Clara Martin Center Hires New
Vocational Specialist, Wins Award
By Martha Slater

Dennis Stupka, MA, has been hired by the Clara Martin Center as its new vocational specialist. In that role, he works out of the center’s new community support services offices at 24 South Main St. in Randolph, offering supported employment services and helping clients to define and achieve their vocational goals.

"Most of the time that means finding work, but sometimes it means going back to school or getting other training," Stupka explained. "My task as the new vocational person here is to connect with local businesses to see if we can find employment for them."

The center and the local Vocational Rehabilitation office have received an award of recognition for their participation in the Johnson & Johnson-Dartmouth Community Mental Health Program to help people with mental illness join the workforce. The two agencies, who have been participating in a consortium of employment agencies in seven states who are involved in this program, are collaborating to help people with psychiatric disabilities obtain employment in Orange County.

Supported employment services help people consider their vocational skills, preferences and experiences to identify their desired job type. Employment specialists help people in their job search and then provide individualized support as needed to assist them in their work lives.

Stupka and his supervisor, Jeff Rothenberg, Community Rehabilitation and Treatment Program Director at the Clara Martin Center, plan to send out a letter to area businesses within the next few weeks, explaining the program and inviting them to contact the center about it. Stupka stressed that the services provided are geared to the individual and are consumer directed.

"Many of the people I help have limited work experience, but it varies. Some of them have advanced degrees," he explained. "The work I help them find could range from something such as a part-time maintenance job to a position requiring very specific education and skills, such as a registered dietician." All of Stupka’s clients have a disability, but they also have an interest in entering the workforce.

"My goal is placing people successfully and making sure it’s a good fit for the individual," he said. "Some of my clients are apprehensive about the stigma of being identified as receiving services. I don’t necessarily have to work directly with the employer. I can conduct mock interviews, help to put together a resume, etc."

Stupka, who grew up in central and southern New Hampshire, earned his BA from Keene State College and MA from the University of Connecticut. While in college and graduate school, he worked in peer counseling and teaching positions. He says he came to the Clara Martin Center because he wanted "to make a career out of helping people overcome their day-to-day challenges."

According to a press release issued recently by the center, in traditional rehabilitation programs, less than 15% of the people with serious mental illness obtain meaningful work. The supported employment model of vocational services has consistently demonstrated better outcomes in helping people with mental illness to get and keep competitive jobs in their communities, but fewer than 5% of people who have a serious mental illness have access to these services. 

"Supported employment is an integral part of services at the Clara Martin Center," said Rothenberg. "We have witnessed numerous people coming out of the hospital who have found competitive work in their community with the collaborative help of our agency’s vocational staff and the local VocRehab office. Employment for these people has proven to be an important part of their recovery and re-integration into the community."

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