Greater Cincinnati Behavioral Health Services (GCBHS) expanded services to include two employment specialists on the FIRST and FACT teams in Warren/Clinton Counties. Says GCBHS Associate VP of Employment & Recovery Services, Kelly Smith-Trondle, “The expansion happened with the help of a grant from The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OHMAS) and support from The Mental Health Recovery Board Serving Warren & Clinton Counties. We’ve already seen what a difference it is making in people’s lives.”
According to Kelly, in the 6 months the program has been up and running out of our Lebanon office, 45% of the clients we have worked with, have obtained employment. Nationally, employment rates for people with mental illness is less than 10%. Alex Huffman is the team lead for employment in Warren/Clinton counties. He says, “Evidence shows working has an overall positive effect on overall mental health. I find that for many clients, having that daily routine of being productive adds to self-esteem as well.”
Daniel is one of the clients Alex works with in Clinton County. He says that Alex helps him… “when I need to know… ‘How do I deal with this? What do I do?’ He knows. A lot of stuff I wouldn’t be able to do without Alex’s help in navigating the system. I’d be lost.” But, as Alex shares, success in employment services is a two-way street. “Daniel has done a lot of work on himself, with budgeting, saving for a car…he’s done a very good job leveraging resources and covering his bases. He is very independent and a hard worker. He gets pride from that.”
Daniel agrees. “I’m trying to find my niche and find a career I want to pursue. That’s why I like Alex being in my corner. I want to wake up every day and love what I am doing. GCBHS focuses on me as an individual. They treat the whole person not just the disorder. They care about helping you get your needs met so you can be happy as a person.”
