News and Information
2025 Wellness Through Employment Conference
IPS Supported Employment, Peer Wellness, Crisis Management, Substance Use Recovery, and Housing professionals from across the state came together for the annual Wellness Through Employment conference September 23 and 24. Attendees engaged with dynamic keynote speakers and expert panelists who brought fresh perspectives tothe challenges facing our fields. Beyond the programming, the conference provided opportunities for laughter, reflection, and meaningful peer
connections—moments of taking deep breaths together and hearing from each other that proved just as valuable as the structured learning.
Whether you were unable to attend or you would like to see it again, you can watch any of the conference presentations in the video player below.
At the 2025 IPS Conference, attendees were asked to complete a simple sentence, "Employment gives people ____________" Click on the video to the right to see the attendees various answers!
SAMHSA Releases New IPS Toolkit
SAMHSA developed this evidence-based toolkit to provide state administrators, communities, clinicians, policymakers, and others with the information and tools to implement IPS, an evidence-based Supported Employment, for persons with mental illness to find and keep employment. The IPS model of Supported Employment is grounded in research showing the transformative power of employment as a path to recovery. Through IPS, people with mental health conditions are empowered to find and sustain competitive, meaningful work, fostering a greater sense of purpose and community.
SAMHSA Releases New IPS Toolkit
SAMHSA developed this evidence-based toolkit to provide state administrators, communities, clinicians, policymakers, and others with the information and tools to implement IPS, an evidence-based Supported Employment, for persons with mental illness to find and keep employment. The IPS model of Supported Employment is grounded in research showing the transformative power of employment as a path to recovery. Through IPS, people with mental health conditions are empowered to find and sustain competitive, meaningful work, fostering a greater sense of purpose and community.
Tennessee Hosts, Supports and Represents at the International IPS Conference
The International IPS Learning Community chose Tennessee to host its Annual Meeting this year, and it was an impactful event. Representatives from at least seven countries and more than 30 US states met at the Nashville Airport Hilton to learn new applications, discuss emerging research, and celebrate the success of IPS implementation across the globe. During the conference, MHSAS Assistant Director of Employment and Wellness Stephanie Cooper received the IPS Facilitator Award for excellent performance in keeping the Tennessee learning community supported through data collection, TA, fidelity monitoring, and state government leadership. An employed member from Park Center shared about her recovery journey, from “rock bottom to, with support from her employment specialist, working a job she loves." Prior to the conference, the TN IPS team met with England, Alaska, and Norway’s IPS teams to discuss IPS implementation successes and opportunities for growth. AIM Center, CMI, Frontier Health, McNabb Center, Park Center, Pathways, TN Vocational Rehabilitation, TN IPS Benefits Counselors, TN IPS Trainers and the TDMHSAS Office of Wellness and Employment all had representatives at the conference to participate in sessions and some members of the TN team cofacilitated breakout sessions.
2024 Wellness Through Employment Conference
About 300 people gathered both in-person and virtually to celebrate the benefits of Wellness through Employment at an annual conference on September 26-27 hosted by the TDMHSAS Office of Wellness and Employment. Deputy Commissioner Matt Yancey delivered a kickoff keynote address, our partners at the Department of Human Services shared inspiring messages, and breakout sessions featured meaningful presentations on Individual Placement and Support (IPS) techniques, special populations including young adults, and lessons on improving or maintaining wellness. Special congratulations to TDMHSAS Peer Recovery Coordinator Michelle Webster who was honored with the Peggy Swarbrick Excellence in Service Award for her support of the Peer Wellness Initiative!
Implementing IPS in Rural Communities
Advancing State Policy Integration for Recovery and Employment (ASPIRE) has published a new policy brief focused on expanding IPS services to people in rural areas. Implementing Individual Placement and Support in Rural Communities: Barriers and Strategies describes barriers that program leaders face in implementing IPS in rural communities and the range of strategies used to eliminate these hurdles. The brief draws primarily on a qualitative study involving interviews with 27 IPS specialists in 15 states with successful IPS programs in rural communities.
Tennessee Shines at International IPS Conference
Tennessee’s work to support the employment and educational goals of people living with mental health, substance use, and co-occurring disorders through Individual Placement and Support (IPS) supported employment was on full display at the International IPS Learning Community Annual Meeting in late May. At the conference, TDMHSAS Director of Employment and Wellness Mark Liverman received an award for leadership, and TN IPS Trainer Tiffanie Whitaker received an award for Excellence in IPS Training. Ruth Brock, formerly with the Department of Human Services Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, was also recognized for her role in getting IPS off the ground in Tennessee. The two day meeting held in Chicago was truly an international event with attendees from as far away as New Zealand sharing how the evidence-based model of IPS is supporting the independence and goals of people living with behavioral health challenges.
