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Peer Support Specialists Enhance Supported employment Programs

Most people recovering from mental health conditions want to work. A service called Individual Placement and Support or IPS has been proven to help them get and keep jobs of their own choosing at competitive wages. This career development process is called "vocational recovery." Mental health peers are increasingly playing an important role in this process. This toolkit describes how peer specialists are working to deliver and support IPS services. 



Peer specialists are involved in evidence-based supported employment in many ways. They provide recovery-oriented pre-and post-employment services. They also deliver IPS directly as employment specialists and team leaders. They help preserve quality standards as members of IPS fidelity audits and training programs. Read further to learn more about how this is happening across the U.S. 

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Employment-Focused Peer Support

Learn about the different ways that Peer Support Specialists enhance supported employment programs.​

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Peer Supporters as IPS Employment Specialists

Access information and resources about Peer Specialists serving as IPS Employment Specialists.​

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Peer-Operated Employment Programs

Learn how peer-run programs are implementing evidence-based supported employment.  

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Other Key Roles for Peer Specialists in Supported Employment

Tap into other key functions that Peer Specialists perform in supported employment programs.​

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Nominate a vocational program or IPS team that employs peer specialists.
​Tell their story, and we may feature them in our online toolkit! 

Nominate an employment program or team
This toolkit was compiled by the Collaborative Support Programs of New Jersey (Peg Swarbrick and Patricia Nemec) and the UIC Center on Integrated Health Care and Self-Directed Recovery (Jessica Jonikas and Judith Cook), 2019.

​People in mental health recovery, their family members, and service providers are welcome to reproduce our products for their personal and/or programmatic use. However, no part of any of the products may be reproduced, adapted, or modified for commercial, research, or educational purposes, or for publication (including self-publication), without written permission from the UIC Center. ​
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Visit our other Centers & Programs:
UIC Center on Psychiatric Disability and Co-Occurring Medical Conditions
Illinois IPS Web Portal 
UIC Rehabilitation Research & Training Center on Long-Term Mental Illness
Employment Intervention Demonstration Program
UIC Center on Mental Health Services Research and Policy

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