Barriers to Achieving Employment Outcomes: Assessing Assertive Community Treatment Staff

Abstract

The authors describe the development of a two step survey of New Jersey Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) team members to identify the key issues that hinder ACT staff members' in assisting consumers with obtaining employment. Survey items were categorized into three sections: (1) staff beliefs, (2) consumer barriers, and (3) staff barriers to working on employment. The initial survey asked staff members to rate items in each of these categories. Highly rated items were used in a subsequent paired comparison survey to determine the relative importance of each. The top result for each section were as follows: returning to work is positive for the staff attitudes section, fear of loss of SSA benefits in the consumer barriers section and clinical issues take priority for the staff barriers section. Implications of the findings are addressed.

Keywords:

• Assertive community treatment
• Employment outcomes
• Serious mental illness