The purpose of this study was to investigate the prestige of master's level training programs in rehabilitation counseling as assessed by directors of these programs throughout the United States. Two types of indicators were employed in this investigation. Subjective peer evaluations required respondents to choose the five Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE) accredited programs that they considered to be “most prestigious.” Then, respondents were asked to rate each of the five programs selected according to specific scales of program quality. The results were tabulated and compared to an objective indicator. Publication records were considered to indicate program and/or faculty visibility and achievement in research areas. Seventy-seven of the respondents were from programs accredited by CORE and fourteen were from programs that were institutional members of the National Council on Rehabilitation Education (NCRE) and not CORE accredited at the time of response. The findings of this study provide information from which universities, faculty, students, prospective students and funding sources may assess the standing of a particular program within the rehabilitation education community. This inquiry represents the first of its kind in the field of rehabilitation counseling.
After traumatio brain injuries (TBI), individuals must overcome many barriers to attain their maximum independence. In our sooiety, competitive work remains a major indicator of this independenoe. The model presented in this article stresses that vocational rehabilitation counseling, regardless of the client's particular situation, follows the same basic goals and methods. Those goals are directed toward the attainment of a realistio vocational plan given the individual's skills, abilities and temperaments, as well as the vocational alternatives available to that individual. To achieve those goals, the vocational rehabilitation counselor (VRC) must rely on fundamental counseling skills. A safe, therapeutic environment must be created by carefully listening to the client's ideas and feelings. The VRC assists the client in identifying goals, as well as the behaviors necessary for achieving them. Cooperatively, strategies for defining and achieving both are explored. When inevitable differences surface between the client's perception of the best course of action and that of the VRC, VRCs must provide clear, honest explanations of their reservations about the client's plans, while remaining supportive of the client's motivation to work. Greater responsibility and skill for the counseling relationship must be assumed by the VRC in working with individuals who have had traumatic brain injuries.
Research has identified several psychosocial adjustment issues which follow a traumatic injury. We studied two women with spinal cord injuries to determine how the injury had affected their life satisfaction, and to identify areas of adjustment requiring attention. Significant issues emerged concerning intimate relationships and dating, response to societal reactions to their appearance, vocational pursuits, spirituality, and locus of control. Suggestions for further research are presented, and implications for facilitating adjustment to disability are discussed.
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