Skip to main content

Prevalence and Quality of Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Supported Employment in the United States

Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research volume 44, pages 311–319 (2017)Cite this article

Abstract

The individual placement and support (IPS) model of supported employment for people with serious mental illness is an evidence-based practice. Factors including a national learning community promoting IPS and enforcement of the Supreme Court’s Olmstead decision have spurred the growth of IPS nationwide. In this study we first evaluated the national prevalence and quality of IPS programs. We then evaluated the impact of learning community membership and Olmstead settlements on IPS program penetration and quality across the United States. We interviewed representatives from 48 state behavioral health agencies and 51 state vocational rehabilitation agencies. Survey questions examined the number of IPS programs in each state, the presence of an Olmstead settlement mandating employment services for people with serious mental illness, and the presence of three indicators of quality in IPS programs: collaboration between state behavioral health and vocational rehabilitation agencies, regular, independent fidelity monitoring, and technical assistance and training for IPS programs. Respondents from 38 (75%) states, including 19 states in the IPS Learning Community and 19 outside the learning community, reported a total of 523 IPS programs nationwide (M = 14, SD = 16). The state IPS program penetration rate (number of IPS programs per 1,000,000 people) ranged from 0.05 to 16.62 (M = 3.61, SD = 3.62) among states with IPS. The penetration rate was similar for learning community and non-learning community states with IPS, but learning community states were much more likely than non-learning community states with IPS to report the presence of each of three quality indicators. Eleven states reported Olmstead or other settlements that positively impacted employment services for people with serious mental illness, but among the 38 states with IPS programs, Olmstead states did not differ from non-Olmstead states in IPS program penetration or on the quality indicators. Nationally, most states provide IPS programs, but the within-state penetration rate and quality of implementation vary widely. While learning community and non-learning community states with IPS do not differ in the prevalence of IPS programs, learning community states are much more likely to report key quality indicators, which may enhance these states’ potential for sustaining and expanding IPS. Olmstead settlements have not yet shown a direct impact on the penetration and quality of IPS, but as the Department of Justice continues to enforce the Supreme Court’s Olmstead decision, their significance may increase.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

43,34 €

Price includes VAT (Finland)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

References

  • Aarons, G. A., Sommerfeld, D. H., Hecht, D. B., Silovsky, J. F., & Chaffin, M. J. (2009). The impact of evidence-based practice implementation and fidelity monitoring on staff turnover: Evidence for a protective effect. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 77, 270–280.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Becker, D. R., Drake, R. E., & Bond, G. R. (2014). The IPS supported employment learning collaborative. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 37, 79–85.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bond, G. R., Becker, D. R., Drake, R. E., & Vogler, K. M. (1997). A fidelity scale for the individual placement and support model of supported employment. Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin, 40, 265–284.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bond, G. R., & Drake, R. E. (2014). Making the case for IPS supported employment. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 41, 69–73.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bond, G. R., Drake, R. E., Becker, D. R., & Noel, V. A. (2016). The IPS learning community: A longitudinal study of sustainment, quality, and outcome. Psychiatric Services, 67, 864–869.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bond, G. R., Peterson, A. E., Becker, D. R., & Drake, R. E. (2012). Validating the revised individual placement and support fidelity scale (IPS-25). Psychiatric Services, 63, 758–763.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, J. D., Barrett, A., Ireys, H., Caffery, E., & Hourihan, K. (2012). Evidence-based practices for Medicaid beneficiaries with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Washington, DC: Office of Disability, Aging and Long-Term Care Policy, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bruns, E. J., Kerns, S. E., Pullmann, M. D., Hensley, S. W., Lutterman, T., & Hoagwood, K. E. (2016). Research, data, and evidence-based treatment use in state behavioral health systems, 2001–2012. Psychiatric Services, 67, 496–503.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Burnim, I. (2015). The promise of the Americans with Disabilities Act for people with mental illness. Journal of the American Medical Association, 313, 2223–2224.

    CAS  Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Deci, P. A., Santos, A. B., Hiott, D. W., Schoenwald, S., & Dias, J. K. (1995). Dissemination of assertive community treatment teams. Psychiatric Services, 46, 676–678.

