IPS Supported Employment

Empower your career path with IPS Supported Employment!

At Adapt, we’re committed to unlocking meaningful employment opportunities through comprehensive mental health care.

Our IPS Supported Employment Program champions the belief that securing a job goes beyond just earning a paycheck; it’s about crafting a fulfilling life, promoting self-sufficiency, and fostering independence within the community.

Our Services

Our dedicated team works tirelessly to assist clients in navigating their employment journey, from the initial job search to securing a position that aligns with their skills, interests, and recovery journey.

We Offer:

• Comprehensive Mental Health Assessment: Integrating employment services with mental health care to ensure a personalized approach to recovery and employment.
• Personalized Support: Aiding clients in identifying and achieving their employment goals, whether entering the workforce for the first time or seeking re-employment.
• Holistic Integration: Ensuring seamless coordination between employment plans and mental health treatment for a balanced approach to wellness and work.
• Innovative Employment Model: Utilizing the IPS model to promote career success, supported by core principles like competitive employment, systematic job development, rapid job search, and integrated services.
• Empowerment Through Employment: Highlighting the transformative power of work on self-esteem, stability, and quality of life.
• Eligibility and Accessibility: Making the program accessible to those 16 and older, members of the Oregon Health Plan, and active clients of Adapt Integrated Health Care’s mental health services, with a focus on voluntary engagement and self-referral pathways.

Embark on your journey to meaningful employment and recovery with Adapt’s IPS Supported Employment. Let us guide you towards a future where your career and mental health walk side by side, leading to a fulfilling and independent life in the community.

Our Approach

The cornerstone of our IPS Supported Employment lies in its integration with mental health treatment, tailored to meet individual needs and aspirations.

This holistic methodology not only aids in identifying and pursuing unique employment objectives but also ensures that each employment plan enhances the overall wellness and recovery strategy.

The 8 Principles of IPS

• Eligibility is based upon client choice. No one is excluded because of prior work history, hospitalization history, substance use, symptoms, personal decisions about medications, personal appearance, missed appointments with mental health practitioners, or other factors. Every person is encouraged to think about employment and all interested people are referred to the IPS program. 
• IPS supported employment services are closely integrated with mental health treatment services. Employment specialists are assigned to one or two mental health teams from which they receive referrals. The employment specialists meet weekly with team members to think of strategies to help people with their employment and education goals. They have office space near or with the mental health treatment team and speak between meetings.
• Competitive jobs are the goal. These are jobs that anyone can apply for regardless of disability status. IPS clients who are working earn the same wages as their co-workers (at least minimum wage) and are paid directly by their employers. The jobs do not have artificial time limits arranged by the vocational program. Jobs may be full or part time.
• Employer contact begins rapidly after clients enter the program. There are no requirements for vocational testing, work samples, employment groups or other pre-vocational activities. Instead, the employment specialist and/or client have face-to-face contact with an employer within 30 days after the first IPS appointment.
• Employment specialists build relationships with employers based upon client job interests. Employment specialists meet face-to-face with employers over time to learn about their business needs and the positions in their business. Each specialist makes at least six employer contacts each week with a person who has hiring responsibilities.
• Job supports are continuous. Individualized job supports are provided until jobs are stable or until clients no longer want supports from the IPS team. Mental health practitioners (such as counselors or case managers) continue to help with job supports when clients are no longer receiving supports from the IPS team.
• Consumer preferences are honored. Employment specialists and mental health practitioners provide help with work and school based upon client preferences for type of career, client strengths, preferences for supports, desires for specific work schedules, preferences about sharing disability information with employers, and so forth.
• Benefits planning (work incentives planning) is offered to all clients who receive entitlements. Clients are offered personalized benefits planning before going back to work and when making decisions about changes in employment.