The Center for Practice Innovations (CPI) offers training and support to PROS programs, OMH state facility clinics, ACT teams, OnTrackNY programs, CORE-PSR and OISE sites across New York State to bring program participants the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) approach to supported employment. Because of the high rates of employment attained by individuals participating in high-fidelity IPS programs across the country, IPS has become the gold standard for supported employment.
The Center for Practice Innovations provides a wide variety of training and support activities to implementation sites depending on their needs. These include learning communities, four online training modules, CPI’s Employment Resource Book, live and recorded webinars, and site-specific remote consultations. In addition, CPI provides on-site technical assistance to many programs involved in IPS initiatives.
An important resource that is available to all behavioral health programs across NYS is the Employment Resource Book, which is designed for people to use with employment specialists, other practitioners, peer specialists, and on their own. This important resource contains over 30 topics and 10 appendices that focus on three themes: prior to the job search, during the job search, and after getting a job. This isn't a curriculum that individuals would need to complete it any specific way - rather, people focus on topics as they become relevant to their lives. Each topic is organized to provide important information, personalized activities, and next steps. You can obtain the Employment Resource Book by clicking on the "Products" tab on this website’s home page. You will be asked to register and to select a password for your account. Once your account has been established, you will be able to download an electronic version for free or purchase bound paper copies.
All behavioral health programs across NYS have access to four online training modules focusing on IPS, through CPI’s learning management system (“CPI Learning Community”): “Individual Placement and Support” provides a comprehensive overview of the principles and practices of IPS, “IPS Job Development” focuses specifically on this important practitioner skill set, “Using the Employment Resource Book” provides an introduction to CPI’s Employment Resource Book and explains how this important resource can best be used, and “Recognizing Changes in the Employment Landscape” highlights recent changes in the employment landscape including: online job search practices, remote and online employment opportunities, the gig economy, self-employment and entrepreneurship, youth culture, and artificial intelligence (AI).