Centering Lived Experience to Advance Employment for People with Psychiatric Disabilities

Transcript

• 00:02Good morning,
• 00:04good afternoon, good night.
• 00:06We have people here today
• 00:08from around the world, so
• 00:10thank you all for coming
• 00:11here today.
• 00:13Welcome to two thousand twenty
• 00:15five, two thousand twenty six
• 00:17International Recovery Citizenship
• 00:20Collective Seminar Series.
• 00:23Today, we will have our
• 00:25colleagues from port talking about
• 00:28the work they're doing here,
• 00:30centering lived experience to a
• 00:32defense employment for people with,
• 00:36psychiatric disabilities.
• 00:38Next, please.
• 00:41So we work here, very
• 00:44hard and very happy to
• 00:46put the two thousand twenty
• 00:47six,
• 00:48webinar series together.
• 00:50What we want to do
• 00:52here is really highlight,
• 00:54practices that co create a
• 00:56sense of belonging meaningful lives
• 00:59and full social inclusion.
• 01:01So as a participant, we
• 01:03will reflect together
• 01:06in how,
• 01:08how your experiences can transform
• 01:11life, this is how you
• 01:12can foster a deeper understand
• 01:13of the five r's
• 01:15of citizenship
• 01:17and the impact in our
• 01:20personal
• 01:21and well-being,
• 01:22family,
• 01:23workplace,
• 01:24social relationships, and at our
• 01:26community.
• 01:30Our ideas
• 01:31is rooted in advocacy
• 01:34and informed by both local
• 01:36and global
• 01:38perspectives.
• 01:39We will examine
• 01:41how recovery
• 01:42and citizenship
• 01:44have evolved across different cultures
• 01:47and contacts, so how this
• 01:48apply for each one of
• 01:50us.
• 01:51And together,
• 01:52we will restraint
• 01:53our shared
• 01:55commitments and explore how the
• 01:57community based
• 01:59culturally responsive
• 02:00lived experience
• 02:01and person centric approach can
• 02:03foster sustainable
• 02:05and change of what you
• 02:06view and much more. So
• 02:09that's just the cities.
• 02:11In February,
• 02:13nineteen,
• 02:14we will have our colleagues,
• 02:16from Brazil
• 02:18and UK talking about,
• 02:21Uno Bo.
• 02:23And March, we will have
• 02:25our colleagues from Hong Kong
• 02:27get here today.
• 02:29And then in April, we
• 02:31will present our experience
• 02:34here in Connecticut.
• 02:39I'm sorry. In April, you
• 02:40will be with our colleagues,
• 02:42from UK, and then March,
• 02:45we will be our colleagues
• 02:46here,
• 02:47in Connecticut.
• 02:49And June, we have colleagues
• 02:51from, Colombia and Brazil.
• 02:54Next, please.
• 02:57I want to just do
• 02:59some land acknowledgment.
• 03:02So our land in Connecticut
• 03:05was once native territory.
• 03:07It is our duty to
• 03:09acknowledge that many of the
• 03:11institutions
• 03:12where we work or conduct
• 03:14research
• 03:15are in the native land.
• 03:17Give a text.
• 03:18Land acknowledgment
• 03:20do not exist in the
• 03:21past tense or historical context.
• 03:24Colonialism
• 03:25is a coherent ongoing,
• 03:28process, and we need to
• 03:30be mindful of our present
• 03:32participation.
• 03:33Next.
• 03:35I want to welcome to,
• 03:37and and and say thank
• 03:39you to all your committee,
• 03:41doctor Shurell Bellamy. It's here
• 03:43with us. Elizabeth,
• 03:45Julian,
• 03:46Graciela, Maria Estrepo, Marco Costa,
• 03:49Patricia Benedikt, Snigda,
• 03:51and also our ISSC chair,
• 03:54Shirelles, Julian, and Graciela.
• 03:56Are you on turn off
• 03:57to my colleague, Maria?
• 04:00Good morning, everybody, and good
• 04:02afternoon,
• 04:04and very good, night, actually,
• 04:06for Hong Kong. My name
• 04:07is Maria Rustre Coutoro, and
• 04:09I am the director of
• 04:11health education training and development
• 04:13at the Yale program on
• 04:14recovery and community health. And
• 04:16it is an honor and
• 04:18pleasure to be here today,
• 04:20introducing,
• 04:21the amazing work of our
• 04:23colleagues.
• 04:24We wanna thank everybody for
• 04:25joining us and,
• 04:27want to notice that PERC,
• 04:29as you know, we're very
• 04:31well connected international. We have
• 04:33multiple
• 04:34initiatives, but this one, the
• 04:35RCC,
• 04:37is really one of the
• 04:38most important legacies of doctor
• 04:40Michael Rolfe, doctor Sherry Bellamy,
• 04:42doctor Larry Davidson, and we
• 04:44have,
• 04:45connections,
• 04:46committees from Australia, Brazil,
• 04:49Catalonia,
• 04:50Spain, Chile, Colombia, France, Hong
• 04:53Kong,
• 04:54China, Italy, New Zealand, Norway,
• 04:56Quebec, Canada, Scotland, u Kingdom,
• 04:59United States.
• 05:00And and this is one
• 05:01of the most important efforts
• 05:03we do, and we have
• 05:04multiple other,
• 05:06projects that we as well
• 05:07have international.
• 05:09So next slide.
• 05:12Just for housekeeping information, please
• 05:14keep your microphones
• 05:16muted,
• 05:17and use the chat. We
• 05:18are all here. There's a
• 05:20whole team ready to answer
• 05:21the questions. We'll have some
• 05:23time for to do that
• 05:24at
• 05:25the end. If you need
• 05:27CC captions, please turn it
• 05:29on and,
• 05:31you know, email, text us,
• 05:34Graciela
• 05:34or, Snigdha or anybody else
• 05:37on the team for any
• 05:38questions that you may have.
• 05:40Next
• 05:41slide.
• 05:44Want to acknowledge that this
• 05:45is a disclaimer.
• 05:47The twenty five twenty six
• 05:49international
• 05:50recovery and citizen collaborative
• 05:52presentations
• 05:53were prepared for the seminar
• 05:56series titled co creating access
• 05:58of belonging in illness and
• 06:00disability, a holistic
• 06:01worldview
• 06:02experience to the five r's
• 06:04of citizenship.
• 06:07All materials in this presentation
• 06:09except for the content taken
• 06:11directly for copyright
• 06:12resources is in the public
• 06:14domain
• 06:15and can be reproduced or
• 06:17copied without permission from the
• 06:18RCC
• 06:19or the other speakers.
• 06:21We will appreciate if you
• 06:23cited the resource. Please do
• 06:25not reproduce or distribute this
• 06:27presentation for a fee. The
• 06:29opinions expressed here and those
• 06:32are the moderator, are the
• 06:33panelists, and do not represent
• 06:35the official,
• 06:37position of the RCC. The
• 06:38RCC does not officially support
• 06:40or endorse
• 06:42the opinion described in this
• 06:43presentation.
• 06:46So,
• 06:47the sponsors,
• 06:48we, of course, at the
• 06:50Yale program and recovery and
• 06:51community health value,
• 06:54the work that we have
• 06:55with our sponsors.
• 06:57Clearly,
• 06:58the university
• 06:59oh, I'm not gonna pronounce
• 07:01this one and and start
• 07:03okay.
• 07:05And and Glasgow,
• 07:07is one of the key
• 07:08sponsors of the RCC.
• 07:10The Yale LEADS experience transformational
• 07:13leadership academy, which I have
• 07:15the honor to colleague with
• 07:16doctor Shurer Bellamy,
• 07:18the Yale doctor and National
• 07:20Institute of Disability, Independent Living
• 07:23and Rehabilitation
• 07:24Searcher, Natalie.
• 07:25The copia will tell you
• 07:27a little bit about that.
