STAFF DEVELOPMENT: SESSION 1 JUNE 24, 2008: STRENGTHS-BASED VOCATIONALASSESSMENT TRAINING MODULE

Delaware Evidence-Based Supported Employment Practices

Joan E. Kester, MA, CRCHuman Resources Development Specialist/Senior Research AssociateMid-Atlantic Rehabilitation Continuing Education ProgramThe George Washington University

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STRENGTHS-BASED VOCATIONAL ASSESSMENT

Evidence-Based Supported Employment Practice

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CAREER DEVELOPMENT AS THECONTEXT FOR ASSESSMENT

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PROCESS OF CAREER DEVELOPMENT

Career development is a continuous life process through which individuals explore activities, make decisions, and assume a variety of roles. Careers are formulated by the continuous evaluation of personal goals and the perception, assessment, and decisions regarding opportunities to achieve those goals.

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CAREER DEVELOPMENT

Career development occurs as educational and vocational pursuits interact with personal goals. It continues over the life span.The development of any person's career takes place over most of his/her lifetime. The nature of career development is that it occurs in stages through a person’s lifetime.

Source: Career Development: A Policy Statement of the National Career Development Association Board of

Directors: http://www.ncda.org/pdf/Policy.pdf

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CAREER ASSESSMENT WITHIN THE CONTEXTOF CAREER DEVELOPMENT

The on-going process of collecting information for career development and career planning.Lifelong processAddresses all aspects of life within career contextsPeople come to understand themselvesCyclical Process and Content:

Career AwarenessCareer ExplorationCareer PreparationCareer Assimilation and Change

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ASSESS WITHIN A CAREERDEVELOPMENT CONTEXT

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Awareness

Exploration

PreparationAssimilation

Growth, Change & Expansion

CAREER DEVELOPMENT AS A CONTEXT FORASSESSMENT

The Career Development Checklist may assist you with providing a starting point for ascertaining what phase individuals are in the career development process. The Relevant Assessment Questions for Career Development may assist in gathering data. Let’s review the handout. How might you use this information when working with your clients?

Handout: 2007 Corwin Press. Assess for Success: A Practitioner’s Handbook on Transition Assessment, 2nd ed., by Patricia L.

Stillingtion, Debra A. Neubert, Wynne H. Begun, Richard C. Lombard, and Pamela J. Leconte.

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MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT ASSESSMENT

Equates one or a few instrumentsIs an eventCan be provided by anyoneOne system (or group of instruments) is good for everyoneServes a gate-keeping functionOccurs in one placeIs expensive Os not grounded in theoryHarms consumers 9

PRINCIPLES OF ASSESSMENT

Is a process that includes multiple methods, techniques, and activities.Is part of an on-going assessment process.Is best provided by multiple people.Is customized to meet individual needs, preferences, strengths, and goals.Is embedded in a self-determination context.Occurs within a career development context. 10

CAREER ASSESSMENT

Ongoing, multisource, and multidimensional/Comprehensive domain based data gathering.Identifies strengths

Abilities and accomplishmentsInterests and aspirationsRecovery resources and assetsUnique individual attributes

Considers stage / phase of change process.Must include a cultural formulation.Must have a process to integrate and synthesize ongoing assessment data.

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CAREER ASSESSMENT DATA

What types of career assessment data do you currently collect?Who provides this assessment data?How do you integrate and synthesize the data to be used in planning and job placement?

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COMPONENTS OF STRENGTHS-BASEDVOCATIONAL ASSESSMENT

Vocational interests, preferences, and goalsVocational history, experience, and training Skills and aptitudesThe need for accommodations or assistive technologyLevel of functioning and relevant health, social, and behavioral factorsThe need for support services Available community resourcesIndividual strengths and resources.

Components of Strengths-Based Vocational Assessment: Council for Accreditation:

http://www.coastandards.org/standards.php?core_id=553&navView=private

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IDENTIFYING STRENGTHS (EB SE PRACTICE)

Key to moving away from a deficit-based approachMust be woven through the entire processCan only be obtained thorough dialogue and probing

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CONTINUAL GROWTH CYCLE OF SELFEXPLORATION AND AWARENESS

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WORK-BASED ASSESSMENT: FIDELITY RATING

Ongoing work-based assessment: Initial vocational assessment occurs over 2-3 sessions and is updated with information from work experiences in competitive jobs.A vocational profile form that includes information about preferences, experiences, skills, current adjustment, strengths, personal contacts, etc., is updated with each new job experience.

