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The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly influenced all aspects of daily life. Especially hard hit during the pandemic are typically marginalized individuals, including individuals with chronic illnesses and disabilities. Vocational rehabilitation counselors are uniquely positioned to support these individuals both during and after the pandemic. The Illinois Work and Well-Being Model can be utilized by researchers and counselors supporting marginalized individuals as an effective theoretical framework to address anticipated COVID-19-related challenges. In this article we also provide insights into three potential issues that may be more likely to occur as a result of the pandemic. These issues are a delay in career development, an extended absence from work, and experiences of both primary and secondary trauma. We conclude by providing future directions for research that could impact the lives of individuals directly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Keywords: COVID-19, Illinois Work and Weil-Being Model, trauma, employment, Employment and earning a paycheck can have tangible and intangible rewards. Positive rewards or outcomes would include the opportunity for working age adults (ages 18 to 65) to provide for [...]

This article presents a contextual career development framework, the Illinois Work and Well-Being Model (IW2M), as an intervention schematic that can be applied to facilitate vocational rehabilitation outcomes for people with asthma. The framework encompasses the interaction of contextual and career development domains to improve participation in the areas of work, society, community, and home. A discussion of the model's implications regarding vocational rehabilitation services and research is offered, with the overall goal of reinforcing career development as the foundation of vocational rehabilitation services for people with asthma and other emerging disabling conditions. Keywords: Asthma, Vocational Rehabilitation, Career Development, Illinois Work and Well Being Model, It is well documented that paid employment is beneficial to the physical health, psychological well-being, and quality of life of people with and without disabilities, including people with chronic health [...]

This study examined the extent to which physical and emotional functioning mediated the relationship between psychological well-being (PERMA) and the career domains of the Illinois Work and Well-Being Model (IW2M) in a group of young adult central nervous system (CNS) cancer survivors. The participants consisted of 81 young adult survivors of childhood CNS cancer aged between 18 and 24 years old (M = 18.90, SD = .97). Participants were asked to fill out the research packet containing demographic information and research instruments. The PROCESS macro written by Hayes was used to estimate the total, direct, and indirect effects of psychological well-being on job awareness, job acquisition and job maintenance through emotional and physical functioning. Study finding suggest that physical and emotional functioning have a differential impact on specific career development factors and that psychological well-being was also found to have a significant impact on each of the three career development domains. Overall, the study findings are consistent with the IW2M that indicates that an individual's perceived level of functioning impacts career development factors and that positive psychology constructs, such as psychological well-being, may also be implicated in perceived functioning and the career development process of young adult CNS cancer survivors. Career and vocational interventions targeting young adult CNS cancer survivors should focus on increasing psychological well-being as well as increasing physical and emotional functioning. In addition, career interventions should consider the differential impact across the career domain., Researchers are increasingly interested in understanding how treatment-related late effects including psychosocial, physical, and emotional concerns impact childhood cancer survivors' social functioning and quality of life. Engaging in career development [...]

This study investigated the effect of demographic characteristics and the working alliance between counselor and consumer on employment outcomes for rural and urban consumers with disabilities. A sample of 2031 vocational rehabilitation consumers from urban and rural areas were compared. Results indicated that both urban and rural consumers who had more severe disabilities, were older, and had a weaker working alliance with their counselor experienced poorer employment outcomes. Rural consumers with a severe disability were at a greater employment disadvantage than their urban counterparts. Educational level contributed significantly to predicting employment status for urban participants but not for rural participants. Implications for services are discussed., Rural Vocational rehabilitation counselors typically encounter difficulties when assisting individuals with disabilities obtain employment because of a lack of transportation, limited employment opportunities, inadequate training and education options, and limited [...]

A key factor in the development of an effective relationship between the client and counselor is the development of a strong working alliance (Bordin, 1979). It is pertinent to recognize the consumer's subjective views (Lustig & Crowder, 2000) regarding the impact of the services they receive. In this study, individuals with severe mental illness (N=305) completed a survey that measured their reported level of the working alliance and information related to the outcome measures. Results indicated that employed clients measured stronger on the working alliance than the unemployed clients. Additionally, higher levels of working alliance were associated with higher levels of job satisfaction. Finally, the results indicated that for unemployed clients, the stronger the measured level of working alliance the more positive the clients viewed their employment future., Estimates show that 22.1 percent of Americans ages 18 and older have a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year (Regier, Narrow, Rae, Manderscheid, Locke, & Goodwin, 1993), about 1 [...]

Research has suggested that an individual's career thoughts play a significant role in what an individual perceives as viable career options and how an individual makes specific career choices. This study examined the differences in career thoughts between 63 individuals with a disability and a convenience sample of 149 college students in a southern urban university. The results of independent sample t-tests suggested no significant differences between the groups on all four scales of the Career Thoughts Inventory. The authors discuss effect sizes, several possible explanations for the results, and limitations to the study. The results would also suggest that rehabilitation professionals working with individuals with disabilities should not assume that individuals with disabilities have a higher level of dysfunctional career thoughts. Instead, rehabilitation professionals should individually analyze an individual's career thoughts to determine implications for career development and rehabilitation planning., Cognition has been widely recognized as an important factor to consider when working with individuals regarding issues related to vocational development and career decision making (Lustig & Strauser, 2000). Research [...]

