SummarySupport programme of employment for psychiatric patients : a retrospective study Goal: RESSORT,a supported employment programme developed and implemented in Lausanne in 2009, provides personalised help to people with mental difficulties to obtain and keep employment, access educational programmes or engage in mental health care based on the clients' personal needs. Either a traditional progressive vocational rehabilitation programme or the Individual Placement and Support model (IPS) could be offered. The purpose of this retrospective pilot study was to evaluate the effectiveness of RESSORT in promoting professional reintegration and personal goals achievement. Method: The professional and educational status at the end of the programme for 139 patients between 2009 and 2011 were compared with their baseline status using contingency tables and chi-square analysis. The achievement of the initial goals was also measured. Finally, the predictive power of a series of baseline variables was tested to identify subgroups of clients with different levels of response to the programme. Results: At the end of the programme 54% of the patients had a professional or an educational activity, versus 37% at the baseline. Besides, 40.3% of the patients were employed at the programme exit, of which 22% in sheltered jobs and 18% in competitive jobs, versus 33.1% at the baseline. During RES-SORT 28% of the patients gained access to a professional or educational activity, while 12% lost it, 35% remained unemployed and 25% kept their initial activity. The analysis of the predictive factors showed that having a certificate of professional education, being more than 30 years of age and undergoing psychiatric treatment at the baseline are factors leading to a successfull vocational reintegration. Conclusion: Based on these study outcomes, which demonstrated comparability with the results of previous research, we can assume RESSORT to be effective at enhancing vocational reintegration results. Since 2012 three specialised pathways (psychiatric care engagement, traditional vocational rehabilitation and supported employment IPS) have been differentiated. This latest development, aimed at clarifying the strategies of intervention used by RESSORT, will be object of further research in the future.