• 07:28This is what this presentation
• 07:30is funded from. The Citizen
• 07:32Collaborative,
• 07:33the CCC.
• 07:34The Conejo Department of Mental
• 07:36Health and Addiction services, one
• 07:37of our most important partners
• 07:39in in this work and
• 07:41multiple others,
• 07:42the Yale program on recovery
• 07:43and community health, and the
• 07:45Yale recovery Latino collective.
• 07:48So without further ado, I
• 07:50am going to,
• 07:52very briefly,
• 07:53and I won't have the,
• 07:56the I'm gonna tell you
• 07:58who the amazing team is
• 07:59gonna lead the presentation today.
• 08:02You're gonna hear first for
• 08:03doctor O'Connell, who is an
• 08:04associate professor at the Yale,
• 08:08at at Yale and director
• 08:09of the research and evaluation
• 08:11at the Yale program for
• 08:12recovery and community health. She's
• 08:15the PA of the postdoctoral
• 08:16training program
• 08:18that's being highlighted today.
• 08:20She has worked for over
• 08:21thirty years in the field
• 08:23of recovery and psychiatric rehabilitation.
• 08:26Doctor Mark Costa,
• 08:28Miles per hour, she's a
• 08:29research scientist at the Yale
• 08:31School of Medicine, Department of
• 08:32Psychiatry,
• 08:34program for recovery and community
• 08:35health, one of the RNIBBLY
• 08:37program
• 08:38to advance employment for people
• 08:40with psychiatric disabilities,
• 08:41is the project coordinator.
• 08:43Doctor Megan Evas is an
• 08:45associate researcher,
• 08:48at the Yale program of
• 08:49recovery and community health and
• 08:51former NIDILRR art,
• 08:54postdoctoral
• 08:54fellow trained in public health,
• 08:57and she studies the social
• 08:59determinants of mental health and
• 09:01substance use recovery and is
• 09:03especially interested in social, relation,
• 09:05and vocational recovery.
• 09:08And doctor Elizabeth Bresola is
• 09:10a resilient psychologist passionate about
• 09:12exploring the ways people strive
• 09:14to to live fuller, more
• 09:16meaningful lives,
• 09:18research and subjective experience to
• 09:20a phenomenology
• 09:21person centered lens. Currently,
• 09:23she's a postdoc at the
• 09:25Perch. At Perch, she's looking
• 09:27at the experience of being
• 09:29unemployed and living with a
• 09:30serious mental illness.
• 09:32Lastly, Doctor. Sai Snigdha Chaluri,
• 09:35she's a postdoctoral
• 09:36associate at the Yale program
• 09:38on recovery and community health.
• 09:40Her research focuses on recovery
• 09:42oriented mental health and substance
• 09:44use services with particular attention
• 09:46to how stigma
• 09:48shapes care
• 09:49experiences and outcomes.
• 09:51So please welcome this amazing
• 09:53team, and it's now my
• 09:54honor to turn it to
• 09:55doctor Maria O'Connell.
• 09:58Hello. Good morning and good
• 10:00evening.
• 10:00Thank you all for being
• 10:02here. We are absolutely thrilled
• 10:04to see so many faces
• 10:05and so many of you
• 10:06here.
• 10:07Today, we'll be sharing some
• 10:09insights from our program, and
• 10:11you'll get a chance to
• 10:12hear about some of the
• 10:13specific projects
• 10:15that our postdoctoral
• 10:16fellows have,
• 10:17taken on or or are
• 10:18conducting now.
• 10:21As Maria said, our
• 10:23our program is really a
• 10:25a postdoctoral training program designed
• 10:27to advance employment for people
• 10:29with psychiatric
• 10:30disabilities,
• 10:31and that is via
• 10:33by centering lived experience into
• 10:36sort of all that we
• 10:37do. So it really is
• 10:38lived experiences
• 10:39infused throughout
• 10:41our program and our training.
• 10:43You'll you'll hear more about
• 10:44that in a moment.
• 10:47And, Snika,
• 10:49first, we would like to,
• 10:52take a moment
• 10:53and recognize,
• 10:55our colleague,
• 10:57friend, mentor,
• 10:59who passed away this past
• 11:00Sunday, Patrick Horgan.
• 11:03We want to honor his
• 11:04memory,
• 11:06and I'll say just a
• 11:07couple words back. And Pat
• 11:08was
• 11:09more than a prolific scholar.
• 11:11He fundamentally changed how our
• 11:13field understands stigma,
• 11:15recovery, and the power of
• 11:16lived experience.
• 11:18He taught us that education
• 11:19alone does not reduce stigma.
• 11:22The real change
• 11:23comes through connection,
• 11:25storytelling,
• 11:26and centering the voices of
• 11:28those most affected.
• 11:30Many of us here were
• 11:31mentored by Pat.
• 11:33All of us are influenced
• 11:34by his work.
• 11:36The program you're about to
• 11:37hear about and the fellows
• 11:38you'll hear from are walking
• 11:40the path that he helped
• 11:42pave.
• 11:43We dedicate today's session to
• 11:44his memory.
• 11:50Just before we get started,
• 11:51and thank you for that,
• 11:53taking a moment to recognize
• 11:55Pat.
• 11:57We'd like to acknowledge that
• 11:59our program
• 12:00is made possible through NIDILRR,
• 12:03and we're very grateful to
• 12:04have our project officer, doctor
• 12:06Courtney Ward Sutton here with
• 12:08us today.
• 12:09We are also deeply thankful
• 12:11for our partnership with Demus.
• 12:14Their on the ground collaboration
• 12:15is fundamental to the work
• 12:16that we're doing and helps
• 12:18ensure that the lessons that
• 12:19we learn are translated to
• 12:20changes in practice.
• 12:23Our program aligns directly with
• 12:24NIDILRR's mission to advance employment
• 12:26and self sufficiency for people
• 12:28with disabilities.
• 12:29What sets it apart
• 12:31from other training programs is
• 12:32that we don't just study
• 12:34lived experience, we lead with
• 12:36it.
• 12:37Every postdoctoral fellow in this
• 12:38program brings lived experience of
• 12:41some sort as a professional
• 12:42strength that shapes our research
• 12:44ethics and impact.
• 12:46This is not a personal
• 12:47footnote. It's it is a
• 12:49professional asset that shapes all
• 12:51the research questions, methods, analysis,
• 12:53and impact.
• 12:55We'll start first by, I
• 12:57will hand it over to
• 12:59doctor Mark Posta, who is
• 13:02our project director, and he
• 13:03has led this project for
• 13:05seven years
• 13:06and,
• 13:08through two funding cycles. So,
• 13:11Mark and then after Mark,
• 13:12we'll hear from our, current
• 13:15and one forward postdoc.
• 13:17Thank you.
• 13:21Thank you, Maria. Thank you
• 13:22so much. Good morning, everybody.
• 13:25First, I want
• 13:27to thank the IRCC committee
• 13:29for this series.
• 13:30Last month was amazing,
• 13:33with Luigi's presentation,
• 13:35and I can wait for
• 13:36the
• 13:41next month,
• 13:42with Norway and Brazil.
• 13:44For those who don't know
• 13:45me, I'm Mark Costa. I'm
• 13:47a psychiatrist from Brazil
• 13:49and a research scientist at
• 13:50the Yale program for recovery
• 13:52in community in community health,
• 13:54also,
• 13:56known as Purge.
• 13:58So,
• 13:59I've been at Purge
• 14:01for, I think, eleven or
• 14:03twelve years,
• 14:04maybe.
• 14:05And one of the first
• 14:06projects I was involved
• 14:08in Purge
• 14:10was the evaluation
• 14:11on,
• 14:13the expansion
• 14:14of the Connecticut Department of
• 14:16Mental Health and Addiction Services
• 14:18known as DMAS, support employment
• 14:21program for people receiving mental
• 14:23health services.
• 14:25The DMAS DMAS program of
• 14:28unemployment is based on the
• 14:29IPS model.
