We believe it is best to be honest with employers from the start. As you strive to build long-term relationships with employers, you must treat those employers as your customers. Further, if you attempt to hide the fact that you work in mental health, employers may eventually find out that you work for a mental health center so you really cannot guarantee to your clients that this information will remain private.

Our suggestion is to explain to employers (without hesitation) that you work with people who have had mental health problems but have the treatment and support they need to work. You could also give some examples, “It is difficult to describe the people I work with because each person has different interests and skills. For example, one person I am working with is a bookkeeper, another is a dishwasher, and another is an aide at a childcare center. Each of these people is performing his job as well as his co-workers.”