A case study of employment case management with chronically unemployed methadone maintained clients

This clinical case study reports on a convenience sample of 10 chronically unemployed methadone maintained clients (aged 36–60 yrs) who voluntarily enrolled in the employment case management (ECM) project. ECM is a comprehensive employment intervention strategy designed to motivate chronically unemployed persons to engage in work, assist in job placement, and provide post employment support through workforce integration, while maintaining progress in drug treatment. Clients received individual ECM services for a period of 26 wks. Clients were assessed at 2- and 8-mo follow-up intervals. Nine of the 10 clients were employed at the 2-mo follow-up assessment and 6 maintained employment at the 8-mo follow-up. Moreover, 3 clients were able to successfully transition from welfare to competitive private sector employment. Preliminary data suggest that ECM may be an effective intervention strategy to help chronically unemployed methadone clients obtain and maintain employment. Qualitatively, clients reported that post employment intervention services such as motivational counseling, problem solving, and employer advocacy helped sustain employment.