• 14:31And in that project, we
• 14:32learned that it was possible
• 14:34to increase competitive employment placement
• 14:37and placement
• 14:38in retention
• 14:41through creative
• 14:42new ideas involving people with
• 14:44lived experience.
• 14:45So,
• 14:46therefore, it was very fortunate
• 14:49when the National Institute on
• 14:51Disability,
• 14:52Independence Living, and Rehabilitation
• 14:55Research,
• 14:56known as NIDILRR,
• 14:58accepted our proposal to train
• 15:00postdocs
• 15:01in developing research skills
• 15:03to increase employment among people
• 15:05with psychiatric disabilities.
• 15:07This is so much needed
• 15:09because,
• 15:10we know that we we
• 15:12need to improve strategies,
• 15:15to increase employment because
• 15:17currently
• 15:18less than twenty percent of
• 15:20people
• 15:21living with, psychiatric
• 15:22disability are employed in the
• 15:24US,
• 15:25while seventy percent would like
• 15:27to be employed.
• 15:28In comparison,
• 15:30more than thirty percent of
• 15:31adults living with disability under
• 15:34sixty five years of age
• 15:36are employed. So,
• 15:38people with psychiatric disability, they
• 15:40do,
• 15:41much worse in employment in
• 15:43comparison
• 15:44with other disabilities.
• 15:47So, of course,
• 15:48a way to move forward
• 15:50is
• 15:51through
• 15:52research. There are other ways
• 15:53advocacy, but we are concerted
• 15:56in moving forward to
• 15:59research. And for research, we
• 16:01need to train
• 16:03new researchers,
• 16:04and,
• 16:05new researchers are needed to
• 16:07develop, evaluate,
• 16:08and disseminate effective interventions
• 16:11to enhance employment for people
• 16:13with psychiatric disabilities.
• 16:16We we acknowledge that there
• 16:18is a lack of knowledge
• 16:19about
• 16:20workplace inclusion
• 16:22from the perspective
• 16:24of the employees with psychiatric
• 16:25disabilities and their colleagues also.
• 16:28So next slide.
• 16:31So,
• 16:32in our program,
• 16:35which is called the AOPOS
• 16:36Doctor Research Training Program to
• 16:38advance competitive integrated employment among
• 16:41people with psychiatric disabilities,
• 16:43we propose,
• 16:45disability
• 16:46rights framework
• 16:47in which people with mental
• 16:49illness are supported
• 16:51in working
• 16:52while
• 16:53they are psychiatric disabled.
• 16:55Or
• 16:56we we are looking not
• 16:57only for people to
• 16:59to become a symptomatic and
• 17:01then find a job, but
• 17:03what we're mostly interested is
• 17:05people to
• 17:06find jobs,
• 17:07work, live full lives
• 17:09regardless of and even if,
• 17:12manifesting
• 17:13symptoms. And we want people
• 17:15to,
• 17:17to
• 17:18to reclaim a full life,
• 17:21as possible in the present
• 17:23and as a foundation,
• 17:25for further recovery.
• 17:28Therefore,
• 17:29for this process to be
• 17:31successful,
• 17:32we need to use live
• 17:34expertise
• 17:35in learning from a stand
• 17:37from a central standpoint.
• 17:40Next slide.
• 17:43So,
• 17:45I think a great asset
• 17:46and feature of this program
• 17:48is our partnership with Dimas
• 17:50that,
• 17:52has been working
• 17:54on employment and support employment
• 17:56since two thousand and three.
• 17:59We work closely with,
• 18:02the employment services at Demas,
• 18:04listening and and and learning
• 18:06from them as well what
• 18:08is important to the field.
• 18:10And in this sense, our
• 18:12program has an advisory board
• 18:14of people with lived experience
• 18:15who are
• 18:16not only,
• 18:18not only they have they
• 18:19bring their lived experience, but
• 18:20they're also working at Demus
• 18:22as peer supporters,
• 18:23and then they are providing
• 18:25employment support. So we we
• 18:27we we are building our
• 18:29strength and our training and
• 18:31in developing new ideas
• 18:33with this collaboration
• 18:35with people,
• 18:37in the field with lived
• 18:38experience.
• 18:41Next.
• 18:42And so
• 18:44to hear a little bit
• 18:45more about what we've been
• 18:47doing, I'll pass
• 18:49to Megan to present
• 18:51her research
• 18:53and what she learned
• 18:54through this program. Thank you
• 18:56so much.
• 18:57Megan?
• 18:58Thanks, Mark.
• 19:00So my name is Megan
• 19:02Evans, and I'm a former
• 19:04postdoctoral
• 19:05researcher
• 19:06in the
• 19:07at the NIDILRR,
• 19:09advanced rehabilitation
• 19:10research training program. And today,
• 19:12I'd like to present to
• 19:13you some
• 19:15findings from my postdoctoral
• 19:17project, advancing employment in the
• 19:18lived experience work workforce, and
• 19:20also explain a little bit
• 19:21about how my background and
• 19:23training
• 19:23really informed this work as
• 19:25well as how this work
• 19:26is informing my current research.
• 19:31So first off, a little
• 19:32bit about who am I.
• 19:34I, first and foremost, am
• 19:36a person with lived experience
• 19:37of mental health and substance
• 19:38use recovery. I'm also a
• 19:40former caseworker for people with
• 19:42psychiatric disabilities.
• 19:44My formal training is in
• 19:45psychology and public health. I
• 19:47have a bachelor's degree in
• 19:48psychology and a master's and
• 19:49a PhD in public health.
• 19:51I'm a proud former NIDILRR
• 19:53ARRT
• 19:54postdoctoral
• 19:55fellow, and I'm currently an
• 19:57associate research scientist at the
• 19:59Yale program for recovery and
• 20:00community health.
• 20:03So how did all of
• 20:04this inform my postdoc project,
• 20:06which is really centered on
• 20:08advancing employment among people with
• 20:10psychiatric disabilities?
• 20:12So as I mentioned before,
• 20:15I spent some time after
• 20:16completing my bachelor's degree working
• 20:18in the field as a
• 20:19caseworker, and my first job
• 20:21out of college was actually
• 20:22working,
• 20:24in a position where I
• 20:25assisted people with serious mental
• 20:27illnesses and psychiatric disabilities
• 20:30to regain valued roles in
• 20:32their communities, most of which
• 20:33centered around employment,
• 20:35education, and housing.
• 20:37I worked in the field
• 20:39for about eight years before
• 20:41returning
• 20:42to graduate school where my
• 20:44research really started to coalesce
• 20:45around the social determinants of
• 20:47mental health.
• 20:49And then by the time
• 20:50I came to Yale as
• 20:51a postdoc, I had just
• 20:53finished my PhD in health
• 20:54behavior at the University of
• 20:56North Carolina in Chapel Hill,
• 20:58where my dissertation research really
• 21:00focused on, the uses of
• 21:02peer support
• 21:04among people with serious mental
• 21:06illnesses and psychiatric disabilities.
• 21:09Not on a personal level.
• 21:10I'm also just a person
• 21:11who's found a lot of
• 21:13meaningful
• 21:14recovery through my academic and
• 21:16professional pursuits.
• 21:18So coming to a postdoctoral
• 21:20fellowship really centered on,
• 21:22advancing employment among people with
• 21:24psychiatric disabilities
• 21:26really just seemed like the
• 21:27perfect opportunity for me to
• 21:28weave some of these different
• 21:30threads from my work and
• 21:31background together.
• 21:33So I decided to focus
• 21:35my project on how employment
• 21:36and the lived experience or
• 21:38peer support workforce affected a
• 21:40person's own recovery process.
• 21:44So first off, some of
• 21:46the research questions that I,
• 21:49sought to
• 21:51investigate were, one, what impact
• 21:52does employment on a peer
• 21:53will have on a person's
• 21:55own recovery,
• 21:56what job related factors facilitate
• 21:58recovery,
• 21:59as well as what job
• 22:01related factors might hinder recovery
• 22:03among peer or lived experience
• 22:05workers.
