farkas is the Co-Principal Investigator of the Research and Training Center and Professor in Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at Boston University. She has authored and co-authored over 100 articles in professional journals, 4 textbooks, over 20 book chapters, and 7 multi-media training packages.

For more than 35 years, Dr. Farkas has worked in various capacities in the field of psychiatric rehabilitation, and recovery. Among her many roles providing training, research and consultation, Dr. Farkas was in charge of the World Health Organization Collaborating Center in Psychiatric Rehabilitation, providing training, consultation and research expertise to the W.H.O. network, serving as the Vice President of the World Association for Psychosocial Rehabilitation (WAPR) and President of the National Association of Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers (NARRTC). She has developed training, consultation and organizational change methodologies to support programs and integrative systems in their efforts to adopt psychiatric rehabilitation and recovery innovations around the globe. She is a Visiting Professor of Social Studies at Hanze University, Netherlands and Malmo University, Sweden and among other duties, was on a Research Advisory Committee at King’s College, London, England investigating methods facilitating the recovery of individuals with serious mental illnesses. Her past grant experiences have ranged from helping the core disciplines develop curriculum for pre-service programs in Nursing, Psychiatry, Psychology and Social Work to co-leading an effort to create standards of evidence for disability research and a process for translating the research into practice tools across disability fields. She has served on Training Committees and Committees on Serious Mental Illnesses in both APA’s (i.e. American Psychological and American Psychiatric Associations).

As an educator, Dr. Farkas received Boston University’s Award of Merit; as an expert in development and implementation of innovations, she received the International Association of Psychosocial Rehabilitation Services John Beard Award for innovations in the field; the Lifetime Achievement Award (NYAPRS) as well as the National Commendation Award from the National Association of Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers for “pioneering scientific advances that have helped transform research on mental health and rehabilitation systems and being at the forefront of a paradigm shift that has helped practitioners, families, and society, as a whole, to see capacity and potential in people who were once perceived to be beyond hope.”

Areas of Expertise

• Scaling up interventions/ large scale implementation
• Transformation of mental health programs and systems to promote recovery across cultures and countries.
• Identifying and assessing ingredients of recovery oriented mental health services.
• Using Evidence Based Practice, Promising Practices in recovery oriented programs.
• Developing and evaluating programs and services in recovery and psychiatric rehabilitation.
• Training personnel at all levels, people with lived experience and families in recovery and psychiatric rehabilitation practices (in-service/pre-service).
• Incorporating people with lived experience and their input into program and systems development.
• Developing Personal Assistance Services for individuals with psychiatric disabilities.
• Developing academic programs and curricula in recovery and rehabilitation.
• Knowledge Translation, bridging science to practice.

Selected Publications

Davidson, L., Bellamy, C., Chinman, M, Farkas, M., Ostrow, L., Cook, J., Jonikas, J. et al. (2018). Revisiting the Rationale and Evidence for Peer Support, Psychiatric Times, June 29, 35:6.

Farkas, M. (2018) Peer Delivered Services in Mental Health: Infancy or Adolescence? World Psychiatry, 17:2, June. 222-223.

Marrone, J., Farkas, M., Abramson (in press). All Change is Difficult, No Matter How Long You Put It Off: Policy and Making Mental Health Systems of Care “High Performers” in Employment Outcomes. American Journal of Psychiatric Rehabilitation.

Chinman M, McInnis K, Eisen S, Ellison M, Farkas M, Armstrong M, Resnick S. (2017). Establishing a research agenda for understanding the role and impact of mental health peer specialists. Psychiatric Services, 68:9, September, 955-57.

Sanches, S.A., Swildens, W.E., Busschbach, J.T. van, Farkas, M. & Wel, T. van (2017). Fidelity of Rehabilitation (FiRe): evaluation of a fidelity measure to promote implementation of evidence-based rehabilitation. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, (August).

Farkas, M., Anthony, W.A., Montenegro, R., Gayvoronskaya,E. (2016) Person Centered Psychiatric Rehabilitation. In J. Messich, M. Botbol, G. Christodolou, R.Cloninger & I. Salloum (eds) Person Centered Psychiatry. Switzerland: Springer International Pub., 277-291.

