Steve Shober, BS, LSW, WIP, is a consultant and trainer at the Center for Evidence-Based Practices at Case Western Reserve University and its Supported Employment Center of Excellence initiative. He provides technical assistance (program consultation, clinical consultation, training, and fidelity evaluation) to service systems and organizations that are implementing evidence-based practices, emerging best practices, and other strategies that improve quality of life and other outcomes for people diagnosed with severe mental illness and substance use disorders. The practices and strategies include the following:
Mr. Shober brings many years of direct-practice and supervision experience to his role at the Center. Before joining the Center, he worked at Eastway Behavioral Healthcare in Dayton, Ohio, as a vocational rehabilitation specialist and job coach then as a team leader and manager who guided the implementation of evidence-based Supported Employment services. At Eastway, he witnessed the positive impacts of the core principles and practices of the SE/IPS model as his team helped people diagnosed with severe mental illness find a job of their choice in local communities.
Mr. Shober also has advanced benefits-planning experience, having helped numerous people with disabilities navigate state and federal benefits programs. As a consultant, he now advises and trains organizations how to help consumers make informed decisions about their financial futures. This frequently includes balancing paid employment with common benefits programs utilized by adults with disabilities, such as the following:
Mr. Shober's calming voice of authority about Supported Employment and Benefits Advocacy & Planning provides a comforting sense of can-do. He is a firm believer that service providers can build a foundation for service innovation and success with two basic approaches: begin with knowing some basic information about the evidence-based Supported Employment model and benefits programs; and make a concerted effort to develop trusting relationships (therapeutic alliances) with the people you serve. His advice: Get to know each person as an individual—his or her concerns, fears, hopes, and dreams.
Mr. Shober is a 1991 graduate of The Pennsylvania State University's rehabilitation services education program. Upon graduation, he joined Eastway Behavioral Healthcare in Dayton.
- Assertive Community Treatment (ACT)
- Supported Employment / Individual Placement & Support (SE/IPS)
- Benefits Advocacy & Planning
- Cash benefits from the Social Security Administration (SSI, SSDI)
- Work incentives
- Medicaid
- Medicare
- Housing subsidies