Many individuals with psychiatric disabilities face workplace challenges that motivate them to pursue self-employment, but accessible self-employment support is lacking. Using participatory action research, Reclaiming Employment (RE), an online interactive platform that provides self-employment education for people who experience mental health-related challenges around work, was developed to address these gaps. An observational pilot study of RE examined usage, usability, self-efficacy, and self-employment income of 97 participants who used RE for six months. RE users rated the platform at above average usability, although those who experienced long-term unemployment rated the platform significantly lower compared to wage or self-employed users. In longitudinal regression models, we found use of RE was significantly associated with increases in some ESE subscales and mean ESE.
Read MoreA discussion on Leadership, Authenticity, and Self-Acceptance in Participatory Research between Jessica Jonikas of University of Illinois, Chicago and Laysha Ostrow.
Read MoreReclaiming Employment offers self-employment support for people with mental health challenges around work. It was designed by people who have been there: our team members have personal experiences with mental health systems and business ownership.
This report includes data from 68 users who participated in a six-month pilot study of Reclaiming Employment. The trial was designed to gather user feedback and measure outcomes of people who desired to become self-employed or grow an existing business.
Read More
The Self Employment Starts with You (SESY) study used qualitative and survey data to examine self-employment as a strategy to improve career options for individuals with a psychiatric disability. The goal was to understand the experience of current business owners, and provide useful information to aspiring business owners.
Read More
The Self Employment Starts with You (SESY) study used qualitative and survey data to examine self-employment as a strategy to improve career options for individuals with a psychiatric disability. The goal was to understand the experience of current business owners, and provide useful information to aspiring business owners.
Read More
The Self Employment Starts with You (SESY) study used qualitative and survey data to examine self-employment as a strategy to improve career options for individuals with a psychiatric disability. The goal was to understand the experience of current business owners, and provide useful information to aspiring business owners.
Read More
At JAN, we frequently receive inquiries from individuals with mental health conditions who are interested in becoming self-employed or starting a small business. Over the years, I’ve followed emerging research by Dr. Laysha Ostrow and colleagues exploring why self-employment can be a viable and important employment alternative for individuals with psychiatric disabilities. For this article, I discussed with Dr. Ostrow the approach she brings to this topic and an exciting new program at Live and Learn, Inc. that places peer support as a key component to self-employment success. She brings a unique perspective to this topic both personally and professionally.
Read MoreThe following interview is part of a “future of mental health” interview series that will be running for 100+ days. This series presents different points of view about what helps a person in distress. I’ve aimed to be ecumenical and included many points of view different from my own. I hope you enjoy it. As with every service and resource in the mental health field, please do your due diligence. If you’d like to learn more about these philosophies, services, and organizations mentioned, follow the links provided.
Read More
Confronting ableism requires confronting capitalism, which values people only for the efficiency of their output within mechanized schedules.
Read MoreMad In America’s Peter Simons interviews Laysha Ostrow about her mental health research and consulting company, the inclusion of peer specialists in mental health care, and her personal experience with the mental health system.
Read More
Reclaiming Employment is an interactive online platform that provides self-employment resources for people who have experienced mental health-related challenges around work. Our approach to developing Reclaiming Employment uses real-word wisdom, peer support, and the science of online learning to help users achieve their vision of small business success. Reclaiming Employment is developed by people who’ve run their own businesses while facing major life challenges, many of whom are featured in this promotional video.
Read More
A 2017 presentation to the California Association of Social Rehabilitation Agencies about results of the Self-Employment Starts with You survey.
Read More
Advantages of self-employment for people with psychiatric disabilities, who may have disrupted educational and employment histories, include opportunities for self-care, additional earning, and career choice. Self-employment fits within a recovery paradigm because of the value placed on individual preferences, and the role of resilience and perseverance in business ownership. This commentary elucidates the positive aspects of self-employment in the context of employment challenges experienced by individuals with psychiatric disabilities and provides recommendations based on larger trends in entrepreneurship.
Read MoreThis exploratory study identified characteristics of individuals’ work and disability histories, as well as business characteristics, that can inform policy and practice development in support of disability-owned small businesses. Self-employment is not necessarily a fit for everyone, but for individuals with psychiatric disabilities, it may be a pathway back to work. The size of the respondent businesses and the part-time nature of the work suggests that individuals with psychiatric disabilities are operating very small businesses that may serve as a wage employment alternative if they are able to grow in the future, or be sustained as a part-time adjunct to public benefits or other paid or unpaid work.
Read MoreSelf-employed individuals with psychiatric disabilities used informal business supports more than help from institutions. Friends, family, mentors, online resources, and other business owners were most frequently a source of support and were rated most helpful. Institutional supports, for example the Small Business Development Center, were less frequently used and less likely to be considered helpful. Entrepreneurs with psychiatric disabilities may benefit from supports specific to their needs and preferences. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)
Read More