A Two-Year Longitudinal Study of the Kansas Consumers as Providers Training Program

Objective: This study reports student outcomes for the Kansas Consumers as Providers (CAP) training program. Graduates provide mental health services to other consumers in the community. CAP is a semester-long class plus a 104-hour internship in a social service agency. Methods: This paper reports on the results of a two-year quantitative, longitudinal study of people with psychiatric disabilities who completed the program. Results: Graduates had statistically significant pre-post differences in employment and post-secondary education enrollment at all three follow-up points. Conclusion: Results suggest that CAP graduates can and do provide valuable mental health services to other consumers.