A two-faceted work participation approach to employment and career development as applied to persons with a psychiatric disability

The work histories of persons with severe and persistent psychiatric disabilities are generally characterized by sporadic employment interspersed with long periods of unemployment during which they are supported by and often become dependent upon such forms of public aid as SSI or SSDI. This paper first describes a multifaceted work participation approach to employment and career building. It then explores the implications that this approach has for establishing future directions for research and interventions aimed at improving the quantity and quality of the participation in the work life domain of persons with a psychiatric disability.