The Experience of KAI MAHI, an Employment Initiative for People with an Experience of Mental Illness, as Told by Zarna, Zeus, Lulu, Mary, Paul, and Hemi

Employment related barriers and facilitators for people with psychiatric disabilities in Spain

BACKGROUND: People with mental health-related disabilities still experience difficulties in obtaining and maintaining a job. Previous international studies inform about employment barriers and facilitators but there is insufficient research in Spain. OBJECTIVE: To explore what type of employment barriers and facilitators were important for people with psychiatric disabilities with past work experiences in competitive and protected work settings. METHODS: In-depth, semi-structured qualitative interviews with 24 participants selected through purposive sampling. RESULTS: The personal sphere was the content most closely related to barriers, followed by the social environment. Facilitators were more closely related to the interviewees’ social network, followed by elements in their personal sphere and job environment. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest the need to implement supported employment services in Spain to promote hiring people with psychiatric disabilities in competitive companies. The results also indicate the need to implement new services aimed at supporting the management of disability information during the process of obtaining and maintaining a job, while there is still a need to conduct anti-stigma and anti-discrimination campaigns.

"It's a Big Family Here." Becoming and Belonging in a Service Providing Employment-Related Support for People with Mental Health Problems: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

The impact of employment for individuals with mental health problems is complex. However, research suggests that when support is provided for accessing employment and gaining roles and skills that are valued by others, a positive effect can be seen on recovery. Employment-related support can take many forms and there is a need for further research into the experience of accessing different kinds of services. The current paper examines the lived experience of 11 people participating in a UK social enterprise providing work experience, training, and skills development for those with mental health problems. Although 'sheltered', the organisational ethos strongly emphasised service-user empowerment, co-production, equality with staff, provision of valued social roles and person-centred support. Phenomenological analysis revealed that participants valued a sense of belonging and authentic relationships within the service, whilst being given the opportunity to rediscover an identity that may have been lost because of their mental health problem. However, participants also discussed how, although the service improved their self-value, some feared the 'real world' outside of the service and were unsure whether they would be met with the same support. Tensions between field dominant approaches in supported employment and the experiences and values of the participants are explored. We argue that the findings highlight the importance of a nurturing working environment and the value for recovery of a range of meaningful roles, beyond competitive employment.