Counselors With Disabilities: A Comment on the Special Feature

Abstract

The aim of this comment is to focus more attention on the topic of counseling and disabilities. A literature review is presented on the question of whether clients perceive counselors with disabilities more positively or more negatively than they perceive counselors with no obvious physical disabilities. The results of the review provide tentative implications for counselors.

Anger - the hidden destroyerA psychodynamic approach with the physically disabled

“…Research concerning the work of disabled clinicians with disabled clients tends to be limited and conflicting (Miller 1991;Allen and Cohen 1980); as a disabled clinician I can only address what I have found in working with many disabled clients. Empathic transferences between myself and my disabled clients tend to come about more quickly and are less attenuated than are transferences from my ablebodied clients.…”