    CAS  Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Drake, R. E., Becker, D. R., Goldman, H. H., & Martinez, R. A. (2006). Best practices: The Johnson & Johnson—Dartmouth Community Mental Health Program: Disseminating evidence-based practice. Psychiatric Services, 57, 302–304.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Drake, R. E., Bond, G. R., Goldman, H. H., Hogan, M. F., & Karakus, M. (2016). Individual Placement and Support services boost employment for people with serious mental illness, but funding is lacking. Health Affairs, 35, 1098–1105.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Drake, R. E., Goldman, H. H., Leff, H. S., Lehman, A. F., Dixon, L., Mueser, K. T., & Torrey, W. C. (2001). Implementing evidence-based practices in routine mental health service settings. Psychiatric Services, 52, 179–182.

    CAS  Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Finnerty, M. T., Rapp, C. A., Bond, G. R., Lynde, D. W., Ganju, V. J., & Goldman, H. H. (2009). The State Health Authority Yardstick (SHAY). Community Mental Health Journal, 45, 228–236.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ganju, V. (2003). Implementation of evidence-based practices in state mental health systems: Implications for research and effectiveness studies. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 29, 125–131.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kim, S. J., Bond, G. R., Becker, D. R., Swanson, S. J., & Reese, S. L. (2015). Predictive validity of the individual placement and support fidelity scale (IPS-25): A replication study. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 43, 209–216.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lutterman, T. (2015). Supported employment services provided by state mental health systems. Paper presented at the Employment Symposium for SMHA Executives, Omaha, Nebraska.

  • Margolies, P. J., Broadway-Wilson, K., Gregory, R., Jewell, T. C., Scannevin, G., Myers, R. W., ... Dixon, L. B. (2015). Use of learning collaboratives by the center for practice innovations to bring IPS to scale in New York state. Psychiatric Services, 66, 4–6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Marshall, T., Goldberg, R. W., Braude, L., Dougherty, R. H., Daniels, A. S., Ghose, S. S., … Delphin-Rittmon, M. E. (2014). Supported employment: Assessing the evidence. Psychiatric Services, 65, 16–23.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rosenheck, R. A., Leslie, D., Keefe, R., McEvoy, J., Swartz, M., Perkins, D., … Lieberman, J. (2006). Barriers to employment for people with schizophrenia. American Journal of Psychiatry, 163, 411–417.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Salkever, D. S., Karakus, M. C., Slade, E. P., Harding, C. M., Hough, R. L., Rosenheck, R. A., … Yamada, A. M. (2007). Measures and predictors of community-based employment and earnings of persons with schizophrenia in a multisite study. Psychiatric Services, 58, 315–324.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Salyers, M. P., McKasson, M., Bond, G. R., McGrew, J. H., Rollins, A. L., & Boyle, C. (2007). The role of technical assistance centers in implementing evidence-based practices: Lessons learned. American Journal of Psychiatric Rehabilitation, 10, 85–101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • White, D. A., Luther, L., Bonfils, K. A., & Salyers, M. P. (2015). Essential components of early intervention programs for psychosis: Available intervention services in the United States. Schizophrenia Research, 168, 79–83.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

This study was funded by H133B140028 from the National Institute of Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research.

Author information

Affiliations

  1. The IPS Employment Center, Westat, Inc., Rivermill Commercial Center, 85 Mechanic Street, Suite C3-1, Lebanon, NH, 03766, USA

    Annalee Johnson-Kwochka, Gary R. Bond, Deborah R. Becker & Robert E. Drake

  2. Department of Biomedical Data Sciences, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA

    Mary Ann Greene

Authors
  1. Annalee Johnson-Kwochka
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Gary R. Bond
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Deborah R. Becker
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Robert E. Drake
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Mary Ann Greene
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Annalee Johnson-Kwochka.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

Ms. Johnson-Kwochka declares she has no conflict of interest. Dr. Bond declares he has no conflict of interest. Ms. Becker declares she has no conflict of interest. Dr. Drake declares he has no conflict of interest. Ms. Greene declares she has no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Johnson-Kwochka, A., Bond, G.R., Becker, D.R. et al. Prevalence and Quality of Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Supported Employment in the United States. Adm Policy Ment Health 44, 311–319 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-016-0787-5

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-016-0787-5

Keywords

  • Individual placement and support (IPS)
  • Supported employment
  • Serious mental illness
  • Prevalence
  • Quality