Heather, in her late forties, recently started work at a prestigious New York newspaper entering freelance articles and letters into the paper's computer system. Throughout her career, she has performed routine office work. But this job, she explains, is one of the best, because she is contributing to a highly regarded publication – and she no longer has to hide the fact that she has suffered from a severe mental illness.

Heather is participating in the Transitional Employment Program at Fountain House, a New York City-based rehabilitation program for people with mental illnesses. Founded in the 1940s by four former patients at the Rockland (NY) State Hospital, Fountain House is joined today by 350 similar programs, called Clubhouses, throughout the United States and 21 countries.

The Transitional Employment Program has been helping people with severe mental illness find their way into the working world since 1956. It not only matches people with jobs, but also provides on-site training, ongoing counseling, and even temporary replacements for members occasionally unable to go to work.

Currently, 148 people in the program have been placed in positions at companies such as Dow Jones, Saks Fifth Avenue, New York Life, and Time-Warner. These jobs – about two thirds of which are full-time – are mostly entry level and include positions as messengers, mail clerks, and office assistants. Wages average $7 per hour.

The program not only gives people with mental illness valuable job experience. It also helps educate the business community. "There's a widespread misperception that people with mental illness are dangerous and unpredictable," says Ralph Bilby, Fountain House's director of employment programs. "We try to get people to see beyond stereotypes."

Bilby notes that many people with severe mental illness, especially schizophrenia, spend their early adult years struggling with their disease, not building a résumé. When they have stabilized to the point that they're ready to go to work, the only jobs available tend to be marginal, menial, and low paying.

"These aren't jobs that encourage people to keep working," Bilby says.

"These are people struggling with adjustment issues. They may need time off for treatment. And they are still figuring out how to balance the changes in their moods with the requirements of a job. The challenge is to provide the support they need to keep their jobs. We give them opportunities in a system that doesn't punish them for a few failures."

Before her mental illness, Heather worked for over 10 years for a company that ultimately relocated. Losing that job was one of the things that precipitated her hospitalization. Now she says knowing that someone can replace her if she needs to take a day off – and that she won't be fired – is enormously important.

By the time people leave the Transitional Employment Program, they've built a work history at some of New York's most respected companies. How long that takes depends on the individual. "Some people need one or two placements," says Bilby, "while others need a dozen. People move through at their own pace."

The newspaper job is Heather's third placement – and her favorite. "When people ask me if I work," she says, "I can tell them that I do. It gives me pride."