Mental Health Treatment Study

The proportion of social security beneficiaries qualifying for benefits due to a mental disorder has been growing.  While most forms of mental illness are treatable, many beneficiaries with mental impairments do not receive the services that could assist individuals with disabilities to sufficiently increase their ability to work.  This national study, sponsored by the Social Security Administration, helps people with psychiatric disabilities return to work by providing them with employment supports and mental health treatment.  Thresholds is one of 22 sites around the country participating in this study in which the employment outcomes of consumers receiving supported employment services is being tracked for two years and compared to consumers with no additional supports.  Over 100 consumers are enrolled at Thresholds for the purpose of this study and receiving special services.

Thinking Skills for Work 

This project, being conducted through Dartmouth College, will test a new, standardized, pilot-tested cognitive training intervention, the Thinking Skills for Work Program, specifically designed to increase the effectiveness of supported employment for clients with SMI who have problems getting and keeping jobs.  This program, which is fully integrated into supported employment services, includes: a) cognitive and work history assessment, b) computer cognitive training exercises, c) collaborative job search planning, and d) development of cognitive coping strategies for the workplace. 

Employment Specialists’ Characteristics as Predictors of Employment Outcomes

This study, being conducted through Indiana University Purdue University of Indianapolis, seeks to explore the relationship employment specialists’ characteristics and their influence on consumer employment outcomes in supported employment programs.  Employment specialists will be asked to complete on-line surveys assessing their knowledge, attitude and skills as employment specialists.  SE supervisors will also complete surveys assessing the skills of the employment specialists their directly supervise.  These survey results will be linked to the outcomes of each employment specialist’s given caseload in order to determine what practitioner characteristics predict successful outcomes.  A total of twenty-five Thresholds employment specialists and eight SE supervisors are participating in this project. 

Techniques and Strategies Used By Employment Specialists Securing Employment for Consumers

The purpose of this study is to investigate the strategies and techniques used by successful and less successful employment specialists when they engage and work with consumers to gain employment through supported employment programs.  By assessing and understanding various techniques used by various employment specialists, job development and job training for current and future employment specialists can be improved by highlighting strategies to use and avoid when working with consumers. This qualitative study involves twelve Thresholds employment specialists.

Evidence-Base Supported Employment for Transition Age Youth
The specific aim of this project is to develop and conduct a mixed-methods pre-post feasibility study of evidence-based supported employment that has been adapted to include supported education and meet the unique needs of transition age youth with severe mental illness or severe emotional disturbance.  Thus, the study aims to: (1) develop a supported employment/supported education model incorporating the most promising interventions for transition age youth with serious mental illness and serious emotional disturbances, and to (2) conduct a feasibility study of that supported employment/supported education model; measuring ability to deliver the model in a high fidelity manner.

Cognitive Rehabilitation

Thinking Skills for Work 

This project, conducted in collaboration with Dartmouth College, will test a new, standardized, pilot-tested cognitive training intervention, the Thinking Skills for Work Program, specifically designed to increase the effectiveness of supported employment for clients with SMI who have problems getting and keeping jobs.  This program, which is fully integrated into supported employment services, includes: a) cognitive and work history assessment, b) computer cognitive training exercises, c) collaborative job search planning, and d) development of cognitive coping strategies for the workplace. 

Integrated Health Care
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Shared Decision Making
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Workforce Development
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Evaluation Projects
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