Flinders Uni research examines access to employment for mental health recovery
Wednesday 18 March 2026
- WAAMH is supporting a Flinders University research project examining access to employment support in Australia.
- The research will focus on the world-renowned model of employment support known as Individual Placement and Support (IPS).
- Employment plays an essential role in preventing, and recovering from, mental health challenges.
The WA Association for Mental Health is providing advice and support to a national research project, examining how employment support can be delivered to more Australians with mental health challenges.
The project will use co-design methods, to explore how the employment support model known as IPS can be implemented into more Medicare Mental Health Centres across the country.
The project is being led by Dr Suzanne Dawson from Flinders University and funded by Health Translation SA’s Medical Research Future Fund Catalyst Grant Scheme.
WAAMH’s CEO, Taryn Harvey, said the research was a positive step towards employment being recognised and used more widely, as a way to help people recover from mental health challenges.
“For more than a decade, we’ve been championing the use of the internationally-renowned, evidence-based model of employment support – Individual Placement and Support – across Australia,” Ms Harvey said.
“IPS has huge preventative benefits for people at risk of developing mental health challenges as well as those experiencing multiple barriers to employment due to mental health.
“It’s our goal to improve access to IPS for more Australians and Dr Dawson’s research will be integral to us achieving that goal, so we’re thrilled to be contributing to her work.”
WAAMH provides training, mentoring and fidelity reviews to nearly 60 mental health services across Australia, helping those sites implement and run successful IPS programs.
In turn, these sites help thousands of Australians with mental health challenges to gain and maintain competitive employment.
Listen to Dr Dawson speak about the importance of this research project or learn more about the benefits of employment for mental health recovery