• 22:07So I conducted in-depth qualitative
• 22:10interviews with a convenient sample
• 22:11of people employed in lived
• 22:13experience roles throughout the state
• 22:15of Connecticut to really gain
• 22:17an understanding of how working
• 22:18as a peer impacts recovery
• 22:20and the job related factors
• 22:22that might help or hinder
• 22:23such.
• 22:25I then thematically
• 22:26analyze them,
• 22:30After recording and transcribing the
• 22:33interviews, we undertook a thematic
• 22:36analysis project
• 22:37process.
• 22:38When I was lucky enough
• 22:39to have a coding team
• 22:44to that was comprised of
• 22:46my lived experience mentor as
• 22:48well as a lot of
• 22:48research assistants and interns at
• 22:50Perch. So shout out to
• 22:51all of you.
• 22:53We read,
• 22:54through the transcripts together to
• 22:56become familiar with the data.
• 22:58From that, we iteratively developed
• 22:59a codebook, and then we
• 23:00double coded a selection of
• 23:02interviews,
• 23:03single coded the remainings,
• 23:05and developed the following themes.
• 23:08So in the interest of
• 23:09time, I'm going to quickly
• 23:10and broadly go over the
• 23:11main results of the study
• 23:14as well as then, focus
• 23:16on some of my key
• 23:17takeaways and how this has
• 23:18informed my current research.
• 23:22So the first research question,
• 23:24what is the impact of
• 23:25employment in a peer or
• 23:27lived experience role on a
• 23:29person's own recovery really led
• 23:31me to the
• 23:32finding that peer work is
• 23:34incredibly meaningful to the people
• 23:36who engage in it. It
• 23:37gives them a chance to
• 23:38give back. Most of the
• 23:39peers I spoke to oops.
• 23:46Said that it's more than
• 23:47just a job. They were
• 23:48very satisfied with their jobs,
• 23:50and it really gives them
• 23:51a chance to have a
• 23:52sense of purpose. In the
• 23:53words of some of my
• 23:54participants, it's so, so, so
• 23:56rewarding.
• 23:57I couldn't see myself doing
• 23:59anything else.
• 24:00It's not a job. It's
• 24:01not a job.
• 24:02It's a lifestyle.
• 24:06On the other,
• 24:08another theme that really impacts
• 24:10recovery among peer workers is
• 24:12understanding that client outcomes really
• 24:14do affect peers both on
• 24:16the positive and
• 24:18the more challenging side.
• 24:21Almost everyone I spoke to
• 24:22had a
• 24:24a story of seeing their
• 24:25clients grow and succeed and
• 24:27a success story that really
• 24:29brought them incredible meaning and
• 24:31motivation to continue to the
• 24:33work
• 24:34as well as,
• 24:36losing
• 24:37clients to,
• 24:39their behavioral health conditions and
• 24:41the the impact of that
• 24:43on them personally.
• 24:46So in the words of
• 24:47some of my participants,
• 24:48growth in anyone I'd love
• 24:50to see. Getting past your
• 24:51demons, I'd love to see.
• 24:52That's very fulfilling.
• 24:55And when something clicks for
• 24:56someone, something you say, when
• 24:58it clicks with someone, when
• 24:59you finally help someone,
• 25:01because, you know, sometimes people
• 25:03don't get it on the
• 25:04first try.
• 25:08Another thing that was really
• 25:10came out through these interviews
• 25:12is that one way that,
• 25:15working as a peer supporter
• 25:16really, impacts a person's recovery
• 25:18is they're constantly reminded of
• 25:20the struggle and where they
• 25:22came from.
• 25:24I see where people are
• 25:25when they come in and
• 25:26for support or resources or
• 25:28whatever, and I don't ever
• 25:29wanna go back there.
• 25:31And another participant.
• 25:33I could be on the
• 25:34other side of that cup,
• 25:35and I could be the
• 25:36one coming out of the
• 25:37train station or out from
• 25:44degree that I lost hope.
• 25:47And then losing people is
• 25:48the hardest part. These people
• 25:50really
• 25:51we form very
• 25:54significant and important bonds with
• 25:56the people,
• 25:57we work with. So one
• 25:59said one of my participants
• 26:01said, when I lost someone
• 26:02I was working with, that
• 26:03really
• 26:04hurts.
• 26:05One of those would've, could've
• 26:06moments where you're blaming yourself.
• 26:09And another spoke about working
• 26:11in the community.
• 26:13It's not easy. I'm burying
• 26:15friends, and I'm passing out
• 26:16test kits now.
• 26:21Quickly moving to the second
• 26:23research question talking about what
• 26:25job related factors really facilitate
• 26:28recovery.
• 26:29The most important thing is
• 26:30a supportive workplace, and that
• 26:32includes both support from colleagues
• 26:34as well as having a
• 26:35supportive supervisor.
• 26:38So one of my participants
• 26:39said, one of the things
• 26:40I've learned in this work
• 26:41is to have a bunch
• 26:42of allies, you know. I
• 26:43call them squads, so I'm
• 26:44like, you don't want to
• 26:45listen to me? You can
• 26:47listen to my whole squad
• 26:48because I'm not the only
• 26:49one speaking this language.
• 26:53And then finally,
• 26:55some of the job related
• 26:56factors that tend to hinder
• 26:58recovery among peer workers.
• 27:00Sometimes agency policies can make
• 27:02engaging and authentic peer work
• 27:04challenging.
• 27:06In the words of one
• 27:08participant, they're still stuck on
• 27:09their clinical stuff, like the
• 27:11risk. They're always stuck on
• 27:12the risk, the risk, the
• 27:13risk. You know what I
• 27:14mean? So that's really hard
• 27:16to see and that's really
• 27:17hard to combat, especially when
• 27:19you're by yourself.
• 27:23Another important,
• 27:25factor that can make
• 27:27doing peer work challenging is
• 27:28there tends to be a
• 27:29lack of understanding of and
• 27:31respect for the peer role.
• 27:33One of my participants said,
• 27:34that word peer is
• 27:36at times, it's not really
• 27:37regarded or respected,
• 27:39and that's your opinion. Your
• 27:40experience is minute.
• 27:42Now the professionals
• 27:44are going to talk.
• 27:45Yeah. And I think that
• 27:47instead of being a professional,
• 27:48what about being a human?
• 27:52And then finally,
• 27:54we know that behavioral health
• 27:56jobs in general don't pay
• 27:58the best, and peer jobs
• 28:01in particular
• 28:02tend to be on the
• 28:02lower end of that, and
• 28:04this pay can be inequitable.
• 28:05It's low,
• 28:07and it also just leads
• 28:08to a struggle to make
• 28:09a living while you're working,
• 28:11which can really limit who
• 28:12is able to,
• 28:15engage in peer work as
• 28:16well as who, like,
• 28:18is like, stays around.
• 28:21So one of my,
• 28:23participants
• 28:24made this point very well
• 28:26saying, I'm making more at
• 28:27Dick's Sporting Goods as a
• 28:28cashier, and it's ridiculous
• 28:30for what I do there
• 28:31versus what I do here.
• 28:33It's funny because, like, I
• 28:35say that, and I would
• 28:36never
• 28:37I'd take this pay cut
• 28:38a million times over because
• 28:39it's just the fulfillment out
• 28:41of it is so much
• 28:42more worth the money.
• 28:44I just know, you know,
• 28:45there's families. Like, I'm a
• 28:46single mom. I'm living with
• 28:47my parents. Like, I gotta
• 28:49you know?
• 28:50I love this work and
• 28:52this job, but it would
• 28:53be nice to also be
• 28:54making a living from it.
• 28:56You know?
• 28:59So some key takeaways from
• 29:01this work
• 29:02is that peer work is
• 29:04a profoundly meaningful
• 29:06to the people who do
• 29:07it.
