Individual placement and support (IPS) is an evidence-based intervention where IPS consultants support people with severe mental illness in achieving competitive employment. IPS is a recovery-oriented intervention, but vast evidence regarding its ability to influence recovery-oriented outcomes challenges this position.

To investigate how an IPS-intervention influences the personal recovery process in people with severe mental illness.

A qualitative phenomenological study including interview of 12 participants in an IPS-intervention. Analysis was made using a four-step phenomenological analysis method.

IPS contributed to personal recovery in a number of ways: The IPS consultants’ ability to create an equal, acknowledging and safe relationship where participants’ needs were taking into consideration in the search and support for job or education was found valuable. In combination with employment, the role of the IPS consultant contributed to normalization and stabilisation of participants’ daily lives, changed their behaviours and beliefs about maintaining new achievements, personal goals and dreams.

Individual placement and support provides opportunities to gain personal goals and contributes to stabilisation and normalization of participants’ daily lives. This study supports the notion that the individual placement and support positively influences personal recovery in people with severe mental illness.