Panelists: Davis Berns, Director, District of Columbia Department of Human Services; Gary Bond, Ph.D., Professor of Psychiatry, Pschiatric Rehabilitation research, Dartmouth Psychiatric Research Center; Peggy Burns, LCADC, EAP Counselor, Employee Assistance Program, University of Maryland Medical Center; Neil Vazquez-Rowland, President, A Safe Haven
For people in recovery from mental or substance use disorders, employment is often an essential part of the recovery process. Employment icreses people's self-worth, stabilizes their living circumstances, and facilitates their integration with the community. Being unemployed is associated with increased rates of mental disorders and with higher rates of substance use disorders and relapse. In the current job market, employment challenges for people in recovery are greater than ever. This show will explore a range of topics related to meeting those challenges, including skills training, career building, having a "recovery job" that bridges the gap between unemployment and full employment, volunteerism as a pathway to employment, and starting a business. The show will examine the barriers and challenges faced by some people in reovery -- those without a high school or college degree, those with a criminal history, and those who have been out of the workforce for a long time. Innovative approaches to addressing the employment issue will be highlighted: recovery entrepreneurship programs, employers who target hiring people in recovery, and recovery community organizations that help with skills training and job placement.