Advertise on podcast: Ask Me Anything about Employment

You're invited to ask an expert about interesting topics related to employment. This free event is not a presentation, but rather an interactive question & answer webinar. And YOU provide the questions! This Session: Ask Me Anything About Employment: "The Value of Peer Support Specialists on IPS Employment Teams - Part 2" with guest experts Lyn Legere, MS, CPS and Crystal Page. This session is a Part 2 to a previous webinar, you can watch Part 1 at the link here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ayUhVgivZE Lyn Legere, MS, CPS has more than 25 years of experience in the mental health field and has been deeply involved in advancing recovery-oriented and peer-led services. She is a Senior Training Associate at Boston University’s Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation, where she develops and delivers training in psychiatric rehabilitation, recovery, and peer support. Lyn holds a master’s degree from Boston University and a law certificate from the University of Massachusetts and brings the perspective of lived experience in mental health and addiction recovery to all of her work. Crystal Page is an Employment Peer Mentor with ACE Solutions/Physician Alliance for Mental Health and is based in Wlimington, North Carolina. Her professional background includes direct service work supporting individuals in treatment settings, where she developed a strong appreciation for the role of compassion, connection, and supportive relationships in recovery. In her current role, Crystal draws on her lived experience and professional background to support individuals in discovering their strengths, building confidence, and moving toward meaningful employment and personal goals as part of an IPS team.

You're invited to ask an expert about interesting topics related to employment. This free event is not a presentation, but rather an interactive question & answer webinar. And YOU provide the questions! This Session: The Value of Peer Support Specialists on IPS Employment Teams with guest experts Lyn Legere, MS, CPS and Crystal Page Lyn Legere, MS, CPS has more than 25 years of experience in the mental health field and has been deeply involved in advancing recovery-oriented and peer-led services. She is a Senior Training Associate at Boston University's Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation, where she develops and delivers training in psychiatric rehabilitation, recovery, and peer support. Lyn holds a master's degree from Boston University and a law certificate from the University of Massachusetts and brings the perspective of lived experience in mental health and addiction recovery to all of her work. Crystal Page is an Employment Peer Mentor with ACE Solutions/Physician Alliance for Mental Health and is based in Wimington, North Carolina. Her professional background includes direct service work supporting individuals in treatment settings, where she developed a strong appreciation for the role of compassion, connection, and supportive relationships in recovery. In her current role, Crystal draws on her lived experience and professional background to support individuals in discovering their strengths, building confidence, and moving toward meaningful employment and personal goals as part of an IPS team.

You're invited to ask an expert about interesting topics related to employment. This free event is not a presentation, but rather an interactive question & answer webinar. And YOU provide the questions!The Importance of Engaged Career Development with Young Adults in Early Psychosis Programs with guest expert Shannon Blajeski, PhD, MSWDr. Shannon Blajeski, PhD, MSW, is a mental health intervention researcher who is interested in improving career and income pathways for young adults with early psychosis to prevent the often intractable poverty associated with long-term dependence on disability benefits. Her research is situated at the crux of her lengthy clinical social work experiences in behavioral health settings and her scholarly training in Social Welfare, and she brings an additional ten years of experience with the implantation of the Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) model to her work. Dr. Blajeski is currently an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at Portland State University and collaborator with the Boston University Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation. Additionally, she has active research partnerships with Michigan NAVIGATE and the Oregon EASA Center for Excellence.

You're invited to ask an expert about interesting topics related to employment. This free event is not a presentation, but rather an interactive question & answer webinar. And YOU provide the questions! Susan R. McGurk, PhD, is a Professor in the Departments of Occupational Therapy (primary appointment) and Psychological and Brain Sciences, and a researcher at the Center of Psychiatric Rehabilitation at Boston University. She is a clinical psychologist and neuropsychologist whose research has focuses on the role of cognitive functioning in employment, academic pursuits, and independent living in persons with serious mental illnesses (SMI), and methods and mechanisms of cognitive remediation aimed at improving cognitive abilities and community functioning in this population. Drs McGurk and Mueser developed the Thinking Skills for Work TSW program, a comprehensive cognitive remediation intervention designed to enhance cognitive functioning and improve competitive work outcomes in persons receiving supported employment or other vocational rehabilitation services. Her work has been supported by the Biobehavioral Research Foundation (formerly NARSAD), the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), the National Institute for Disability and Independent Living Research and Rehabilitation (NIDILRR), New York State Office of Mental Health, and the Coalition of Voluntary Mental Health Agencies-New York Work Exchange. She has received the Gerard Hogarty Award for Excellence in Schizophrenia Research and was recognized by the National Rehabilitation Association with the Rehabilitation Practitioner of Distinction Award.

You're invited to ask an expert about interesting topics related to employment. This free event is not a presentation, but rather an interactive question & answer webinar. And YOU provide the questions! Kim T. Mueser, Ph.D. is Professor of Occupational Therapy and Psychological and Brain Sciences, researcher at the Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation at Boston University, and Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. His research interests are on the development and evaluation of psychosocial interventions for persons with serious mental illnesses. His most recent book is: Mueser, K. T., Bellack, A. S., Gingerich, S., Agresta, J., & Fulford, D. (2024). Social Skills Training for Schizophrenia: A Step-by-Step Guide (Third ed.). Guilford Press.

