Struggling with Fitting in: Clients Mixed Experiences of Receiving Job Support and Getting a Job When Participating in Individual Placement and Support in Norway.
Liv Grethe Kinn, Larry Davidson, Ketil Joachim Oedegaard and 1 others
PMID 38782860WHAT IT FOUND
Ten people with severe mental illness described mixed experiences of job support.
They valued accessible specialists but felt let down by poor job matches and insufficient on-site guidance. Many struggled with workplace triggers and called for more flexible, hands-on support to sustain employment.
Key findings
01Participants valued employment specialists who were accessible, friendly, and personalized, but some felt the specialists did not adequately address how their mental illness affected work performance.
02Many participants experienced job placements as unsuitable or triggering, leading to downward spirals in mental health and job loss due to poor matches or lack of workplace adjustments.
03Participants called for more hands-on support at the worksite and opportunities to try diverse jobs, noting that follow-up often decreased after placement.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study included only ten participants, which limits the range of experiences captured. The sample was drawn from a specific region in Norway, so findings may not generalize to other cultural or healthcare systems. The study relied on self-reported experiences, which can be influenced by current mental state or recall bias. The researchers acknowledge that their own perspectives as healthcare professionals influenced the interpretation of the data.
Declared interests
The study was financially supported by the Norwegian Occupational Therapist Association and Western Norway University of Applied Sciences. The first author is an occupational therapist and researcher with no role in the IPS program studied.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret these findings as evidence that IPS fails or that employment specialists are ineffective. The study describes the subjective experiences of a very small group of ten people and does not measure employment outcomes or compare different support models. It offers insights into potential areas for improvement in support quality, not a verdict on the efficacy of the IPS model itself.