Employment Training Library

Speakers with lived experience of serious mental health conditions and substance use disorders share their stories, and also advice on how to best support individuals seeking education. Regardless of level of education, returning to school can be a valuable experience for individuals in recovery and may allow for engagement in meaningful employment.

This course highlights barriers to school and work for young adults with serious mental health conditions. By applying a Stages of Change framework, and encouraging collaboration, this webinar aims to educate helping professionals on the importance of work and education for building resilience and promoting the recovery of their clients. This 90-minute course ranges from $35-$55.

This four-course bundle from the Institute for Community Inclusion at UMASS Boston provides employment providers and employment-service professionals with informative lessons on employment for individuals with disabilities. The course bundle costs $175. The courses included are Transition: Preparing for a Seamless Move from School to Adult Life; Employment Services for People with Mental Health Disabilities; Employment for People with Disabilities and Criminal Histories; and Employment Services for Individuals on the Autism Spectrum.

Providers working in vocational rehabilitation may support individuals to identify employment opportunities, but may also support their clients to maintain and advance in their chosen field. Presenters discuss strategies for career advancement such as requesting a promotion or pay increase. Also discussed are strategies for moving beyond entry-level roles such as seeking additional education or training, building social capital, and asking for a job change.

The second installation of this webinar series focuses on educating supported employment specialists on what to do when working with individuals who may have gaps in their employment histories. Presenters provide instruction on how to help job seekers complete resumes that best address these gaps for employers.

The culture existing in a workplace is an important factor for job seekers to consider. This webinar aims to educate providers of vocational rehabilitation services on how to assess workplace culture to ensure that job placements best fit the needs of the individuals they work with.

Developing relationships with businesses and employers can be an important component of job development for individuals working in employment services. The first installation of the three-part series on Building Skills to Connect with the Business Community instructs on how to craft an elevator pitch of your services, language use, and how to respond to tough employer questions. The goal of this series is to support employment-focused human service professionals to market themselves confidently and to create and maintain business relationships.

This webinar provides information and resources for those providing services for young adults with mental health conditions in school settings. Based on findings that Career and Technical Education (CTE) promotes positive employment and post-secondary outcomes, presenters guide you through the implementation of CTE in education transition planning for this population. Also discussed are legislative contexts, research findings, and strategies for mitigating barriers for students who may benefit from CTE.

The third and final installation of the Ethics in Action training series highlights ethical decision-making techniques when faced with dilemmas that may occur when attempting to balance professional pressures and client autonomy. Specifically discussed is the difference between ethical violations and ethical dilemmas, ethical decision-making techniques using case studies, ensuring an ethical workplace culture is in place, and the importance of self-care and consultation when navigating tricky situations.

The second session of this Ethics in Action training series focuses on going back to the basics of providing valuable and ethical employment services. Learning objectives for this session include understanding the impact of biases, cultural competency, establishing local partnerships, and the cultural competency components of the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC) Code of Professional Ethics.

The first installment of this three-part training series explores the ethics and values of employment service professionals. This session specifically focuses on person-centered concepts of supported and customized employment, ethical principles of the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC) and the Association of People Supporting Employment First (APSE), and strategies to ensure you are maintaining a values-driven ethical lens.

When providing supervision for peer providers, preparation and informed management tactics are vital for the effective provision of peer services to positively impact individuals with serious mental health conditions (SMHC) in the workplace. This training is intended to equip supervisors, with and without lived experience of psychiatric disability, with a solid foundation for peer supervision.

This training guides peer support specialists through discussions on ethics, feeling valued in the workplace, teamwork, advocating for the importance of peer support, communication, and maintaining core values. This pre-recorded presentation is valuable for peer providers, peer volunteers, employers, and supervisors.

This self-paced training provides education for peer support specialists who want to help expand the presence of the profession in the healthcare field. This recording offers tools to share the importance of peer support and to continue developing the workforce.

This self-paced training course provides education for employers and business leaders on steps to integrating individuals with lived experience into the workforce as peer specialists. Integrating the consumer voice into the workplace provides many benefits, which are discussed by the host along with training, employment law, accommodations, how to increase retention rates, and preventing bias.

This course provides education on how to implement Individual Placement and Support (IPS) services to best support individuals with employment goals. This course costs $365 and is an interactive way to learn the ropes of IPS while receiving feedback and having the chance to ask questions. The course can be completed on your schedule, with each module consisting of 30-40 minutes of computer work, real-world implementation throughout the work week, and written reflections.

The Illinois Division of Mental Health IPS Trainers discusses the five stages of recovery that can be incorporated into Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Supported Employment. Presenters discuss the roles of the Illinois Certified Recovery Support Specialist (CRSS) and Certified Recovery Support Specialist with an Employment Endorsement (CRSS-E) in vocational rehabilitation for adults with serious mental health challenges (SMHC).