The purpose of this study was to examine Hershenson's theory of work adjustment by examining the relationship between work personality and work competencies. Specifically, this study examined the theoretical link and the reciprocal effect between the domains of work personality and work competencies, and the impact of certain demographic variables on work personality and work competencies. Participants included 104 job placement service recipients in a large Southern urban area. Findings showed that higher levels of work personality predicted an internal locus of control and higher job-related self-efficacy. The number of jobs a person had held was correlated with work personality and work persistence was correlated with education. Findings also indicated that individuals whose parents/guardians worked while they were growing up had more internalized locus of control. Results are discussed in light of current literature., Over the past 10 to 15 years, research has suggested that our economy has undergone a shift from a production orientation to an emphasis on service and knowledge (Drucker, 1993) [...]

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a condition that can occur at any age with people who have no predisposing conditions. PTSD is distinguishable from other DSM-IV-TR anxiety disorders as its symptoms develop after exposure to an extreme stressor or traumatic event (i.e. rape, sexual assault, physical violence and war). Research has suggested that individuals with disabilities, especially women, experience higher rates of violence, abuse, and trauma when compared to their non-disabled peers (Watson-Armstrong, O'Rourke, & Schatzlein, 1999), theoretically putting them at increased risk for the development of PTSD. The purpose of this article is to provide a brief review of PTSD and discusses the implications for rehabilitation planning and individual vocational development. The Ecological Model of Career Development (Syzmanski, 2000) is applied to help the reader conceptualize the effects of PTSD on vocational behavior. Specific attention is given to the potential effect of PTSD on the congruence between the individual and work environment. Recommendations are then offered to increase the effectiveness of rehabilitation counselors working with individuals with disabilities who may be experiencing PTSD., With the changing nature of work and the globalization of the economy, workers are having to develop extensive cognitive, interpersonal, and critical thinking skills to successfully compete for and maintain [...]

The voucher system, as applied in rehabilitation, has its advantages and disadvantages. Under such system, clients can choose the services they prefer. Rehabilitation agencies will then be compelled to improve the quality of their service. However, agencies may consider clients merely as potential sources of revenue rather than patients needing treatment. It is also difficult to formulate a structure that will ensure efficient use of the voucher system., The purpose of this article is to discuss the advantages and potential problems of implementing a voucher system in rehabilitation. Among the major advantages of implementing such a system would [...]

Self-efficacy theory can be applied in rehabilitation counseling. Basic assumptions of self-efficacy theory state that individuals can cope better if they perceive themselves as having the necessary skills and abilities to create positive outcomes. Thus, rehabilitation counselors can determine areas wherein intervention is needed and determine client problems if they help their clients increase their self-efficacy., Self-efficacy is a construct that refers to an individual's perception of his or her skills and abilities to act effectively and competently, and how these beliefs influence actions and coping behaviors, the situations and environments that individuals choose to access, and their persistence in performing certain tasks (Bandura, 1977). This paper will provide an overview of Bandura's self-efficacy theory, specifically discussing efficacy expectations, sources of efficacy expectations and perception, and interpretation of efficacy information. Applications of self-efficacy theory to rehabilitation will be discussed in terms of assisting an individual in adjusting to a disability and assisting in the career development process., Self-efficacy is a construct that has been widely applied in the behavioral sciences and human services. However, applications of self-efficacy have not frequently appeared in the rehabilitation counseling literature and [...]

The field of rehabilitation counseling is currently experiencing a significant period of uncertainty with multiple challenges and potential changes that will likely have lasting effects related to training, service delivery, [...]

This article's purpose is to emphasize to the rehabilitation counseling profession that the dynamic state of the economy and business practice, smaller government, and decentralized social services presents the profession of rehabilitation counseling with significant challenges and changes in the future. The authors discuss the need for rehabilitation counselors to horizontally expand their interaction with businesses and organizations. The authors argue that if rehabilitation counselors continue to provide only rehabilitation services according to traditional guidelines, they will remain niche players and eventually be replaced by professionals who are able to offer more comprehensive services to a broader population., The United States labor market is undergoing rapid change as part of the global economy. New paradigm shifts are occurring that will shake traditional notions about how people earn a [...]

Access to health insurance is an important employment issue for both workers in the general population and workers with disabilities. The current study considers the impact of race and gender on health insurance access rates for vocational rehabilitation consumers served during the 2005 -- 2006 fiscal year. The results indicated no significant differences between male and female consumers or between White and African American consumers with respect to access to health insurance. Implications for rehabilitation professionals are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]