Adapted Individual Placement and Support (IPS) supported employment outcomes among high school students with serious mental health conditions.

OBJECTIVE

Transition-age youth (TAY; ages 16-25 years) with serious mental health diagnoses have low rates of employment and postsecondary education participation. Individual Placement and Support (IPS) is an evidence-based practice designed for adults with mental health conditions to gain employment. IPS has been adapted for TAY by adding supported education, but research is limited with high school students.

METHODS

IPS adapted for TAY with supported education services (IPS-SEd) was piloted at a mid-Atlantic Community Mental Health provider. TAY were recruited for an 18-month study (interviews every 6 months) where they shared their education and employment engagement and completed measures of academic self-efficacy and optimism toward future employment and education completion.

RESULTS

All participants (n = 21) made vocational progress while in IPS-SEd services. Fourteen of 21 (67%) secured competitive employment, and seven were vocationally engaged in either high school or postsecondary coursework, gig work, and/or volunteer or set-aside positions. Twelve (of 18 eligible; 67%) enrolled in postsecondary education programs after high school. Participants were highly satisfied with IPS-SEd services. Most rated having a good job/career, earning a good living and completing college as important across timepoints; however perceived chances of achieving these increased from baseline to 6 months and then decreased at later timepoints.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: TAY with serious mental health conditions value and benefit from IPS-SEd during the transition out of high school. More rigorous research of IPS-SEd is needed, including further investigation of academic self-efficacy among TAY navigating postsecondary education with IPS-SEd services. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).