Bio:

It might be said that the world of work is my "beat." My special interest through a long career has been in equal opportunity in the labor market for diverse populations. Early in my career I worked for labor unions and helped establish Membership and Employee Assistance Programs (MAPs & EAPs) in various workplaces. I have had an instrumental role in the development and evaluation of EAP efforts and continue to evaluate their operation as a research direction.

Additionally, I have helped establish world of work curricula at numerous School of Social Work and have maintained an ongoing commitment to contribute to the scholarly literature in this field with the objective of promoting the expansion of services to working men and women and to the many disadvantaged persons who seek entry into the world of work.

I have a long standing interest in issues of disability and have served in different capacities that promote the employment of people with disability starting with practice roles as the Director of Rehabilitation for the New York State Worker's Compensation Board and as Associate Director of Just One Break, a placement service for people with disabilities. I have provided consultation on disability and labor market policy under the United Nations, the World Rehabilitation Fund and other auspices to Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, Great Britain, Israel, Kazachstan, New Zealand and Sweden as well as to corporations, non-profit agencies and trade unions in the United States.

Most recently I have been concerned about the issue of social justice for people with mental health conditions and serve on the Statewide Educational Advisory Board of the NYS Office of Mental Health and on the Advisory Board of the New York Work Exchange as well as directing several efforts that implement vocational outcomes for those often excluded from the labor force. My interests are reflected in an applied research agenda that has kept me actively involved building knowledge and implementing programs in agencies providing health, mental health and social services throughout the City and State.

Research Interests:

• Social work and the workplace
• Management of workforce diversity
• Human resource management and supervision
• Employment for people with mental health conditions and other disabilities
• EAP/MAP program development and evaluation
  

Current Projects:

• Evaluation of mental health service delivery systems
• Quality assurance review of union assistance program
• Securing and maintaining competitive employment for people with serious and persistent mental health conditions
• Promoting effective links between community mental health providers and employers
• Mitigating the negative workplace consequences of domestic violence and vicarious traumatization
• Peers on staff: Starting a new historical record

Recent Publications:

Occupational Social Work: A Field of Practice (forthcoming) New York: Columbia University Press with P. Kurzman.

Akabas, S.H. & Gates, L.B. (under review). "Work Opportunities for Rewarding Careers©: A model to guide practice with mental health consumers."

Akabas, S.H., & Gates, L.B. (2002). The Role of Employee Assistance Programs in Supporting Workers with Mental Health Conditions. New York: Columbia University, Center for Social Policy and Practice in the Workplace.

Akabas, S.H., Gates, L.B., & Bikson, L. (2002). Unions Helping Workers with Mental Health Conditions: A Guide for Consumers, Providers and Union Representatives. New York: Columbia University, Center for Social Policy and Practice in the Workplace.

"Work and Job Jeopardy" (2001) in A. Gitterman Social Work Practice with Vulnerable and Resilient Populations. New York: Columbia University Press with Lori Bikson. pp. 841-860.

"Have I Got a Worker For You: Creating Employment Opportunities for People with Psychiatric Disability" (March 2001), Administration and Policy in Mental Health, 28(4), with L. Gates and E. Zwelling.

"Practice in the World of Work: Promise Unrealized" (2000) In P.A. Mears & C.D. Gervin (Eds.) The Handbook of Social Work Direct Practice. Thousands Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.

"A Social Work Role: Promoting Employment Equity for People with Serious and Persistent Mental Illness" (2000), Administration in Social Work, 23, 3/4, with L. Gates.

"Relationship Accommodations Involving the Work Group: Improving Work Prognosis for Persons with Mental Health Conditions" (Winter 1998), Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 21, 3, 264-272 with L. Gates and V. Oran-Sabia.

"Employee Assistance Programs" (1998), Encyclopedia of Occupational Health and Safety, Geneva: ILO.
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Disability Management: A Guide for Developing and Implementing Successful Programs (1996) Horsham, PA: LRP Publications Inc. with L. B. Gates and B.I. Warren.

"Supervisors' Role in Successful Job Maintenance: A Target for Rehabilitation Counselor Efforts," Journal of Applied
Rehabilitation Counseling with L.B. Gates and W. Kantrowitz, Volume 27, Number 3, Fall, 1996.

"Supervisors as Linch-pins in the Employment of People with Disabilities" (Fall 1996) Journal of the California Alliance for the Mentally Ill.

Planning for Disability Management: An Approach to Controlling Costs While Caring for Employees (1995) Scottsdale, AZ: American Compensation Association with L.B. Gates.

"Social Work in Occupational/Industrial Settings," (1995) in
Encyclopedia of Social Work, 19th Edition. Silver Springs, MD: NASW Press.

"Women in the Workplace," (1995) in N. Van Den Berg (Ed.) Feminist Practice in the 21st Century. Silver Springs, MD: NASW Press.

"Opportunities in the ADA for EAP Practice," (May 1994) in Employee Assistance, 27-32.

"Workplace Responsiveness: Key Employer Characteristics in Support of Job Maintenance for Persons with Mental Illness," (January 1994) The Psychosocial Rehabilitation Journal, 17, 3, 91-101.

Work and Well Being: The Occupational Social Work Advantage. (1993) Silver Springs, MD: NASW Press. Edited with Paul Kurzman.

"Women Workers in High-Risk Public Service: Tokens Under Stress," in P. Kurzman and S. Akabas (Eds.) Work and Well Being: The Occupational Social Work Advantage. Silver Springs, MD: National Association of Social Workers Press, with Barbara Levy Simon. 293-312.

"Prevention: An Organizing Concept for Workplace Services," in P. Kurzman and S. Akabas (Eds.) Work and Well Being: The Occupational Social Work Advantage. Silver Springs, MD: National Association of Social Workers Press, with Beth Grube. 86-101.

"Workforce Diversity," (1993) in J. Klein and J. Miller (Eds.) The American Edge. New York: McGraw-Hill, with Lauren B. Gates. 113-135.

Disability Management: A Complete System to Reduce Costs, Increase Productivity, Meet Employee Needs, and Ensure Legal Compliance. (1992) New York: AMACOM, with Lauren Gates and Donald Galvin.

"Organizational Commitment: The Key to Successful Implementation of Disability Management," (Autumn 1990) American Rehabilitation, 16, 3, 9-14, with Lauren Gates.

"Reconciling the Demands of Work with the Needs of Families," (June 1990) Families in Society, 71, 6, 366-371.

Last updated December 03, 2007.