Abstract
Acquiring and maintaining employment can be a multilayered challenge for individuals with serious mental illness. This qualitative study utilized scholarly literature to identify consumer needs in supported employment programs. This project focuses specifically on identifying consumer needs for interpersonal and social skill development in the workplace. Included in this project are results from a brief survey and questionnaire that identify the needs, concerns, and ideas of six consumer employees at Cool Beans Coffee Cart and Catering. Consumers and providers both report that working increases their quality of life and is associated with a reduction in symptoms related to their illness. Importantly, many consumer employees are challenged with maintaining and securing tenure in the working world. One identified reason for job termination is interpersonal functioning. For this reason, this thesis project identifies specific interpersonal skills known to be helpful in the work place and outlines those skills and techniques in a manual that includes a measurement tool for building the skills.