DETERMINING THE VARIABLES THAT CONTRIBUTE TO JOB TENURE FOR PEOPLE WITH PSYCHIATRIC DISABILITIES PARTICIPATING IN AN EVIDENCED-BASED SUPPORTED EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM

Despite the implementation of supported employment programs and the assistance from supported employment specialists, people with disabilities continue to have lower employment rates than their non-disabled counterparts. Persons with psychiatric disabilities continue to have lower employment rates than people with visual disabilities and people with hearing disabilities. The purposes of this secondary analysis research study were to identify factors that distinguished those individuals with psychiatric disabilities who obtained employment while participating in an evidenced-based supported employment program from those individuals with psychiatric disabilities who did not obtain employment while participating in an evidenced-based supported employment program and to identify the variables that contributed to job tenure of people with psychiatric disabilities participating in an evidenced-based supported employment program. Participants were clients who participated in the Back to Work Program at St. Luke's House and were enrolled in the study for 27.5 months. Univariate and bivariate analyses revealed that the only factor that distinguished those individuals with psychiatric disabilities who obtained employment while participating in an evidenced-based supported employment program from those individuals with psychiatric disabilities who did not obtain employment while participating in an evidenced-based supported employment was social security benefits. No variables were found to contribute to the job tenure for clients with psychiatric disabilities participating in an evidenced-based supported employment program. Due to the low enrollment rate, additional descriptive analyses were used and found interesting patterns for employment and job tenure for clients with psychiatric disabilities participating in an evidenced-based supported employment program. This study introduced the Social Cognitive Career Theory as a proposed framework to understanding employment for persons with psychiatric disabilities and their job tenures while participating in an evidenced-based supported employment program. Attachment to the labor market was used to expand how job tenure was measured. Limitations to the study, implications for Rehabilitation Counselors and Rehabilitation Counselor Educators, and future research suggestions were provided

Sexuality and Disability in Rehabilitation Counseling Curricula: Rehabilitation Counselor Educators’ Attitudes, Comfort, and Knowledge

Purpose: To examine the attitudes, knowledge, and comfort levels of rehabilitation counselor educators towards sexuality and disability, and to determine if significant differences exist within variables. Method: Data was collected from a sample of rehabilitation counselor educators (N=27) via an internet-based survey. The Knowledge, Comfort, Approach and Attitudes towards Sexuality Scale (KCAASS) and demographic questionnaire was disseminated to collect data. A MANOVA was conducted to examine if there was a relationship among the variables of attitudes, knowledge, comfort, age, gender, and ethnicity. Results: Results indicates educators having high comfort levels and positive attitudes towards sexuality and disability. The mean for knowledge was low indicating a lower level of knowledge of sexuality and disability. Results indicate that there was no variance among the means of the categorical variables. The only variation that existed within the categorical variables was the gender of the participant. Conclusion: Further research is warranted to examine the specific needs of educators, students, and graduate programs, as well as exploring differences based upon institutional settings. Future qualitative research in sexuality and disability may also generate testimonials and theories from the perspective of students and educators in expressing their needs. The inclusion of human sexuality within various academic levels of rehabilitation education is warranted to increase competence of both students and educators. Keywords: Sexuality, Rehabilitation, and Counselor Educatio

Understanding Differences between CORE and CACREP Counselors-in-Training Perceptions of Self-Efficacy

An examination of differences in perceptions of self-efficacy between students in CORE-accredited rehabilitation counseling programs and students in CACREP -accredited clinical mental health counseling programs enrolled in practicum/internship classes is absent in the literature. Results indicated there was not a significant difference (p = .05) between the total self-efficacy scores between both treatment groups (CORE and CACREP). Further, there was not a significant difference between helping skills, session management, and counseling challenging situations scores for both treatment groups (CORE and CACREP). Predictors of self-efficacy for CACREP participants consisted of prior work experience in a field other than helping. Predictors of self-efficacy for CORE participants were gender

Assessing Infusion of Social Justice in Rehabilitation Counselor Education Curriculum

Purpose: To examine the extent to which rehabilitation counselor educators understand and are committed to infusing social justice in the rehabilitation counseling curricula. Method: The authors used a quantitative descriptive research design to examine the level and extent of integrating social justice into rehabilitation counseling curricular. The participants were 59 rehabilitation counselor educators recruited during the eighth Annual Rehabilitation Educators Conference hosted by the National Council on Rehabilitation Education. Results: The study found that most participants perceived it important to integrate social justice into rehabilitation counseling curricula. The level and extent of integration varied by academic rank and years of teaching. Conclusion: To ensure future rehabilitation counselors gain social justice competency, it is of great significance that rehabilitation counseling educators infuse the concepts of social justice into the curricula through knowledge and fieldwork domains

Impacts of Experiencing Social Injustice on Infusing of Social Justice in Rehabilitation Counselor Education Curriculum

Purpose: To examine the extent to which rehabilitation counselor educators understand and are committed to infusing social justice in their curricula, and impacts of personal and social injustice experience along with demographic factors on their infusion of social justice into the rehabilitation curricula. Methods: A quantitative descriptive design using multiple regression was applied. The participants included 101 rehabilitation counselor educators who completed an online survey: Social Justice and Rehabilitation Counseling Questionnaire. Results: The study revealed that the majority of participants deemed integrating of social justice as important and used various infusion strategies. In addition, the study found the impacts of social injustice experiences, along with age, significant in predicting the perception of infusing social justice into rehabilitation curricula. Conclusions: Personal experiences of social injustice of rehabilitation counselor educators along with age influenced the level of perception of importance of infusing social justice into the rehabilitation curricula. The field should focus on training on the awareness and impact of social justice for faculty to ensure students receive the education needed to effectively counsel the rehabilitation consumers

Cultural Beliefs and Disability: Implications for Rehabilitation Counsellors

This article discusses cultural beliefs and disability and how they can impact the rehabilitation process. It specifically addresses the importance of understanding and acknowledging how different cultures view disability. Diversity considerations for counsellors when working with clients from differing backgrounds are also discussed. Due to the ever-changing demographics of the world\u27s population, it is imperative that counsellors have a working knowledge of the cultural impact of disability. Acquiring, retaining and cultivating how different cultures respond to disability is an ongoing process for counsellors and for their multicultural competence development