Ask Me Anything about Employment - Doing the Right Thing in Mental Health Services: Tackling Long Term Unemployment with guest expert Joe Marrone You’re invited to ask an expert about another interesting topic related to employment. This free event is not a presentation, but rather an interactive question & answer webinar. And YOU provide the questions! Joe Marrone has over four decades of experience in rehabilitation services, showcasing a remarkable career dedicated to this field. Currently serving as a contracted consultant and Program Director for an online Technical Assistance project at the Boston University Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) on Mental Health and Employment, Joe brings his wealth of expertise to this role. Throughout his career, Joe has been deeply involved in numerous long-term employment and supported employment training grants, showcasing his unwavering commitment to advancing opportunities within this field.

You’re invited to ask an expert about another interesting topic related to employment. This free event is not a presentation, but rather an interactive question & answer webinar. And YOU provide the questions! Anneliese de Wet completed her PhD in Psychology at Stellenbosch University in South Africa in December 2020. Prior to coming to the United States, she developed an individual measure of recovery for a South African context by exploring the understanding of recovery, as well as the barriers and facilitators of recovery, for people using services, their careers and service providers. Previously, she explored the lived experience of recovery from first-episode psychosis in a South African sample and worked on a Canadian CIHR-funded international, multi-site study on community engagement in HIV vaccine research. Anneliese is particularly interested in peer support work. She recently completed a research project in which she tried to understand how mental health peer specialists withstand or shield themselves against experiences of prejudice and discrimination on the job.

You're invited to ask an expert about another interesting topic related to employment! This free event is not a presentation,but rather an interactive question & answer webinar. And YOU provide the questions. Noah Abdenour, Certified Mental Health Peer Specialist, is the Director of Peer Support and Recovery at Texas Health and Human Services Commission. A subject matter expert on recovery-oriented care, peer specialist integration, and person-centered care, Noah has provided training and consultation at the local, national, and international levels. Prior to working for HHSC, Noah served as Director of Peer Support Services for Bluebonnet Trails, a community service provider for 8 central Texas counties. He also worked as a peer specialist in the state hospital system for five years, ultimately serving as the Peer Support Discipline Director for the Texas state hospital system. Noah helped lead the advocacy effort to create a peer support Medicaid benefit during the 85th legislative session (TXHB1486). He served as the presiding officer of the stakeholder workgroup that assisted with the creation of the benefit.

Ask the experts ANYTHING that you want to know about Supervising the Peer Workforce in Behavioral Health Settings.    This AMA webinar was produced by the Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation at Boston University, and jointly funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research and the Center for Mental Health Services within the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The content of this webinar does not represent the views or policies of the funding agencies and endorsement by the federal government should not be assumed.

Ask the experts ANYTHING that you want to know about Supported Employment and IPS About this event Guest Panelists: David Lynde: David Lynde is an independent mental health services consultant and trainer who specializes in the effective implementation of Evidence-Based Practices for young adults and adults whose lives are affected by mental illness. David serves as a consultant and trainer for the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center to the New Hampshire Bureau of Mental Health Services; and he is a deputy program director for dissemination and implementation resources on the SAMHSA National Registry for Evidence Based Programs and Practices. Darius McKinney: Illinois Statewide IPS Program Manager for the Illinois Division of Mental Health. Darius McKinney has been directly and indirectly helping people with serious mental illnesses find and maintain work at regular jobs of their choosing for the past 19 years. Darius has been an employment specialist and IPS team leader at Thresholds in Chicago, Illinois for 9 years and a contracted Division of Mental Health [DMH] IPS Trainer for 5 years.

Guest Expert: Melanie Whetzel, M.A., CBIS Lead Consultant, Cognitive / Neurological Team Melanie joined the JAN staff as a consultant on the Cognitive / Neurological Team in February 2008. She has a fourteen year history of teaching and advocating for students with disabilities in the public school system. As a member of the Cognitive / Neurological Team, Melanie specializes in learning disabilities, mental impairments, developmental disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, and brain injuries. She presents nationally on topics ranging from mental health impairments to conduct and performance issues, learning disabilities, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, brain injuries, and more. Melanie became a certified brain injury specialist in December 2014, and completed a graduate certification in Career Planning and Placement for Youth in Transition.

What is the difference between Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI)? Can a person who gets SSDI or SSI get ahead financially by working? Can they keep their SSDI and SSI? Can they keep the medical benefits that come along with SSDI and SSI? What happens if a person earns enough to stop SSDI or SSI? These and other questions will be answered by our guest experts, Michael Dalto & Melody Riefer, MSW, during our Q&A webinar.

Ask Me Anything About Employment presented by The Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation at Boston University Stigma in the Workplace: Q&A with guest expert, Zlatka Russinova, Ph.D. Thursday, January 28, 2021 at 12:00PM The stigma associated with a mental health diagnosis can cause challenges for employees and employers in the workplace. What is stigma? How can people effectively overcome stigma in the workplace? These and other questions will guide an interactive discussion between webinar participants and our guest expert, Dr. Zlatka Russinova. Zlatka Russinova Ph.D., is the Director of Research at the Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation and a Research Associate Professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy at the Boston University Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. Dr. Russinova has led several projects aiming the development and evaluation of recovery-oriented interventions that promote employment and community participation. She has investigated issues related to prejudice and discrimination, including the manifestations of stigmatizing experiences at the workplace, and guidelines and processes to promote stigma-free work environments. She led the development of an innovative intervention to promote proactive coping with prejudice and discrimination, and its effectiveness testing through a randomized study funded by the National Institute of Mental Health. She has published and presented extensively in the areas of her research.

Ask Me Anything Interactive Q&A Webinar with Guest Experts Jennifer L. Bills, JD and Christine A. Rodriguez, JD, recorded October 19th, 2020.

Ask Me Anything Interactive Q&A Webinars with an Expert in Employment with Al Bernier and Amy Gelb, recorded June 2nd, 2020