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WORK-BASED ASSESSMENT: FIDELITY RATING

Aims at problem solving using environmental assessments and consideration of reasonable accommodation. Sources of information include the client, treatment team, clinical records, and with the client’s permission, from family members and previous employers. 17

WORK-BASED ASSESSMENT: FIDELITY RATING

The essence of this item is that clients are not asked to engage in vocational evaluation activities (e.g., paper and pencil vocational tests, interest tests, work samples), situational assessments (such as short-term work experiences used as assessments), prevocational groups, volunteer jobs, short-term sheltered work experiences, or other types of assessment.

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WORK-BASED ASSESSMENT: FIDELITY RATING

Instead, the employment specialist typically spends a few weeks getting to know the client by talking with the client, the case manager, psychiatrist, and with permission, family members and previous employers. Information gathered is not to determine employability, but to determine type of job and supports required to help the person work. 19

WORK-BASED ASSESSMENT: FIDELITY RATING

What type of work environments will promote recovery and positive work experiences? Are there job accommodations that may also support the person working (e.g., part-time hours)?

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Domains/Content of Assessment

Home and Family

Physical andEmotionalHealth

Cronin, M. E. & Patton, J. R. (1993). Life skills instruction for all students with special needs: A practical guide for integrating real-lifecontent into the curriculum. p 13. Austin TX: PRO-ED.

Self Determination

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CAREER APTITUDE• General• Specific• Performance

CAREER SKILLS• Transferable• Specific• Vocational

WORKER CHARACTERISTIC• Worker Traits• Attitudes/• Values• Employability

SkillsBACKGROUND INFORMATION• Academic• Medical• Cultural

LEARNING STYLES• Instructional• Operational• Response

WORKER STYLE PREFERENCES (Temperaments)•Disposition to:•Environment•Individuals•Activities

CAREER INTERESTS• Expressed• Tested• Manifested

ValuesBehaviors

ValuesBehaviors

Vocational Appraisal Wheel

Self Concept & Self

Esteem

Let’s Review and Discuss Vocational Appraisal Wheel Handout

Integrative Assessment of the Total Individual

FRAMEWORK FOR CAREER ASSESSMENT

Dimensions of Assessment: Individual + Ecology = Congruence

By collecting this type of assessment data throughout the planning and job search/placement process, the client can experience discoverywhich will lead to a good job match.

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FRAMEWORK FOR CAREER ASSESSMENT

Individual + Ecology = Congruence24

Examples of an Individual’s Attributes

InterestsLevel of Career DevelopmentLevel of Self DeterminationTemperamentsSkillsPreferencesNeed for Supports & AccommodationsStrengths

Examples of Ecological Attributes

EnvironmentsCircumstancesRelationshipsSituationsResources

EXAMPLES OF ASSESSMENT TOOLS TOFACILITATE AN EFFECTIVE JOB MATCH

Throughout the job placement process, work assessment data should be gathered.To collect and synthesize the information, it is important to collect data from the individual within the context of their ecology or environment.

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COMMUNITY BASED VOCATIONALASSESSMENT

Involves interaction between behavior and performance, considering environmental conditions and demands.

Determines the impact of disability and functional limitations.

Emphasizes supports and accommodations. 26

COMMUNITY BASED VOCATIONALASSESSMENT CHARACTERISTICS

Environmental specificity characterizes CBVA and differentiate it from other types of assessment:

Measure of what a person can do and the level of supports needed

In particular situations Under certain conditions In light of unique demands

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GUIDING PRINCIPLES IN COMMUNITYBASED VOCATIONAL ASSESSMENT

Assessment serves as a compass not a detailed map. Clients chart their own courses. Clients have choices in how assessment is delivered.The assessment process itself is a learning process. Assessment summary is jointly written and analyzed by the client.

