From Welfare to Work: Transitioning Women Need Mental Health Services
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Welfare to Work: Transitioning Women Need Mental Health Services
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With the reform of state and federal welfare policies, many people “getting off the rolls” experience overlooked problems. One case in point is the extent to which women in transition from welfare to work need mental health services. A policy brief featured in an April 4 research forum sponsored by the McCormack Institute’s Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy and the Women’s Studies Program highlighted such issues.
The policy brief showed women on welfare face significant barriers to employment, including mental health problems, in part because they exhibit a much higher level of psychological disorders and mental distress than the general population.
The report was put together by Center research associate Carol Cardozo and research assistant Lisa Sussman, who examined the literature about programs around the country offering specialized services for women in transition. Pointing to work requirements and strict time limits, the authors show it is becoming increasingly evident that many women making the welfare to work transition have a desperate need for such services as counseling and substance abuse treatment, in addition to general preparation for work and specific job training.
The study found programs were successful when they took steps to address the problem including: locating providers of psychological services in welfare offices; training staff to recognize psychological distress and mental health problems; and offering intensive case management for those most at risk for failure in the job market. The authors suggest further that mental health treatment could be counted as part of work requirements and integrated into job search strategies.
This policy brief is one of three recently prepared by Center researchers. The first compared the new welfare regulations in Massachusetts and at the federal level; the second focused on family leave, which is currently being discussed by the legislature. Such briefs are designed, Carol Cardozo says, to give policy-makers a solid user-friendly interpretation of a given issue that they can use in formulating law and policy. This brief will probably be shared with the mental health caucus of Massachusetts legislators.