A study of the perceived barriers to the implementation of circles of support.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to identity barriers to implementing the social support intervention, Circle of Support, in supported employment (SE) services for people with psychiatric disabilities. METHOD: Semi-structured interviews were administered to SE staff at three month intervals up to one year. Two focus groups were held with service recipients who did not participate in a circle of support. Interviews were conducted with two individuals receiving SE services who participated in a pilot project in which study researchers implemented circles of support. RESULTS: Common themes regarding the barriers to implementing a circle of support developed from the data. Service recipients who did not participate in a circle of support and those who did expressed the perceived and actual barriers to this approach as being: time, too much focus on the participant, and lack of control/facilitation of circle activities. Service recipients who participated in a pilot who had circles of support reported that this intervention was beneficial to them. Staff and service recipients identified time, running of the actual circle of support meetings, and supporter issues as barriers to implementing this technique. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Although certain barriers to this technique were identified, there were features of this approach that both staff and service recipients, who had a circle of support, found beneficial. Since ongoing support is a critical component of successful employment, individuals may benefit from the use of these Circles of Support techniques.

Reducing stigma by meeting and learning from people with mental illness.

OBJECTIVE: This study examines the effects of a public education program, developed in large part by consumers of mental health services, on the attitudes of high school students toward people with mental illnesses. METHODS: Four hundred and twenty-six students were provided an informational session delivered by consumers and a faculty member from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ). The content of these sessions included facts about mental illness, characteristic symptoms, recovery strategies, and personal stories told by the consumer presenters. The students' attitudes were assessed pre- and post-session using the Attribution Questionnaire-Short Form for Children. Independent samples t-tests were used to assess changes in attitudes from pre- to post-assessment. RESULTS: After viewing these presentations, students reported less stigmatizing views toward people with mental illness on seven of the nine factors and the total scale score. CONCLUSIONS: A 1-hour informational session developed and facilitated by consumers of mental health services can significantly affect the attitudes of adolescents toward people with major mental illnesses. Future studies will evaluate the sustainability of attitude changes as the result of these presentations, as well as the effects of demographic and socioeconomic differences on attitude change.