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GUIDING PRINCIPLES IN COMMUNITY-BASED ASSESSMENT

Assessment process takes an ecological approach providing an understanding of relationships among diverse influences on the youth.Assessment of specific work culture and receptivity of an employment site is as equally important as assessing the individual.

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COMMUNITY-BASED ASSESSMENTQUESTIONNAIRE: AN EXAMPLE

The purpose of a community-based assessment questionnaire is to help identify a good job match for the client. When a person is exposed to a job, a community-based assessment questionnaire may be an effective tool to assist in the collection of data.The tool should be designed to meet the needs of the client and should not be used to emphasize deficits.Tools can be designed to gather data from a variety of sources: the client (self exploration), the employer, and/or the employment facilitator.

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COMMUNITY-BASED ASSESSMENTQUESTIONNAIRE: AN EXAMPLE

Let’s review the example of the community-based assessment questionnaire.It is important to reiterate that such tools are only to be used if the client is interested in them. While this list of questions is quite extensive, what types of data do you believe may be relevant to your clients?How might you design an individualized tool with your client to promote self determination? 31

ECOLOGICAL/ENVIRONMENTAL DATA:JOB ANALYSIS

A job analysis is a detailed study of the work performed, the facilities required, the working conditions, and the skills required to complete a specific job.It is important to reiterate that such tools are only to be used if the client is interested in them.

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WORK BASED ASSESSMENT: JOB ANALYSIS

It can be very beneficial to have the client complete job analysis forms, with supports that they may desire.This can be used as part of the career development process (exploration).It can help the clients be better prepared to make informed choices about job placement options.It should not be used to “screen out” opportunities, only to “screen in” opportunities.It should not delay job placement. 33

ECOLOGICAL/ENVIRONMENTAL DATA:JOB ANALYSIS

Let’s review an example job analysis form.Work with a partner to complete a job analysis on your current position.One individual will be the interviewer while the other will describe his/her job.

Report out:What have you learned through the process?How might you incorporate the use of job analyses in everyday practice to facilitate rapid job placement?

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FRAMEWORK FOR CAREER ASSESSMENT

Dimensions of Assessment: Individual + Ecology = Congruence

By collecting this type of assessment data throughout the planning and job search/placement process, the client can go through discovery which will lead to a good job match.

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STRENGTHS-BASED VOCATIONALASSESSMENT

How might you introduce the concept of strengths-based vocational assessment to your clients?What concerns or issues do you think some of your clients may raise regarding this practice?How can you begin to utilize this practice?What do you need to make it happen?

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FORMULATION OR SYNTHESIS OFASSESSMENT DATA

Assessment, if used correctly, can be a tool in helping the client be self determined.Creating a summary that moves the data gathered in the assessment into information is a critical but often-skipped step in plan development. Electronic career portfolios are an excellent example of how assessment data, driven by the client, can help us integrate assessment data to drive the job placement process. We will also be reviewing Vocational Profiles as another strategy.

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Artifacts

Photos Video Power Point

AudioEvaluation planning

Articles Work Samples

Reflection

Portfolio

Philosophy CompetenciesStandards Resume Artifacts

Hannon, Chris 2003

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VOCATIONAL TESTS & SITUATIONALASSESSMENTS: FIDELITY RATING

When might a vocational test or situational assessment be appropriate?

Yes – because the client heard about the service and he/she believed that it would be helpful.No – if the testing was required as part of the program.

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SITUATIONAL ASSESSMENT & JOB TRY-OUTS: FIDELITY RATING

When might a situational assessment be appropriate?

Yes – it a job looks like it would be a good fit and it is used as a job placement tool. No – if the situational assessment is required as part of the program, even if the client is paid.

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VOCATIONAL PROFILE

This information is gathered into a document sometimes referred to as a “vocational profile.” The vocational profile is updated with each new job experience so that when practitioners leave the agency, lessons learned from the person’s work experiences are not lost.

J & J Videos: Supported Employment: Strategies that Work: Vocational Profile:

http://dms.dartmouth.edu/prc/employment/jjvideo/Handouts\Vocational Profile.swf

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VOCATIONAL PROFILE

Let’s review the example of a Vocational Profile.Please describe the Vocational Profiles you are current using.Based upon the information you have learned today about strengths-based vocational assessment and vocational profiles, how might you revisit your profile?

