LEADOn! Article

Mental Health Promising Practices and Research

Many Veterans experience mental health conditions as a result of post-traumatic stress and other experiences they may have had during their service. The following four resources were developed to support Veterans in getting, keeping, and thriving in their post-service career.

  • LEAD Center created and field-tested Guided Group Discovery (GGD) for Veterans, and released a Guided Group Discovery – Veterans Edition Facilitator Guide. GGD trains people to facilitate Guided Group Discovery sessions with Veterans, people with disabilities, and/or others who experience barriers to employment. LEAD Center has supported pilot projects implementing Guided Group Discovery in American Job Centers in collaboration with a variety of partners, including Veterans services, vocational rehabilitation, developmental disabilities, behavioral health, Centers for Independent Living, homeless services providers, and others. By facilitating groups with partners, job seekers can get support from multiple systems and the agencies can leverage each other’s resources. The Facilitator Guide is available for download.
  • The Customized Employment Works for Veterans brief features the stories of five wounded warriors who obtained employment by using discovery and Customized Employment.
  • ODEP also created two videos that highlight ways that Customized Employment has enabled Veterans to achieve and retain employment. Customized Employment: A Job That I Love and Customized Employment Works for Veterans: A Win-Win Strategy.

State data related to mental health can be found on the DRIVE website, as well as access to state-level WIOA profiles that demonstrate how each state addresses mental health.

  • State-level Disability & Employment Data: Click on State Profiles to access a state or territory and find up-to-date State-level data in the areas of mental health, education, vocational rehabilitation, and more.
  • State-level WIOA Profiles: Click on WIOA Profile tab for your state to find 16 elements (including Behavioral / Mental Health) from your WIOA State Plan and State Plan Modification from a disability perspective.
  • Advanced Search: Click the Advanced Search function to discover Mental Health policy by state.

Related Research

Research shows a high prevalence of mental health conditions in special populations (Mental Health Disparities: Diverse Populations, American Psychiatric Association, 2017). Recognizing that mental health issues may need to be addressed with a unique lens when working with individuals whose backgrounds vary by race, ethnicity, religion, and language, Mental Health America (MHA) has created a BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) Mental Health Hub to promote and be effective in addressing mental health for all. MHA uses a racial equity and intersectionality lens to highlight, better understand, and effectively respond to the range of experiences of individuals and families with diverse values, beliefs, and sexual orientations.