The Illinois IPS Initiative presents a webinar on the stigma that individuals with psychiatric disabilities seeking employment often face, and the role that Individual Placement and Support (IPS) providers play in promoting equity. Discussing cultural competencies, this fifteen-minute webinar is important for educating IPS providers.

This webinar targets employment specialists working or training to work with veterans of the U.S. military entering Individual Placement and Support (IPS) services who are seeking employment. The Illinois Supported Employment Transformation Initiative guides this webinar to support providers working with this population of adults with serious mental health challenges (SMHC).

This webinar highlights the Nutrition and Exercise for Wellness and Recovery (NEW-R) program and how it may be implemented into Individual Placement and Support (IPS) services. Further, this recording discusses the role of obesity in mental health recovery as well as the job-seeking process, and how providers may encourage physical health to improve mental health.

A career profile is a core element of the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) process, and this webinar discusses its importance in supporting individuals’ journey to meaningful employment. This webinar walks providers through the development of a client-centered and culturally competent career profile.

This recording provides an overview of fidelity in Individual Placement and Support (IPS), while also sharing what individuals providing IPS services need to know to prepare for an IPS fidelity review.

The Illinois Support Employment Transformation Initiative presents this webinar on engaging clients in Individual Placement and Support (IPS) services. This brief webinar discusses signs of disengagement and the role that motivational interviewing can play in re-engaging clients with their work.

The Illinois IPS Initiative presents a webinar on the evidence-based practice of Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Supported Employment. Discussed are the eight principles of IPS and how they can be implemented in the process of mental health recovery.

This is a recurring webinar series that gives HR, People, Culture, and D&I leaders an introduction to developing a mental health strategy for their company and an opportunity to learn more about Mind Share Partners. Each webinar will include a 30-minute presentation as well as 15 minutes for Q&A. The content of the presentation will remain consistent over time to support the growing number of organizations that are starting their mental health strategy each quarter.

Presenters discuss the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the role that educators and employment specialists play in transmitting information on the act to young adults entering postsecondary life. The pair discusses accommodations, existing policies, conversations with employers, and disclosure.

This $15 webinar provides an overview of what to expect when supervising individuals with lived experiences of serious mental health challenges (SMHC) working as peer support specialists. Lived-experience professionals can bring support to addiction counseling, mental health counseling, marriage and family therapy, psychology, and social work settings, and their supervisors must be prepared for their integration into the workplace.

Presenters discuss the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the role that educators and employment specialists play in transmitting information on the act to young adults entering postsecondary life. The pair discusses accommodations, existing policies, conversations with employers, and disclosure.

This webinar highlights financial and mental wellbeing by exploring the impact that free education on tax preparation can have for the financial well-being of adults with serious mental health challenges (SMHC). The National Disability Institute reminds providers in this webinar of the importance of financial wellbeing in recovery.

The National Disability Institute delivers this hour-long webinar on the impact that motivational interviewing can have on individuals’ with serious mental health challenges (SMHC) finances. The counseling style of motivational interviewing allows providers to create a safe, non-judgemental, environment through open-ended questioning and the use of positive reinforcements.

The Learning & Working During the Transition to Adulthood Rehabilitation Research & Training Center provides a toolkit for effectively employing young adult peer providers. The toolkit discusses an overview of young adults in this role, hiring and training, supervision, and ensuring there is a culture of support in place in your organization.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, many school and work programs embrace a new virtual space. This 90-minute webinar provides key takeaways from three different programs providing services for young adults with psychiatric disabilities on a virtual platform. Peer coaching and peer supervision at Boston University, Helping Youth on the Path to Employment (HYPE), and the Virtual Best-Practice Guide for Youth and Young Adult Community Mental Health Providers from Thresholds Youth & Young Adult Services are highlighted in this webinar.

The Collecting Histories of Education and Employment during Recovery (CHEER) study within The Learning and Working Center focuses on the experiences and challenges of young adults with serious mental health conditions (SMHC). 25-30-year-olds with psychiatric disabilities were interviewed for this study and asked to describe their education, training, and employment histories, with key findings being reported in this webinar. Helpful aspects of school and work such as flexibility and support are identified by presenters and are important for those working with young adults with SMHC to support their educational and career goals.

This webinar provides an overview of the Thresholds Study, Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model adaptations, study results, challenges and lessons learned, and future steps to be taken to encourage successful education and employment for young adults with psychiatric disabilities.

The second installment of this webinar series for supervisors of young adult therapeutic peer mentors elaborates on the skills necessary to be an effective clinical supervisor. Topics highlighted include relational boundaries, building psychological capital, understanding differences between clients and mentors, accommodations in the workplace, how to evaluate success, and the benefits of being a clinical supervisor.

