Mental health problems in the workplace are currently one of the main causes of work absence, a phenomenon that has seen a marked increase in the last two decades. Research work in the occupational rehabilitation and mental health field has highlighted the importance of a collaborative process involving the stakeholders in the return-to-work process. However, while a handful of studies have focused on the work reintegration of workers who held jobs but had been absent from them for mental health reasons, very few of these studies have specifically explored the design and implementation of return-to-work programs.
 
This report concerns the design, implementation, and evaluation of an integrated practices program for supporting a return to work following an absence for a mental health problem. The research project was carried out in response to a joint employee/employer request made by a health and social services establishment in Québec, Canada, for intervention regarding the problem of mental health-related work absences among its personnel and their return to work.