Vocational Rehabilitation
Work, or meaningful employment, contributes to a person’s sense of identity. For people living with mental health challenges, work can also contribute to the prevention of relapse. The beneficial effects of being at work trumps the harmful effects of long-term unemployment, or prolonged absence due to ill health. Returning to work however can be daunting or even feel impossible, when facing it on your own, especially if you have been off work for longer than 6 months.
Occupational therapists trained in vocational rehabilitation provide concrete support to people when returning to the workplace. Early intervention is key, to support job retention and focus on empowering the individual to become effective in dealing with work-related problems.
The process of vocational rehabilitation can include the following elements:
- Determining what you can and cannot do at work and identify links between functional abilities and job demands in the workplace.
- Figuring out what are the problems or barriers standing in your way and finding ways to solve it or make it easier.
- Working on overcoming the barriers in your thoughts about work and exploring the value of work for you, your health and your recovery.
- Skills coaching to empower you be at work… and cope at work.
- Figuring out what reasonable accommodations can assist you at work.
- Development of a work reintegration plan, where you, your employer and other stakeholders contribute.
- Preparing for answering questions from colleagues about time off work.
- Coping plan at work: proactive management of pain, perceptions of colleagues, triggers, and/or management of criticism at work.
- Addressing job-related fears and dissatisfaction, fears of relapse or making your health condition worse
- Addressing the psychosocial barriers to return to work
- Development of strategies to address adversarial relationships at work.
- Developing a resume and work on interviewing skills.
- Work hardening.
- Supported and gradual return to work.
