Unlike many vocational assessments created and used in the field, the Career Profile strives to be a person-centered, strengths-based compilation of clinical and employment data relevant to helping someone obtain a job and/or career of their choosing. It operates from an occupational therapy and psychiatric rehabilitation lens to help identify an individual’s skills and skills they would like to acquire. Created over several sittings and with input from various stakeholders (e.g., natural supports, mental health providers, EIPD), the IPS team member and individual identify employment hopes and dreams. They collect information from the person’s education and work autobiography, which includes an examination of what they did and did not like regarding these experiences.
Information gathered includes work preferences and values, mental and physical health, cognitive strengths, challenges, and needs. Access to benefits counseling, history of justice involvement, interpersonal skills, and daily activities are also examined. The information gathered will drive the employment search and provide ongoing support. Disclosure preferences are also discussed in the Career Profile, which informs the level of support the IPS team member may assume in assisting the individual with employment and/or educational pursuits.
The Career Profile is a living document that needs frequent updating and expansion. When someone succeeds in getting a job, more information is often gleaned from this experience and is further incorporated into the Career Profile.