• 29:08Peers are committed to the
• 29:09work even with the reality
• 29:11of low pay, but the
• 29:12pay inequity really does make
• 29:14it difficult
• 29:15to make a living while
• 29:16working. So that's a a
• 29:17point I always want to
• 29:19hit when I talk about
• 29:21this is that equitable pay
• 29:22is,
• 29:24needed in the field.
• 29:27Like
• 29:29much of behavioral health work,
• 29:31care work can be emotionally
• 29:32taxing, and really having a
• 29:34supportive workplace helps people cope
• 29:36with that.
• 29:38So,
• 29:39leading to the recommendation that
• 29:40we really need to start
• 29:41working on developing organizational
• 29:43cultures among behavioral health organizations
• 29:46that value peers and their
• 29:48work, and we must, reexamine
• 29:50and renegotiate
• 29:51some agency policies to make
• 29:53engaging,
• 29:54in peer work,
• 29:57like, easier for the people
• 30:00who are trained to do
• 30:01this work.
• 30:03So where did all this
• 30:05lead me? I'd say one
• 30:06of the most tangible ways
• 30:07I'm carrying on this work
• 30:09is I help to facilitate,
• 30:11some learning collaboratives, both here
• 30:13in the state of Connecticut
• 30:15as well as abroad in
• 30:16Australia,
• 30:17to work with agencies in
• 30:19the behavioral health field who
• 30:21employ peer workers to really
• 30:23reexamine their organizational
• 30:25culture, their organizational
• 30:27policies,
• 30:28and work towards making them
• 30:29more recovery oriented and peer
• 30:31friendly.
• 30:33I've also submitted some grant
• 30:34proposals with my colleagues that
• 30:36I met through this post
• 30:37doctoral training program,
• 30:40to incorporate
• 30:41peer support and peer values
• 30:43into traditional employment services.
• 30:47And finally, I would say
• 30:48the most important takeaway for
• 30:50me is that it's not
• 30:51just work that's important to
• 30:53people with psychiatric disabilities. It's
• 30:55really meaningful
• 30:56work.
• 30:59And so this key finding
• 31:01has really incur informed my
• 31:02current research questions, which are
• 31:04around the pursuit of personally
• 31:06meaningful
• 31:06recovery.
• 31:07This led me to ask,
• 31:09what if we supported people
• 31:10in their pursuit of meaning
• 31:11throughout their lives?
• 31:13So in this vein, my
• 31:14current research is focused on
• 31:16young adults and their social,
• 31:18vocational, and relay relational recovery,
• 31:20really developing outcome measures that
• 31:22capture what's most meaningful to
• 31:24them.
• 31:25So I'm currently conducting a
• 31:27concept mapping study to create
• 31:29a measure of personally meaningful
• 31:31recovery
• 31:32so that we can measure
• 31:33what people people with lived
• 31:34experience
• 31:35actually endorse is important to
• 31:37them in addition
• 31:38to the things that we
• 31:39measure that
• 31:42are mainly created by researchers
• 31:45and clinicians, and it's what's
• 31:47important to us.
• 31:48So
• 31:50with that, I really want
• 31:52to acknowledge the many people
• 31:53who made this,
• 31:55project possible, my mentors and
• 31:57especially my lived experience
• 31:59mentor, Nancy Leisa,
• 32:02our engagement specialist at Perch,
• 32:04Kim Guy, who helped me
• 32:06recruit some just really amazing
• 32:09peer supporters as participants.
• 32:11The participants themselves,
• 32:13all the research assistants and
• 32:15interns who helped me with
• 32:16the analysis,
• 32:18I'd like to thank NIDILRR,
• 32:20for their funding of this
• 32:21research.
• 32:23And I also just wanna
• 32:24end by shouting out all
• 32:26the researchers who have been
• 32:27open about their lived experience
• 32:29who've come before me, including
• 32:31the late Pat Corrigan,
• 32:33and acknowledge that I'm really
• 32:34standing on the shoulders of
• 32:36giants in doing this work.
• 32:38So thank you all for
• 32:39listening to me, and I'm
• 32:40going to pass to my
• 32:41colleague, doctor Elizabeth Brizola.
• 32:44Thank you. Thank you, Megan.
• 32:46That's so beautiful.
• 32:48Hello, everyone. My name is
• 32:50Elizabeth Brizzola, and it's such
• 32:52a pleasure to share a
• 32:53little bit of my pathway
• 32:55here at Perch through this
• 32:57amazing doctoral program, looking at
• 32:59this aspect of life that
• 33:00we call work while navigating
• 33:02a psychiatric disability.
• 33:04It's made me think of
• 33:05my own experiences being born
• 33:07and raised in Brazil, working
• 33:09as a psychologist, as a
• 33:10music teacher,
• 33:11being a mother and friend,
• 33:12and just how community and
• 33:14belonging really, really matter.
• 33:17And I asked myself con
• 33:19constantly, like, how
• 33:21are we showing up
• 33:22for each other as human
• 33:24beings?
• 33:26So next slide, please. So
• 33:28as I started this program,
• 33:30my eyes turned
• 33:31to the lived experience of
• 33:33work
• 33:34and how do people living
• 33:35with a psychiatric disability describe
• 33:38and make sense out of
• 33:39their own experiences
• 33:41and in their own words
• 33:42and in their own context.
• 33:44So my questions have been,
• 33:46what is it like to
• 33:47go about looking for work,
• 33:48going to work, dealing with
• 33:50challenges in the workplace?
• 33:52What all does it really
• 33:53involve? And in this way,
• 33:55I do hope that in
• 33:56the time,
• 33:57working here, I can
• 33:59help to draw just a
• 34:00clearer, more meaningful picture of
• 34:03this to family, to friends,
• 34:05everybody involved in advocacy,
• 34:07decision making.
• 34:09Next, please.
• 34:11So I started by
• 34:13talking informally
• 34:14with many different people about
• 34:16this topic.
• 34:17People with lived expertise,
• 34:19people
• 34:20working in this area,
• 34:21researchers, peers, colleagues, friends of
• 34:23mine, family.
• 34:25And I heard many intriguing
• 34:26stories that really have opened
• 34:27my heart and mind to
• 34:28just how complex it all
• 34:30is.
• 34:31And I also became curious
• 34:32about what's already been written
• 34:34and studied as I researched.
• 34:37And I saw a huge
• 34:38effort happening worldwide, different programs
• 34:41being developed,
• 34:42different approaches, all trying to
• 34:44find help people find jobs.
• 34:46And I thought, wow. That's
• 34:48that's really great. I'm I'm
• 34:49really glad.
• 34:51But then as I looked
• 34:53closer and pondered on the
• 34:54statistics that Mark was mentioning,
• 34:57that
• 34:58showed overall employment rates at
• 35:00around thirty to twenty to
• 35:02thirty percent, I I thought
• 35:03myself, okay. So
• 35:05some people are working, but
• 35:07others,
• 35:08most are not employed. And
• 35:10those who are not working,
• 35:11I wonder how how are
• 35:13they using their time?
• 35:15What all is involved in
• 35:16this experience of being in
• 35:18a place of unemployment?
• 35:22So this is how my
• 35:23journey has begun. I'm digging
• 35:24deeper to find out
• 35:26and, settling
• 35:28you know, setting lived experience
• 35:31at the center.
• 35:32First,
• 35:33looking at phenomenological
• 35:34studies about lived experience that
• 35:36talk about work,
• 35:37gathering their quotes, which I'm
• 35:39gonna be sharing with you
• 35:40today.
• 35:41And the other similar to
• 35:43what Megan did,
• 35:44will be having in-depth conversations
• 35:47with people about their experience
• 35:48of being unemployed,
• 35:50to hear their stories and
• 35:52better understand what it's like,
• 35:53what's important, what issues are
• 35:55involved.
