A two-year longitudinal study of the Kansas consumers as providers training program

Area of Science:

• Mental Health Services
• Consumer-Led Interventions
• Vocational Rehabilitation

Background:

• The Kansas Consumers as Providers (CAP) program trains individuals with psychiatric disabilities to provide mental health services.
• Graduates of the CAP program offer support to other consumers within the community.
• The program combines a semester-long class with a 104-hour internship in a social service agency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the student outcomes of the Kansas Consumers as Providers (CAP) training program.
• To determine the impact of the CAP program on graduates' employment and educational attainment.
• To assess the effectiveness of CAP graduates in providing mental health services.

Main Methods:

• A two-year quantitative, longitudinal study was conducted.
• The study followed individuals with psychiatric disabilities who completed the CAP program.
• Outcomes were assessed at multiple follow-up points.

Main Results:

• CAP graduates demonstrated statistically significant pre-post differences in employment rates.
• Enrollment in post-secondary education significantly increased among CAP graduates.
• These positive outcomes were consistent across all three follow-up intervals.

Conclusions:

• The CAP training program equips graduates to provide valuable mental health services.
• Graduates are capable of successfully reintegrating into the workforce and pursuing further education.
• The findings support the efficacy of consumer-provider models in mental health care.