The Biggest Workforce Challenges Faced by Federal State Agencies and How to Resolve Them with Dr. Virginia Selleck

In the last episode of the Government Enabled podcast, our host Cheryl Mitchell spoke with Dr. Virginia Selleck, who has been working in the field of mental health and rehabilitation for over 20 years. She’s currently doing consulting with states, adjusting her goal toward evidence-based implementation and policy.

We have discussed the problem of (un)employment of people with psychiatric disabilities, especially since post-COVID. According to Dr. Selleck, employment has significantly changed during and post-pandemic, mostly in terms of giving people with psychiatric disabilities the opportunity to work using the latest technology needed in business, which is one of the most crucial goals of the evidence-based practice.

Dr. Virginia Selleck refers to the most common challenges that people with disabilities have faced throughout the years while trying to get employment, including the fact that “people with psychiatric disabilities have been told for decades that work was too stressful.” Is it a myth or the truth? Should everyone be given a chance to work, including those who had criminal justice involvement in the past? Or employment should be limited to a certain group of people with adequate assets and abilities? Are there consequences of long-term unemployment?

Dr. Virginia provides valuable and justified answers to all the burning questions associated with the topic. Additionally, she helped us understand the position where people with disabilities are when it comes to employment, by sharing useful resources, websites and articles where we can learn more about this issue.