• 35:57So today, I'm
• 35:59sharing these preliminary findings of
• 36:01my review looking at these
• 36:03phenomenological
• 36:04studies. They were seventeen
• 36:07reports
• 36:07that were either exploring the
• 36:10experience of recovery of people
• 36:12in different contexts,
• 36:13incarcerated in IPS or clubhouses,
• 36:16or were describing experiences
• 36:19receiving work seeking support or
• 36:22training,
• 36:22whether engaging in competitive work
• 36:24or in community volunteering.
• 36:28So after reading through them
• 36:30all and
• 36:31examining
• 36:32the participants'
• 36:33quotes
• 36:34in their context, it was
• 36:35quite clear that the the
• 36:36work related experience they described
• 36:39was not a linear
• 36:41process. It was not, okay.
• 36:42I want work. Yeah. Let's
• 36:44work. Let's look for work.
• 36:45Oh, found one.
• 36:47Started. End of
• 36:48process. No. Many many had
• 36:50a trajectory of comings and
• 36:52goings, startings and stoppings and
• 36:55restarting.
• 36:56And in that sense, it
• 36:57was involving both a movement
• 37:00of engaging and going
• 37:02forward in life
• 37:03and of struggles of dealing
• 37:05with the challenges and difficulties,
• 37:07trying to figure things out.
• 37:09And participants were not
• 37:12not wanting just
• 37:14any job anywhere at any
• 37:16time in their lives.
• 37:17They were having,
• 37:20having a positive experience,
• 37:23getting the job, feeling
• 37:25well in that job seemed
• 37:26to involve many different elements
• 37:29coming together in a particular
• 37:30way at a particular time.
• 37:32And when they did, it
• 37:34brought an incredible sense
• 37:36of confidence
• 37:38and self worth.
• 37:41Okay. So this is my
• 37:42last slide with I put
• 37:44together all the different elements
• 37:45of that, you know, still
• 37:47under construction of this experience
• 37:50of working
• 37:51so that you could see
• 37:52them all together. So the
• 37:54experience of working doesn't
• 37:55doesn't seem to really start
• 37:57going
• 37:58to work. But before that,
• 38:00it envelops
• 38:01the motivation,
• 38:02the dream,
• 38:03or the need
• 38:05or that that that's pushing
• 38:07it into the forefront.
• 38:09And this is the yearning,
• 38:11you know, what what they
• 38:12said that they want from
• 38:14work.
• 38:16I
• 38:17they said, I want to
• 38:18be able to live independently,
• 38:21earn my own money, have
• 38:22a role in society.
• 38:24They want to be relevant
• 38:25and useful.
• 38:26They said they want to
• 38:27do a meaningful activity
• 38:30that has structure, routine.
• 38:32They wanna feel normal and
• 38:33belong.
• 38:34And I couldn't help but
• 38:35noticing how these yearning express
• 38:37so much of the five
• 38:38r's of citizenship.
• 38:39Right? I mean, work as
• 38:41a resource, giving them a
• 38:42role, responsibilities,
• 38:44the relationships
• 38:45that foster the sense of
• 38:46belonging.
• 38:48However,
• 38:50knowing what they want
• 38:51and deciding to move ahead
• 38:54seem to be
• 38:55two different processes.
• 38:57They they mentioned how it's
• 38:59tricky. It's it's
• 39:01it's not they're not sure.
• 39:02Do you know? Do I
• 39:03wanna work? Do I not
• 39:04wanna work?
• 39:06Is now a good time?
• 39:07Like I mentioned, they they
• 39:08have doubts whether to pursue
• 39:10this path or not. What
• 39:11should I do? After all,
• 39:13one of them said, after
• 39:14all, I see only one
• 39:16out of ten of my
• 39:17friends
• 39:17get jobs.
• 39:20And,
• 39:21another one mentioned, I'm too
• 39:22old. It's, you know, I'm
• 39:23too ill or I'm I'm
• 39:25not needing money right now.
• 39:27I don't feel ready.
• 39:28It's it's not the right
• 39:30timing.
• 39:31One said,
• 39:33I know I'm not fully
• 39:34recovered,
• 39:35but it doesn't mean to
• 39:36say I'm not ready for
• 39:37a job.
• 39:39They mentioned many considerations that
• 39:43they're thinking about. You know?
• 39:45Do I is it do
• 39:46I look for a paid
• 39:47job or unpaid work? What
• 39:50about benefits?
• 39:51Consider how hard or how
• 39:53easy a job is.
• 39:55What are my cap capabilities?
• 39:57What am I good at?
• 39:58Consider,
• 40:00obligations,
• 40:01commitment
• 40:02that you're making of time.
• 40:05Consider volunteering first,
• 40:07to get a better idea
• 40:08of what what it's really
• 40:10like.
• 40:11And also part of this
• 40:12decision seemed to come from
• 40:14comparing.
• 40:15What is it like
• 40:16in in my view to
• 40:17work? What is it like
• 40:19to not be working? What
• 40:20is my experience
• 40:22not working? And they described
• 40:23it as a a place
• 40:25of feeling isolated, unvalued,
• 40:27unsure.
• 40:29And one of them said
• 40:30it's
• 40:31rock bottom.
• 40:33But on the other hand,
• 40:34working can also
• 40:36feel overwhelming.
• 40:37They mentioned
• 40:38high demands, being overworked,
• 40:42having to deal with stress,
• 40:43stigma, and not necessarily having
• 40:45the support
• 40:46that they need at work.
• 40:48And all these considerations
• 40:50seem to add
• 40:51to this experience
• 40:53of an impossible equation
• 40:55yet the yearning
• 40:57may still keep calling and
• 40:59keep them on the track
• 41:01pursuing work. And and those
• 41:03who have started
• 41:05a job and they're trying
• 41:07it out for size,
• 41:09taking this plunge.
• 41:10At this point, participants
• 41:12managed
• 41:13a phase of adaptation,
• 41:14you know, to new work,
• 41:16getting used to being there,
• 41:19an an ongoing process with
• 41:20ups and downs and
• 41:22trying to balance in the
• 41:23demands and the routine.
• 41:25And
• 41:26relationships
• 41:27at work and some of
• 41:28the colleagues reactions to this
• 41:30disclosure
• 41:32also
• 41:33bringing doubts. Is this the
• 41:34place for me?
• 41:36Participants felt discouraged,
• 41:39discriminated against dealing with the
• 41:41stigma.
• 41:41And what about all the
• 41:42laws that aren't aren't helpful?
• 41:45One of them mentioned employers
• 41:47laying out restrictions.
• 41:49So they dealt with many
• 41:50disappointments, negative experiences,
• 41:53lack of support, criticism,
• 41:55and how related mostly to
• 41:58how they were seen and
• 41:59treated by others.
• 42:03But on the other hand,
• 42:04when they were able to
• 42:06push through this phase of
• 42:07adaptation and having the support
• 42:09that they needed, their experience
• 42:11of work reflected
• 42:13growth and success.
• 42:15As one participant
• 42:16put, working
• 42:18feels like a mental health
• 42:20exercise.
• 42:21There are pains, but there
• 42:22is also movement.
• 42:24And this was really clear
• 42:25in in the papers. It's,
• 42:28as an arena for change,
• 42:30an opportunity to learn,
• 42:32develop
• 42:33skills,
• 42:34and
• 42:35being recognized. So their their
• 42:37their yearnings were coming to
• 42:39fruition
• 42:40in their work.
• 42:41And many participants talked about
• 42:43how it made them feel
• 42:44confident. This gave them
• 42:46the sense of independence,
• 42:47of purpose, and being fulfilled.
• 42:51One of them said, now
• 42:52you're also becoming somewhat normal.
• 42:55And
• 42:57the experience of success that
• 42:58came with realizing I can
• 43:00do it, the confidence
• 43:02were forefront now and not
• 43:04their symptoms and their illness.