Lyman, R., Kurtz, M., Farkas, M., George, P., Dougherty, R., Daniels, A., Ghose, S., Delphn-Rittmon, M. ( 2014) , Skill Building: Assessing the Evidence. Psychiatric Services, 65, 6, 727-38.

Matthews, L., Farkas, M., Medway, M., Tayler, N. (2014). Psychiatric Disability, Recovery and Family. In Michael Millington & Irma Marini (eds). Families in Rehabilitation Counseling. A Community Approach. Springer. 131-152.

Slade, M., Amering, M., Farkas, M., Hamilton4, B., O’Hagan M.,Panther. G., Perkins, R., Shepherd, G., Tse, S., Whitley, R. (2014) Uses and abuses of recovery: implementing recovery-oriented practices in mental health systems. World Psychiatry, 13(1), 12-20.

Farkas, M., Forbess, R. & Bradford, W. (2013) Recovery Facilitating Service Planning: An Interdisciplinary Responsibility. In K. Yeager, D. Cutler, D. Svendsen & G. Sills, (eds). Modern Community Mental Health Work: An Interdisciplinary Approach, New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Farkas, M. & Anthony, W.A. (2010). Psychiatric Rehabilitation Interventions: A Review. International Review of Psychiatry, April 2010; 22(2): 114–129

Farkas, M. (2007). The vision of recovery today: What it is and what it means for services. World Psychiatry 6:2, 1 – 7.

Selected Presentations

Chair, State of the Science Meeting. Future Research Needed on Employment for Individuals with Serious Mental Illnesses: Moving the Needle. Boston MA. Nov 7 2018.

Symposium Chair/Panelist. Supported Education: An overview. Symposium: Title: Community participation through education: Supported education for people with psychiatric disabilities. XIII WAPR Congress: Recovery, Citizenship, Human Rights –Reviewing Consensus. Madrid Spain. July 6 2018.

Invited Plenary Presentation. Participation of peers in mental health services – A critical recovery strategy: What have we learned? Associacao Brasileira de Saude Mental-ABRASME, 3rd Forum de Direitos Humanos e Saude Mental. Florianopolis Brazil. June 29 2017.

Invited presentation. Integrated Scaling Approach (ISA): A Model for Large Scale Implementation of Effective Interventions for Employment. NIDILRR/ACL Seminar. Washington DC. April 5 2017.

Invited Plenary. International Lessons Learned: From Deinstitutionalization to Recovery. 1st Abu Dhabi International Congress of WAPR – Mena Conference. Abu Dhabi. September 22 2017.

Invited Presentation. Vocational Recovery: More than just getting a job. Promens Care/GGZ Drenthe. Assen Netherlands. Nov 11 2016.

Symposium Presenter. Promoting Recovery: A Toolkit for Providers Symposium: Recovery: From Literature to Practice. PRA Workforce Summit. Philadelphia PA. June 2, 2015.

Chair, State of the Science Meeting: Disability Policy and Employment for Individuals with Psychiatric Disabilities. Washington D.C. 2013.

Plenary Speaker “Choices: The challenge and foundation of recovery facilitating services and interventions.” Haifa University. 2013.

Presentation: “Peer Involvement in Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Recovery.” Round Table on Good Practices and Psychosocial Rehabilitation, “Psychosocial Rehabilitation in an Economic Crisis: New Practices for Emerging Needs,” WAPR, Athens, Greece. 2012.

Presentation on “Infusing recovery principles and competencies into behavioral health agencies.” Policy Academy, BRSS-TACs, Reston, VA USA. 2012.

Plenary address: “Le Retablissement: Qu’est ce que ca change?” Institut Universitaire en santé mental de Quebec, Colloque, May, 2012.

“Workforce Competencies for a Recovery Oriented System.” The World Association for Psychosocial Rehabilitation, “RECOVERY – hva innebærer det for psykisk helsearbeid,” Bergen, Norway, June 2012.

Plenary Address: “Recovery e riabilitazione psichiatrica: a che punto ci troviamo?” Istituto di ricovero e cura a caracterre scientifico, Fatebenefratelli, San Giovanni di Dio, Brescia, Italy. 2012.