Mastering the World of Work for Mental Illness
Recruiting in Palo Alto (17 mi)
Age: 18+
Sex: Any
Travel: May Be Covered
Time Reimbursement: Varies
Trial Phase: Academic
Recruiting
Sponsor: Boston University Charles River Campus
Disqualifiers: Inability to give consent
No Placebo Group
Trial Summary
What is the purpose of this trial?The purpose of this study is to conduct a randomized clinical trial for an innovative intervention entitled "Mastering the World of Work" (MWW). MWW aims to improve the employment outcomes of individuals with psychiatric disabilities who experience metacognitive deficits. Metacognitive deficits are represented in diminished capacity to form an integrated sense of self and others and respond to challenges in life. The randomized trial (N=60) will be conducted with recipients of Supported Employment (Individual Placement and Support) services at the Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester, in Manchester, NH. Given COVID-19 safety considerations, the MWW intervention will be delivered in a hybrid manner depending on the preferences of both clinicians and clients at the MHCGM at any given point of the study. The feasibility of remote delivery of the intervention has been established as part of a pilot study conducted at BU CPR. Thus, clinicians may deliver the intervention using HIPAA-complaint ZOOM connection and/or in person. The assessments will be administered at baseline, 6, 12, and 18 months post baseline remotely by BU staff using a HIPAA-complaint ZOOM connection. The RCT will establish preliminary evidence about the incremental effectiveness of the MWW intervention to improve the employment outcomes of individuals with metacognitive deficits who receive high fidelity IPS services. Study participants randomized to the control condition will receive IPS services as usual.
Will I have to stop taking my current medications?
The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications. It is best to discuss this with the trial coordinators or your healthcare provider.
What data supports the effectiveness of the treatment Mastering the World of Work (MWW) for mental illness?
Research shows that work therapy can be a useful part of treatment for people with chronic mental illness, helping them engage in active and social life, which is important for recovery. Employment is linked to self-respect and recovery, and programs like Individual Placement and Support (IPS) are recognized as effective in vocational rehabilitation.
12345How is the treatment Mastering the World of Work (MWW) unique for mental illness?
Mastering the World of Work (MWW) is unique because it focuses on helping individuals with mental illness gain and retain employment, which is an important part of recovery. Unlike other treatments that may focus solely on symptoms, MWW addresses the social and professional aspects of living with mental illness, providing support for work integration and employment.
678910Eligibility Criteria
This trial is for English-speaking adults over 18 with serious mental illness, including dual diagnosis, who are unemployed but receiving Supported Employment services in Manchester, NH. Participants must be willing to engage via Zoom and consent to audio recordings of sessions.Inclusion Criteria
Not currently employed for one of the following reasons: i. newly enrolled in IPS and have not yet been placed in a job ii. have been enrolled in IPS for at least three months and have not yet obtained a job iii. have lost a job after enrollment in IPS and have not obtained a new job for at least a month following the loss of their last job
I am getting job support services at the Mental Health Center in Manchester, NH.
I can use Zoom for assessments and interventions if needed.
+4 more
Exclusion Criteria
I am unable to understand and give consent for treatment.
Trial Timeline
Screening
Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial
2-4 weeks
Treatment
Participants receive the MWW intervention, consisting of 29 sessions over 7 modules, delivered in a hybrid manner based on preferences and safety considerations.
18 months
Weekly sessions (in-person or virtual)
Follow-up
Participants are monitored for employment outcomes and metacognitive capacity through assessments at baseline, 6, 12, and 18 months.
18 months
4 assessments (virtual)
Participant Groups
The 'Mastering the World of Work' (MWW) intervention is being tested alongside usual Supported Employment services. The study will assess if MWW improves job outcomes for those with psychiatric disabilities and metacognitive deficits through a mix of remote and possibly in-person sessions.
2Treatment groups
Experimental Treatment
Active Control
Group I: ExperimentalExperimental Treatment1 Intervention
Study participants randomized to the experimental condition will receive IPS services as usual in conjunction with the MWW intervention.
Group II: ControlActive Control1 Intervention
Study participants randomized to the control condition will receive IPS services as usual.
Find a Clinic Near You
Research Locations NearbySelect from list below to view details:
Mental Health Center of Greater ManchesterManchester, NH
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Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?
Boston University Charles River CampusLead Sponsor
References
[Ambulatory occupational therapy. Results of a multicenter, prospective evaluation study]. [2019]Work is an indispensable component in the treatment of (chronically) mentally ill patients. In critically scientific terms, however, there is no adequate proof of its therapeutic effectiveness. Efforts at evaluation fail because of the complexity of the clinical reality. Moreover, the differential aspects of the indication have been ignored in research. This is exemplary of the problems confronting research on the provision of psychiatric treatment: the status of what has been put to the test and introduced on the basis of routine experience is such that emperical investigations are not carried out because of lack of interest and methodological problems. Against the background of this dilemma, this study seeks a middle course for measuring success. We carried out a prospective study on a representative sample of 126 outpatients in 7 clinical work therapy departments. The results show that outpatient work therapy can be seen as a useful part of differentiated therapy, in particular for chronically mentally ill patients. Previous experience is summed up in a review of the literature.
The case for a flexible, long-term sheltered workshop for psychiatric patients. [2019]In making his case for a flexible, long-term sheltered workshop, the author presents seven propositions that he supports with reviews of outcome studies in psychiatric treatment and rehabilitation. He submits that it is unrealistic to expect a lasting cure for many psychiatric patients; that despite rehospitilizations, many patients spend most of their lives in the community, where their vocational performance is poor; that total vocational rehabilitation is an unrealistic goal for many of the patients but that in our culture employment is essential to self-respect; and that hospital patients can and will work in hospital workshops and in community workshops after discharge. In addition, he describes a work-for-pay program affiliated with a psychiatric day hospital.