• 43:06So
• 43:07it's a feeling of being
• 43:08recognized and capable,
• 43:10grounded,
• 43:11having freedom, satisfaction,
• 43:13joy.
• 43:14One participant said I can
• 43:16I can get nicer things
• 43:17for my little girl and
• 43:18that's a very very important
• 43:20thing for me? It's not
• 43:21just about buying her things,
• 43:23it's about being able to
• 43:24do things
• 43:25with her and spend time.
• 43:28So this is a quick
• 43:29overview of my autoethnographic
• 43:32review. Thank you so much
• 43:33for listening.
• 43:34I look forward to questions
• 43:35and comments, and I'll pass
• 43:36over to my colleague, Snigata.
• 43:41Thank you, Elizabeth.
• 43:43So today, I'm gonna talk
• 43:44about, my postdoc project, my
• 43:46ongoing postdoc project, which, looks
• 43:48at the role of work
• 43:50identity in recovery.
• 43:52When we think about recovery,
• 43:53I think a key factor
• 43:55that we often tend to
• 43:56overlook is the role of
• 43:58identity.
• 43:59Recovery is deeply about identity.
• 44:02It's about how people see
• 44:03themselves,
• 44:05how they're seen by others,
• 44:06and how they rebuild
• 44:08meaningful roles in their lives.
• 44:11And work,
• 44:12is one of the most
• 44:14powerful social roles that adults
• 44:16can hold, and
• 44:17disruptions
• 44:19to work and employment can
• 44:20significantly
• 44:21affect recovery.
• 44:22So in the next few
• 44:24slides, I'll talk a little
• 44:25bit about why work matters
• 44:27and recovery,
• 44:28what work identity is and
• 44:30how it may be impacted
• 44:32by
• 44:33disclosure and,
• 44:35the environment where someone is
• 44:37working.
• 44:39So just a little bit
• 44:40about who I am. I'm
• 44:41a postdoctoral
• 44:42associate at the program for
• 44:43recovery and community health.
• 44:46My training and background is
• 44:48in rehabilitation
• 44:49counseling and psychology. And in
• 44:51a past life, I was
• 44:52a mental health clinician. I
• 44:54worked with students and adults
• 44:55experiencing,
• 44:57mental health and substance use
• 44:58challenges.
• 45:02While talking about who I
• 45:04am, I would be remiss
• 45:05if I didn't,
• 45:06acknowledge the contributions of my
• 45:08mentor, Pat Corrigan, whose guidance
• 45:10and mentorship
• 45:11helped make me the person
• 45:12and researcher that I am
• 45:13today.
• 45:18So talking about why work
• 45:19matters in recovery,
• 45:21employment
• 45:22consistently
• 45:23emerges as a top life
• 45:25priority for people across all
• 45:27stages of recovery. So it
• 45:28doesn't matter if someone's just
• 45:30starting out their recovery journey
• 45:31or further along employment,
• 45:33is a top priority for
• 45:35everyone. And research shows that
• 45:37people who are employed compared
• 45:39to those who are unemployed
• 45:40tend to have better recovery
• 45:42related outcomes. So some of
• 45:44these outcomes are low lower
• 45:45rates of recurrence, less involvement
• 45:47with the criminal justice system,
• 45:49improvements in overall quality of
• 45:51life. And employment is also
• 45:53associated with more successful transitions
• 45:56from long term residential treatment
• 45:58back into the community.
• 46:00So suggesting that work plays
• 46:02an important role in reintegration
• 46:04and sustained recovery.
• 46:06So these benefits hold regardless
• 46:08of whether the work is
• 46:09paid or volunteered.
• 46:11And individuals who engage in
• 46:13meaningful work, in any form
• 46:15are more likely to reduce
• 46:17substance use and
• 46:19maintain,
• 46:20sobriety if that is their
• 46:21goal.
• 46:24So, taken together,
• 46:26this literature highlights that work
• 46:29is not just an economic
• 46:30outcome of recovery, but it
• 46:32is a meaningful and influential
• 46:34component of the recovery process
• 46:36itself,
• 46:37and it's also a reflection
• 46:38of who we are.
• 46:40So as this quote says,
• 46:41every person's work, whether it
• 46:43be literature or music or
• 46:45pictures or architecture or anything
• 46:47else, is always a portrait
• 46:49of themselves.
• 46:51And, you know, for a
• 46:52lot of us, the work
• 46:53that we do is more
• 46:54than just a task or
• 46:55a paycheck. It reflects who
• 46:57we are,
• 46:58our values, and how we
• 46:59see ourselves in the world.
• 47:01And especially when you think
• 47:02of recovery, work takes on
• 47:04an additional significance. It can
• 47:06be a way for people
• 47:07to rebuild their sense of
• 47:09self,
• 47:10for them to express competence
• 47:11and to integrate their identity
• 47:14as a person in recovery.
• 47:17So, what is work identity?
• 47:19Work identity basically refers to
• 47:21how people understand and define
• 47:23themselves in relation to work.
• 47:25So this includes the meaning
• 47:26that they attach to work,
• 47:28the roles that they take
• 47:29on as workers,
• 47:31and how this fits into
• 47:33their broader sense of self.
• 47:34And there are several key
• 47:35elements to consider in terms
• 47:37of work identity.
• 47:38First is the sense of
• 47:39self as a worker, how
• 47:41people see themselves in their
• 47:42work role, whether they feel
• 47:44competent, capable, and valued. Second
• 47:47is the meaning and value
• 47:48that one attaches to their
• 47:50work. So work can provide
• 47:51purpose, structure, and a sense
• 47:53of contribution.
• 47:54And third, the work identity
• 47:56is shaped by the context.
• 47:58So it can be the
• 47:58organizational
• 47:59policies, the workplace culture, social
• 48:02norms, or other structural factors.
• 48:05Fourth, work identity is dynamic,
• 48:07and it can evolve across
• 48:08the lifespan as someone changes
• 48:10jobs, as they change roles,
• 48:12or we're changing life circumstances.
• 48:14And finally,
• 48:15work identity can be disrupted
• 48:17by life events, including substance
• 48:19use
• 48:20or recovery related challenges. And
• 48:23this may,
• 48:24require individuals to rebuild or
• 48:27renegotiate
• 48:28their work identity over time.
• 48:32So how can substance use
• 48:34impact work identity? I'm just
• 48:36gonna skip through so we
• 48:37have a little bit of
• 48:38time. But,
• 48:39basically,
• 48:40substance use can impact work
• 48:41identity in a couple of
• 48:42different ways.
• 48:44You know, substance use can
• 48:46result in the
• 48:47employment getting disrupted.
• 48:50A lot of people might
• 48:51experience stigma from,
• 48:53you know, when they talk
• 48:54about their substance use challenges,
• 48:55which can weaken their sense
• 48:57of identity.
• 48:58There's also an identity conflict,
• 49:00during recovery
• 49:01and also for people who,
• 49:04get a sense of purpose
• 49:05from working.
• 49:06Disruptions in work can lead
• 49:08to a loss of meaning
• 49:09and purpose.
• 49:10And, recovery involves identity reconstruction.
• 49:13So there's some change.
• 49:15There's opportunities for identity reconstruction
• 49:18and returning to work, and
• 49:20meaningful roles can help develop
• 49:22a positive identity.
• 49:25So disclosure is another important,
• 49:28concept to think about in
• 49:30terms of work identity and
• 49:31employment because
• 49:32disclosure shapes,
• 49:34the concept of who I
• 49:35am at
• 49:36work. And whether or not
• 49:38I decide to disclose,
• 49:39or whether or not someone
• 49:40decided to disclose,
• 49:43influences how the person sees
• 49:45themselves in their work role
• 49:46and how they believe that
• 49:47others see them. And sometimes
• 49:49people may choose not to
• 49:51disclose as a protect a
• 49:52protective thing because they might
• 49:54fear,
• 49:55stigma or judgment from other
• 49:56people.
