A description and comparison of experiences of people with mental disorders in supported employment and paid prevocational training

Supported employment (SE) is an innovative treatment using immediate placement in competitive employment without extensive prevocational training. There is concern that this produces work, stress that can worsen psychiatric symptoms resulting in loss of employment This research evaluated the experiences of clients involved in SE and a program using prevocational training in order to describe and compare changes in self perception, positive and negative features associated with being in vocational training, desired changes in current employment training, preference of employment training type and work, stress experienced in vocational training. Results indicated that both types of employment training had primarily positive effects with few differences between them, suggesting that SE does not have a negative effect on clients compared to a program using extensive work, readiness training.