Supported Education in a Swedish Context – Opportunities and Challenges for Developing Career-Oriented Support for Young Adults with Mental Health Problems

Young adults experiencing mental health problems often need both individual support and educational accommodations to successfully complete their studies. Recent research also points to the need for career-related, educational services in a labor market that increasingly demands formal education or training.

The aim of this study was to investigate the development of supported education services in Sweden, in relation to pursuing educational and vocational goals. Interviews were conducted with a broad sample of stakeholders who are currently developing supported education services, as well as young adults utilizing educational support.

The results suggest a number of key factors for accommodating the needs of these students which include, in addition to basic academic, mental health and individual supports, attention to economic challenges, social contexts and improved mental health literacy for educational actors. The results additionally substantiate the relevance of educational supports to long-term vocational goals when providing employment support services.