• 49:57And, even nondisclosure
• 49:59can create can can require
• 50:01emotional labor and stress.
• 50:04And anticipated stigma is also
• 50:06another major factor where they
• 50:08might worry that they might
• 50:10be excluded from projects or
• 50:11they might not be given
• 50:13the same responsibilities
• 50:14if they were to disclose
• 50:15their
• 50:17experiences.
• 50:20So what does this mean
• 50:21for workplaces? When we think
• 50:23of work identity and disclosure,
• 50:25and substance use recovery, what
• 50:27does it mean for workplaces?
• 50:28So what can workplaces do?
• 50:31One approach is implementing a
• 50:32workplace supported recovery program which
• 50:34are also in Connecticut and
• 50:36a couple of other states.
• 50:37It's called recovery friendly workplaces
• 50:39which actively foster
• 50:41a culture in which, substance
• 50:43use is recognized as a
• 50:44treatable health condition from which
• 50:46people can and do recover.
• 50:48Creating safe conditions for disclosure
• 50:50where,
• 50:51employers can feel,
• 50:53like it's safe to share
• 50:54their recovery stories without, judgment
• 50:57or career consequences,
• 50:59promoting a supportive,
• 51:01work culture where,
• 51:02there's, like, positive messaging around
• 51:04recovery, inclusivity,
• 51:06and valuing all
• 51:07employees' contributions,
• 51:10reviewing policies for dealing with
• 51:11employee substance use, misuse, recovery,
• 51:14recurrence, and reintegration,
• 51:16and,
• 51:17making sure that these policies
• 51:19are recovery oriented rather than
• 51:21punitive,
• 51:22and offering,
• 51:23programs that help,
• 51:25employees in their well-being,
• 51:28training for all supervisors and
• 51:30employers to understand
• 51:31how do affected how do
• 51:32they respond to disclosure and
• 51:34how can they support recovery
• 51:36of their employees while also
• 51:38maintaining workplace expectations.
• 51:41And these kind of training
• 51:42should cover,
• 51:44all type of,
• 51:45substances, their impact, how substance
• 51:47use can impact behavior and
• 51:49performance, and what are some
• 51:51other policies,
• 51:52involving substance use.
• 51:54And finally, offering second chance
• 51:56employment is a powerful way
• 51:58to rebuild work identity.
• 52:00So giving people who have
• 52:01experienced
• 52:02substance use disorders a real
• 52:04opportunity
• 52:05to reintegrate,
• 52:06regain skills and rebuild confidence.
• 52:09So taking all of these
• 52:11into consideration,
• 52:13I,
• 52:14my project looks at what
• 52:15is the role of work
• 52:16identity in recovery.
• 52:18And the central research question
• 52:20that I'm interested in is
• 52:22what are employer and employee
• 52:23factors that impact work identity
• 52:26for people in recovery?
• 52:29So I started off with
• 52:30that question, and we put
• 52:32together a community advisory board,
• 52:34which consisted of people,
• 52:36with lived experience who also
• 52:38work as employment specialists.
• 52:41And we met with them
• 52:42a couple of times. You
• 52:44know, I asked them questions
• 52:45about the topic, and then
• 52:47I drafted a list of
• 52:48questions,
• 52:50about this topic, about work
• 52:51identity and recovery, and
• 52:54presented the questions to the
• 52:55advisory board and refined it
• 52:57based on their feedback.
• 52:59And
• 53:00the next step, which I'm
• 53:02currently
• 53:03pursuing right now, is data
• 53:04collection.
• 53:07And these are just some
• 53:08of the,
• 53:09some just a couple of
• 53:10the interview questions I have.
• 53:11So talking about why work
• 53:12is meaningful,
• 53:14how have, their experience with
• 53:16substance use and recovery shaped
• 53:17how the person sees themselves,
• 53:20how the employment may have
• 53:21positively or negatively impacted recovery,
• 53:24what helps them feel like
• 53:25they belong, and questions about
• 53:27disclosure.
• 53:28And for employers, it's more
• 53:30about their policies
• 53:31that,
• 53:32support
• 53:33recovery or support employees in
• 53:35recovery.
• 53:38And that's all I have.
• 53:43Thank you all so very
• 53:44much. How,
• 53:45standard presentations. How many things
• 53:47you're learning here today.
• 53:49It's very impressive how this
• 53:51is relate to recovery five
• 53:53hours and sense of belonging.
• 53:55In respect of our time,
• 53:57I will open for one
• 53:59or two questions.
• 54:01Please get the point of
• 54:02your questions. The team will
• 54:04answer.
• 54:06But before, I just want
• 54:07to ask you to
• 54:09answer the survey and save
• 54:11the date for February twenty,
• 54:13February nineteen.
• 54:15So,
• 54:17maybe you can,
• 54:18please take a picture, answer
• 54:20your survey. Your feedback is
• 54:21important.
• 54:23And,
• 54:24if you have any question,
• 54:25please
• 54:28ask the team
• 54:32for comments. I saw a
• 54:33lot of good comments in
• 54:34the in the chat, so
• 54:36thank you.
• 54:39Could you drop the survey
• 54:41in the chat?
• 54:42Yes. We can do that.
• 54:52Hi. I have a question.
• 54:54My name is,
• 54:55Angel Gonzalez Agones.
• 54:57I am
• 54:59I just
• 55:00I sent a message,
• 55:02saying that I was involved
• 55:04in the supported employment
• 55:07project with, doctor professor Larry
• 55:09Davidson and my and doctor
• 55:11Marcosta.
• 55:13And I was
• 55:14working in the Latino
• 55:16side,
• 55:17and,
• 55:18we identified
• 55:19the difficulties
• 55:21that,
• 55:22this part of population
• 55:25show to find a job.
• 55:27And, I would like to
• 55:29know if you,
• 55:31have
• 55:32the current situation,
• 55:35and do you have some
• 55:36results
• 55:37about what happened,
• 55:39with
• 55:41the the the these people
• 55:43that,
• 55:44have a mental health condition.
• 55:46Thank you.
• 55:53Mark, do you want to
• 55:54respond to that,
• 55:55please? Yeah. You're talking about
• 55:57the the
• 55:59the Latino side,
• 56:01in that first employment grant
• 56:04did an amazing job. Like,
• 56:06when we were able to
• 56:08tailor
• 56:09the employment intervention
• 56:11towards Latinos with,
• 56:14Latinos with lived experience
• 56:17and,
• 56:19within the Latino community, they
• 56:20jumped from
• 56:22twenty
• 56:23two percent
• 56:24placement,
• 56:26to fifty two percent.
• 56:28And they became one of
• 56:29the best sites,
• 56:33in in Connecticut.
• 56:35You know?
• 56:36So, this was one of
• 56:37the lessons learned from that
• 56:39work.
• 56:40And my understanding is that
• 56:41they continue to do employment
• 56:43services
• 56:44connected to Demas.
• 56:46They moved to substance use,
• 56:50but they
• 56:51it's amazing when you're able
• 56:53to to address specific needs
• 56:56of of people
• 56:57and makes things much more
• 56:59effective.
• 57:03Okay. Thank you.
• 57:05Thank you, Mark.
• 57:07Yeah. I'm seeing people just
• 57:09leaving, and, yeah, I would
• 57:11like to thank you
• 57:13and pass to doctor Chevelle
• 57:14to close the the meeting
• 57:17today. Oh, yes.
• 57:19Thank you. Thank you so
• 57:20much,
• 57:21for joining us today.
• 57:23We appreciate you taking a
• 57:24moment to be with us.
• 57:26Thank you to our,
• 57:28wonderful,
• 57:29presenters. They were amazing.
• 57:32Snigda,
• 57:33I know that Pat is
• 57:34smiling down on you.
• 57:36And I wish you all
• 57:36just a a a good
• 57:38rest of the day, and
• 57:39we we will see you
• 57:40in February.
• 57:41Take care. Bye bye.