BENEFITS AND COSTS OF SUPPORTED EMPLOYMENT FROM 3 PERSPECTIVES

Administrators, consumers and policy makers are increasingly intereste d in supported employment as a way of helping persons with severe ment al illness get and keep competitive jobs. However in an atmosphere of increased expectations for performance and declining public financing, administrators want to know the costs and benefits of different appro aches before they reallocate scarce treatment or rehabilitative dollar s. This article discusses the net benefits of two approaches to suppor ted employment that were compared in a randomized trial: Individual Pl acement and Support (IPS) and Group Skills Training (GST). The authors analyze costs and benefits from societal, government, and consumer pe rspectives. Although a previous analysis showed that IPS participants were significantly more likely to find work, worked more hours, and ha d higher earnings, net benefits of the two programs were not significa ntly different. The authors also discuss some of the strengths and wea knesses of cost-benefit analysis in mental health care and suggest fut ure directions for policy and research.