Source: Supported Employment Workbook, Appendix B: Sample Vocational Profile:

http://download.ncadi.samhsa.gov/ken/pdf/toolkits/employment/16.SE_workbook.pdf

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SYNTHESIS OF ASSESSMENT DATA

How might you introduce the concept of a portfolio and vocational profile to your clients?What concerns or issues do you think some of your clients may raise regarding this practice?How can you begin to utilize this practice?What do you need to make it happen?

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ONGOING WORK-BASED VOCATIONALASSESSMENT & INDIVIDUALIZED JOB SEARCH(EB SE PRACTICE)

Evidence-based supported employment follows the philosophy that all choices and decisions about work and support are individualized, based on the person’s preferences, strengths, and experiences. In supported employment, everyone is encouraged to carry out the job search and job performance as independently as possible, and employment specialists offer assistance as needed to support people in their working lives.

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INDIVIDUALIZED JOB SEARCH (EB SE PRACTICE)

Employment specialists make employer contacts aimed at making a good job match based on clients’ preferences (relating to what each person enjoys and their personal goals) and needs (including experience, ability, symptomatology, health etc.) rather than the job market (i.e., those jobs that are readily available). An individualized job search plan is developed and updated with information from the vocational assessment/profile form and new job/educational experiences.

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INDIVIDUALIZED JOB SEARCH (EB SE PRACTICE)

Employment specialists should help clients look for jobs that are consistent with the person’s stated interests. However, they also take other factors into consideration when helping the person think about a job goal. For example, they should be talking to each person about their previous job experiences—the things that worked and the things that didn’t. They should also be helping the person think of a job that will maximize their strengths and minimize any issues such as symptoms, cognitive impairment or substance abuse.

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INDIVIDUALIZED JOB SEARCH: JOBPREFERENCE

Job preference is an individual’s decision and may be related to:

Type of JobLocationPayWork Environment

It is important to listen to each individual

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IN SUMMARY…

Delaware Evidence-Based Supported Employment Practices53

IN SUMMARY: TOPICS ADDRESSED TODAY

Core principles of evidence-based supported employment practices and Fidelity Scale to improve practices.MH and VR alignment and integration. Stigma and define anti-stigma tactics to increase opportunities with clients. Your resilience on the job.Employment provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act and accommodations available to your clients, to overcome discrimination.

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IN SUMMARY: TOPICS ADDRESSED TODAY

Informed choice, self determination and empowerment.Person centered planning.Readiness to implement change through person centered planning.Strengths-based vocational assessment strategies and tools to support this practice.

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HOMEWORK: PERSON CENTEREDPLANNING: DUE DATE 8/28/08On day 4 of the training, your homework is to be

ready to report client success stories!Person centered planning:

Introduce the concept of person centered planning to at least three clients. Describe how you introduced this practice to your clients and their reactions. Identify the barriers you experienced when introducing and implementing the practice and how you were able to overcome these issues.What tools have you developed or refined to facilitate your work? Please bring electronic copies to day 4 training.Describe the positive outcomes of at least two of your clients a result of implementing this practice.

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HOMEWORK: STRENGTHS-BASED VOCATIONALASSESSMENT: DUE DATE 8/28/08

On day 4 of the training, your homework is to be ready to report client success stories!Strengths-Based Vocational Assessment:

Introduce the concept of strengths-based vocational assessment to at least three clients. Describe how you introduced this practice to your clients and their reactions. Identify the barriers you experienced when introducing and implementing the practice and how you were able to overcome these issues.What tools did you develop or refine to facilitate your work? Please bring electronic copies to day 4 training.Describe the positive outcomes of at least two of your clients a result of implementing this practice.

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CONTACT INFORMATION

Joan E. Kester, M.A., CRCHuman Resource Development Specialist/Senior Research AssociateMid-Atlantic Rehabilitation Continuing Education ProgramThe George Washington University202-489-7112jkester@gwu.eduwww.gwu.edu/~rrcep

These materials are the intellectual property of the George Washington University. Permission to utilize these training materials must be obtained via the contact information above.

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