Improving Work Outcome for People With Severe Mental Illness

Individual Placement and Support (IPS) is established as the most effective vocational intervention available for persons with severe mental illness,and the intervention is widely recognized as an evidence-based practice. Despite evidence, long-term job retention and economic self-sufficiency have not been clearly demonstrated. Research has suggested that integrating methods such as cognitive remediation and social skills training could reduce such limitations. Further, there has not been conducted any randomized controled trials with IPS in Scandinavian countries with highly developed and generous social security and welfare systems, and with high thresholds to the open labour market. The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of IPS in Denmark and compare effects of 1. IPS vs. 2. IPS + cognitive remediation and work-related social skills training vs. 3. Standard intervention. The intervention is based on the 7 principles of IPS Supported Employment, and IPS enhanced with cognitive remediation and work-related social skills training, consists of 24 sessions of computer based cognitive training and 24 group based sessions of cognitive coping strategies and work-related social skills training.