The goal of this webinar is to increase the competency of clinical supervisors of young adult therapeutic peer mentors. Young adult development and recovery, how to engage young adults, how to identify and hire for these roles, and how to support and encourage the success of those you supervise are all primary topics.

How does IPS need to be adapted for young adults? This webinar highlights employment and education support for young adults with psychiatric disabilities and differences in support needs from older adults while seeking and maintaining employment. Trends in substance use, functional differences between young and older adults, developing a career focus through human capital, career planning, and life skill development for the workplace are all topics discussed to educate individuals working with young adults with psychiatric disabilities seeking employment.

The Boston University Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation and the Job Accommodation Network (JAN) share accommodations typically used by individuals with serious mental health conditions (SMHC) and their employers to support workplace success. Sharing qualitative and quantitative research findings, presenters discuss workplace practices that may make an impact on employers.

Peer specialists provide great value to the workplace, but first employers must integrate them into employment spaces. This Mental Health America webinar supports how organizational leadership can prepare for the integration of peer specialists by describing risk avoidance, success checklists, common myths, and how to be recovery-oriented.

In this one-hour webinar, the research on IPS-supported employment is discussed and how this evidence-based practice can be integrated to support wellness and employee engagement. Specifically highlighted are the SAMHSA IPS Toolkit and the Physical Wellness for Work resource.

Employment attorneys discuss applicant and employee rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act and share how employers can support employees with psychiatric disabilities. This webinar discusses reasonable accommodations in the workplace, as well as how to appropriately discuss an employee’s mental health.

Educating working individuals with serious mental health conditions (SMHC) on the Americans with Disabilities Act, communicating with employers, bridging gaps between employees and employers, and addressing workplace stigma surrounding psychiatric disabilities are all roles of supported employment professionals. This webinar, delivered by an individual with lived experience of psychiatric disability from Utah State University, discusses supported employment professionals’ role in disability disclosure and reasonable accommodations on the job.

This webinar, produced by Utah State University, provides an overview of mental health literacy and its importance for implementation in the profession of employment support. There is also an introduction to the content covered within the University’s Mental Health Awareness and Advocacy for Employment Support Professionals curriculum.

This webinar discussion surrounds the SOAR (SSI/SSDI, Outreach, Access, and Recovery) TA Center’s Yes You Can Work flyer, which guides providers in their discussions of the benefits of work with those applying for and receiving SSA benefits. SOAR providers also share experiences with implementing SOAR and community employment supports, citing the SSA’s Working While Disabled Pamphlet, Yes, You Can Work! Infographic, and SOAR Employment Conversation Guide.

This 2022 SAMHSA SOAR (SSI/SSDI, Outreach, Access, and Recovery) TA Center webinar addresses trainings, resources, and tools for increasing equity and reducing implicit biases in SOAR implementation. Presenters discuss how race, ethnicity, culture, gender, sexual orientation, and involvement in the criminal justice system may impact one’s access to SOAR programs and existing tools to promote equitable inclusion in employment and housing services.

This SAMHSA SOAR TA Center webinar features a SOAR (SSI/SSDI, Outreach, Access, and Recovery) provider’s experience delivering community employment support as well as delivering information on SSA work incentives and employment resources. The discussion also surrounds common myths relating to working while going through the SSA benefit process. Employment-related tools and resources, including the 2020 Issue Brief, “SOAR and Employment for SSI/SSDI Beneficiaries” are shared throughout the presentation.

Presenters discuss the importance of Peer Support Specialists’ lived experiences in SOAR (SSI/SSDI, Outreach, Access, and Recovery) programs to support the recovery process of others with psychiatric disabilities through gaining employment, financial stability, and benefits. Panelists share their experiences working as peer staff to help others develop best practices for implementing Peer Support Services in SOAR programs.

Presenters discuss the importance of Peer Support Specialists’ lived experiences in SOAR (SSI/SSDI, Outreach, Access, and Recovery) programs to support the recovery process of others with psychiatric disabilities through gaining employment, financial stability, and benefits. Panelists share their experiences working as peer staff to help others develop best practices for implementing Peer Support Services in SOAR programs.

Highlighting the intersection of serious mental health conditions (SMHC), homelessness, and incarceration this webinar discusses the integration of SOAR (SSI/SSDI – Opportunities to Access Resources for successful reentry) programming specifically for those involved in the justice system into service offerings. Presenters express the role of SOAR in increasing post-incarceration success for individuals with psychiatric disabilities reentering their communities.

This SAMHSA webinar highlights the importance of employment for individuals with serious mental health conditions (SMHC) who are experiencing or are at risk of homelessness. Highlighting the federal SOAR (SSI/SSDI, Outreach, Access, and Recovery) program, this webinar explores access to SSI/SSDI benefits and Individual Placement and Support (IPS) as steps to recovery and gaining meaningful employment. Presenters discuss strategies for implementing vocational and benefit planning into agency SOAR initiatives.