TDMHSAS Publishes 2024 Employment Works Report and Celebrates IPS at Event
Department leaders gathered with community providers to celebrate the accomplishments of everyone involved with the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) supported employment program in the last year. The FY23 accomplishments and success stories were featured in the 2024 Employment Works Report which was presented at the event at IPS provider Dismas House in Nashville on May 21. The event featured the success story of Bobby Anderson. With IPS and other supports from Dismas, Bobby went back to school and recently earned a Master's Certificate in Responsible Human Resource Management from Austin Peay State University. Bobby is using the supports from IPS to pursue higher education with a goal of working to help people like him after incarceration.
NAMI Ask the Expert: How Employment Supports Mental Health Recovery
View Archived Video of the Webinar at this Link
Employment provides many benefits to support recovery journeys, such as adding purpose and structure to one’s day. This archived webinar looks at how long-term employment can support mental health recovery. During this webinar, contributors covered topics such as:
- Research showing how employment improves quality and length of life
- The Individual Placement Support (IPS) model of supported employment
- The 8 Dimensions of Wellness
- Stories of personal recovery from individuals who benefited from supported employment
Tennessee Represents at National IPS Conference, Liverman Wins Award
Tennessee was well-represented at the 2023 International IPS Learning Community Annual Meeting, May 23 and 24, 2023 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Topic areas included personal recovery stories, new research findings from learning communities, mental health and vocational rehabilitation partnerships for IPS, serving individuals with justice involvement, and international updates. At the conference, TDMHSAS Director of Wellness and Employment Mark Liverman was surprised with an award for his work.
Pictured Below L to R: Tylesha McCray (VR Middle TN Area Director), William Otey (Statewide IPS Trainer), Stephanie Cooper (OWE Assistant Director), Ruth Brock (IPS National Trainer and Consultant), Sarah Swanson (IPSEC Director), Mikayla Moore (Statewide IPS Trainer), Tiffanie Whitaker (Statewide IPS Trainer Director), Key Hunt (Statewide IPS Trainer).
Wellness Through Employment 2023 Statewide Conference: May 11 and 12
The annual Wellness Through Employment Statewide Conference was held May 11 and 12, 2023. Attendees both in-person and virtual, received valuable insights and created connections with leaders in the field and peers from across the state. Highlighted presentations included the keynote presented by originators of the IPS model, Bob Drake and Debbie Becker. Additional presentation topics included applying IPS to people living with and recovering from substance use disorder, the Eight Dimensions of Wellness, and more. A special highlight was a panel discussion on the second day of the conference looking back at ten years of IPS in Tennessee with the men and women who brought the model to the Volunteer State.
You can view video of presentations from the conference at this link.
Click the photo gallery below for images from the conference and to view award winners.
IPS Services Spotlighted in Annual Expect Employment Report Presentation to Governor Lee (November 22, 2022)
TDMHSAS was proud to highlight the successes of IPS during the annual Expect Employment report presentation to Governor Bill Lee. This annual event is a highlight for the members of Tennessee's Employment First Task Force, and the report catalogs the task force members' progress toward increasing employment opportunities for Tennesseans with disabilities. This year's event was the first to focus on IPS. In state fiscal year 2022, Tennessee's IPS providers increased their successful job placements by 25%, and they increased long-term employment (90 days or more) by more than 60%!
Click this link or the image below to watch a video from the event.
COVID-19, Unemployment, and Behavioral Health Conditions: The Need for Supported Employment
Download the White Paper at this link.
Download presentation slides at this link.
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated pre-existing behavioral health (mental health and substance use) disorders for many people and created new disorders for others. A robust evidence base shows that supported employment combines vocational and behavioral health supports to enable unemployed people with behavioral health conditions find appropriate, competitive, integrated employment. Many more U.S. citizens will need these services as the pandemic recedes and jobs open up.
2020 Expect Employment Report Presentation (November 2, 2020)
Download the report at this link.
Watch the full report presentation at this link.
Members of Tennessee's Employment First Task Force presented the 2020 edition of the Expect Employment report to Gov. Bill Lee. The annual report contains highlights, accomplishments, and progress in the area of increasing employment for Tennesseans with disabilities.