“How do you recognize the little wins”: Reframing success in individual placement and support from the perspective of program clients and service providers.

OBJECTIVE: The bidirectional relationship between employment and other social determinants of health is well established. Despite this, employment rates are the most frequently measured outcome of program success for employment programs. Limited research has examined community perspectives on other important indicators of program success. Our study aimed to understand what outcomes are considered meaningful for defining Individual Placement and Support program success from a community perspective. METHOD: = 50) in a Delphi study and subsequent community session. Rating surveys determined which outcomes reached consensus using a threshold of ≥80%. Following the survey, we held four community sessions to share back findings and provide participants the opportunity to reflect on them. RESULTS: Participants identified 23 consensus outcomes in three categories. Employment outcomes include outcomes related to pre-employment and job safety, satisfaction, support, and alignment with interests, goals, needs, and abilities. Mental health outcomes include increasing and sustaining mental health and improving hopefulness and confidence. Quality of life outcomes include improving quality of life and outcomes related to financial stability and housing. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Our study provides an example of engaging community perspectives to expand how we understand the range of outcomes that are considered meaningful when defining program success. Our findings can be used to refine practices around how to measure and evaluate the effectiveness of Individual Placement and Support and other supported employment programs to ensure alignment with the modern-day priorities of those receiving and delivering services. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).