Vocational Services at Institute of Mental Health
Goals for successful outcomes in mental illness are no longer restricted to alleviation of signs and symptoms of the illness. Instead, efforts have been put into facilitating community integration through successful resumption of occupational roles. In IMH, the psychiatrists work closely with occupational therapists and medical social workers to enable people with psychiatric conditions to obtain and maintain employment. This is done through vocational training programmes and job placements for the individuals.
Vocational training is carried out by the Occupational Therapists, with the aim of equipping individuals with the necessary skills and behaviours to gain access to open employment. Relevant work skills that are needed include cognitive skills such as planning, memory, concentration, problem solving, etc. At the same time, a number of physical skills such as activity endurance, hand-eye coordination, maintaining specific postures,etc, are also crucial in certain technical and manual jobs. In addition, proper work behaviours also need to be inculcated. Examples of work behaviours include adhering to dress codes, good social skills with colleagues and customers, punctuality, safety awareness, etc. The Occupational Therapist will first assess the individual and identify any difficulty in work skills and work behaviours. The individual will then go through a tailored rehabilitation programme to improve skills and behaviours necessary for employment.
Vocational Training Programmes
Food & Beverage
This is a collaborative effort between IMH and one of our employers. Individuals in this training programme are trained in food and beverage preparation, customer service and cashiering.
Food Preparation and Handling
Individuals with potential and interest to work in the food and beverage industry can be placed with within IMH to learn tasks such as food preparation, housekeeping, and packing.
Customer Service
Individuals with potential to work in retail can be trained within IMH in a setup jointly run with a voluntary welfare organisation. Individuals will undergo training in customer services, product packing and display and mechandising. Through regular reviews, work tasks are adjusted to suit their abilities and provide enough challenge to expand their skills.
Administrative Duties
This programme equips individual with basic skills in handling simple administrative duties. Individuals in this programme will be trained as a library assistant or administrative assistant.
Mobile Carwash Services
This programme trains individuals on the techniques in conducting a manual car wash. They will learn how to rinse, soap and wash cars using appropriate equipment. Upon completion of training, they will be placed out to work at carwash kiosks.
Cleaning Services
Individuals in this programme are taught essential cleaning techniques and proper cleaning procedures. They may be selected to undergo a six-week graded training under the mentorship of one of our employers. In addition, on-the-job training will be provided with their progress tracked by an Occupational Therapist.
Other Training Programmes
Other training programmes offered include domestic skills training, community living skills training, social skills at workplace, stress management, etc. Besides providing individuals with the opportunity to acquire relevant work-skills, these programmes also improve their confidence and increase their tolerance to work stress. Occupational Therapists also run job preparation groups to further enhance work skills and behaviours.