[Employment and Recovery Process]. [2018]Objectives It is widely acknowledged and confirmed by research that there is a close relationship between work and recovery from a mental illness. The aim of this article is to discuss different aspects of the relationship between these two concepts.Methods The discussion is based on a synthesis of the relevant literature in two domains: the benefits of employment for people living with a mental illness and their contributions to the recovery process, and the specification of the recovery paradigm and of the recovery-oriented practices.Results The recovery paradigm may be characterized by some main shifts in the vision of people living with a mental illness and of their future, with consequences on how to support these people, and in particular how to conceive their vocational rehabilitation. One of the first shifts is that it is possible for a large majority of these people to recover, to return to active and social life, to consider a favourable future. This possibility, which gives rise to hope and a high expectation, should now be the priority objective of supporting practices, which implies a renewal of these practices. A second shift is that this possibility of recovery does not necessarily require a complete and prior reduction of the mental disorders. The recovery approach, by giving priority to commitment to an active and social life, supports vocational reintegration as a priority. This new approach to practices and services should be considered at two levels: in the design and organization of services, which must be redefined according to the primary objectives and the values of recovery, but also at the individual level, in the accompanying posture, which should be based on the values of recovery. In vocational rehabilitation, Individual Placement and Support (IPS) is recognized as an evidence-based practice and its principles are well defined. There is a striking convergence between the underlying principles of IPS programs and the principles of the recovery-oriented practices, but the shift in the accompanying individual posture is better specified by the recovery-oriented practice literature.A number of research focuses on the different ways by which employment contribute to the recovery process. We rely on existing qualitative meta-synthesis of these studies, to present the factors contributing to the recovery process according to the relevant main dimensions.Conclusion In the current French context of development of effective professional integration practices, based on the Place and train model, it is important to stress that these practices must be also recovery-oriented, which implies not only a new design of vocational services but also to adopt a new attitude for supporting people in the process of work integration.
Working with schizophrenia: a clinician's personal experience. [2019]There are few mental illnesses that have as profound an effect on individuals and their families as schizophrenia. The management of patients with schizophrenia requires the clinician to be aware of the wide range of outcomes and the multiple facets of management that can be used. This article examines the variety of ways in which the physician can work with patients with schizophrenia to help them achieve their full potential.
Initial outcomes of a mental illness self-management program based on wellness recovery action planning. [2019]This study examined changes in psychosocial outcomes among participants in an eight-week, peer-led, mental illness self-management intervention called Wellness Recovery Action Planning (WRAP).
Work, employment, and mental illness: expanding the domain of Canadian social work. [2022]Despite established evidence that work and employment are an important component of recovery for people who experience mental illness, social work education in Canada seldom offers graduate training or courses on the significance of work in peoples' lives or on the practices involved in helping to gain and retain employment for these individuals. In this article the authors argue that the high levels of unemployment among people who experience mental illness, and the rising incidence of mental health and addictions issues in workplaces, offer the opportunity, as well as the mandate, for social work educators to provide professional education in the area of employment support and assistance.
A Canadian model of work integration for persons with mental illnesses. [2010]The many programmes, services and policy initiatives that focus on work integration for persons with mental illnesses and psychiatric disabilities reflect a multitude of beliefs and practices that lead the field to work in divergent, sometimes conflicting directions. This article presents a framework of the central constructs that dominate the field of work integration and mental illness.
Handbook of mental health in the workplace Jay C Thomas and Michel Hersen Handbook of mental health in the workplace Sage 574 £77 0761922555 0761922555 [Formula: see text]. [2019]This book provides a comprehensive overview of theory, legislation (as it applies in the US) and good practice concerned with the successful employment of people with mental health disabilities.
The WorkingWell Mobile Phone App for Individuals With Serious Mental Illnesses: Proof-of-Concept, Mixed-Methods Feasibility Study. [2023]The disparities in employment for individuals with serious mental illnesses have been well documented, as have the benefits of work. Mobile technology can provide accessible in-the-moment support for these individuals. The WorkingWell mobile app was developed to meet the need for accessible follow-along supports for individuals with serious mental illnesses in the workplace.
[Employees with mental illness - possibilities and barriers in professional activity]. [2015]In Poland patients with psychiatric problems form a large group; in 2010 there were almost 1.5 million people for whom outpatient psychiatric care was provided, whereas approximately 200 thousand ill individuals were treated in 24-h psychiatric wards. Only 17% of the mentally disabled are professionally active. The results of many researches show that despite the detrimental influence of mental disorders on the employment (e.g., lower productivity, absenteeism, presenteism, increased risk of accidents at the workplace), professional activity can play a key role in the7stabilization of the mental state, it can also help in disease recovery. People with mental disorders are a social group that is at the higher risk of exclusion from the job market. The opinion prevailing among employers is that mentally ill individuals have decreased ability to conduct professional activity, and social attitudes towards them tend to be based on marking and stigmatizing. This review tackles the advantages of working during the illness, barriers which people with mental disorders face on the job market when they want to either start or continue work, and professional functioning of people with diagnosed depression (e.g., affective disorders) and schizophrenia (representing psychotic disorders). The analysis of existing data show that to improve the situation of mentally ill people present on the job market close cooperation between the representatives of various medical specializations is necessary, as well as their active participation in the process of social and professional rehabilitation of people affected by mental disorders.