Evaluating the Efficacy of a Vocational Counseling Intervention to Improve Occupational Functioning and Employment Quality Among Veterans With Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders

Launched by VA OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT · Jul 29, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying a new way to help Veterans with mental health and substance use challenges find and keep better jobs. Many Veterans face unemployment, which can affect their health and well-being. The study will test whether adding a special career counseling program called Purposeful Pathways to an existing job support program (Transitional Work) helps Veterans work in higher-quality jobs, feel better overall, and reduce mental health symptoms and substance use.

Veterans who are eligible to join this study must be enrolled in the Transitional Work program at one of three VA locations, currently unemployed but interested in returning to paid work within the next three years, and have a mental health or substance use diagnosis. Participants will take part in weekly career counseling sessions and be randomly assigned to either receive the new counseling plus standard job support or standard job support alone. The study will look at how well the new approach works to improve job success, quality of life, and mental health. This trial aims to find better ways to support Veterans in achieving meaningful and lasting employment.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • enrolled in VHA TW at one of the three VA recruitment sites
• • be unemployed
• • report interest/intention to return to paid work within the upcoming three years
• • presence of a psychiatric disorder as indicated by documented ICD-10 diagnosis (mental health disorder and/or substance use disorder) addressed in an encounter at VHA within the 24 months preceding study enrollment
• • ages 18 and over
• • willing to participate in weekly vocational counseling sessions
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • report a plan to remain unemployed during the upcoming 12 months
• • report plans to retire within the next 12 months
• • be currently retired
• • be a full-time student
• • enrolled in Supported Employment
• • experiencing significantly elevated mental health symptoms as indicated by a score greater than 26 on the Symptom Checklist-6 (SCL-648)
• • have a guardian or conservator