This study sought to identify influences on rehabilitation counsellors' preference to work in rural areas, including their recruitment to, and retention in, rural work settings. Participants were 38 practicing rehabilitation counsellors (31% males) recruited through the Australian Society of Rehabilitation Counsellors and the Rehabilitation Counselling Association of Australasia. The mean age of participants was 38.67 years (SD = 12.9 years, age range, 25 to 65 years). Nineteen (50%) were working in rural areas at the time of the survey. A specifically designed survey, the Work Setting Preference Inventory (WSPI), which incorporated both quantitative and qualitative response options, was used to collect data. Analysis involved open coding of data into themes that emerged from the participants' responses. Descriptive statistical analysis was applied to quantify the prevalence or salience of particular themes. Results suggest that participants perceived preference to work in rural area to be influenced by the unique lifestyle of rural communities and family friendly employer policies. They perceived the availability of employment and training opportunities and supplemental financial compensations as incentives to attract rehabilitation counsellors to work in rural areas. Programs to recruit rehabilitation counsellors to rural areas should address employee lifestyle preferences in the context their overall career development.

This pilot study investigated the efficacy of a job register index to support return to work (RTW) for injured workers in the construction industry. Participants included injured workers (n = 22), supervisors/managers (n = 23), treating practitioners (n = 5), occupational rehabilitation consultants (n = 5), union representatives/occupational health and safety representatives (n = 5), RTW coordinators (n = 2), steering committee members (n = 4) and the designated project officer (n = 1). A pre–post test intact group design was used to evaluate the perceived utility of the job register. A partial set of the sample including injured workers and supervisors/managers participated in the pretrial phase (n = 28) while the trial phase included more numerous stakeholder groups to assess the perceived utility of the register (n = 39). Participants completed surveys that incorporated a number of differing sections including injury description and circumstances, communication and collaboration with others, their overall opinion of the return to work process in general and suggestions for future improvements. Additional questions were designed for those participating in the trial with regards to the efficacy of the register. Data were analysed using analysis of variance procedures with pairwise comparisons of pre–post intervention test means. Alternative job options were seen to be offered more frequently. Communication and cooperation improved postimplementation. Supervisors perceived the job register a useful innovation to facilitate RTW. The register represents a new resource to the construction industry with potential for wider application following further study.

This article explores the relevance of Carl Rogers' person-centred approach (PCA) to rehabilitation counselling. His major theoretical contribution concerning the primacy of the client's actualising tendency and the six ‘core conditions’ of the counsellor–client relationship deserves greater recognition in vocational rehabilitation. The most widely known and researched core conditions have focused upon the proverbial triad: congruence (genuineness), unconditional positive regard and empathy. However, all six core conditions are discussed with emphasis placed on recent refinements to Rogers' original theory and their importance to rehabilitation counselling. Evidenced-based research concerning the impact of PCA-oriented rehabilitation counselling is lacking. It is argued that the efficacy of PCA can be extrapolated from meta-analyses in other fields of psychotherapy and education.

This article discusses multicultural competency education options for early career rehabilitation counsellor supervisors. It specifically addresses the importance of the cultural awareness and competencies in supervised supervision. Multicultural counsellor competencies in clinical supervision are considered in the context of rehabilitation counsellor professional preparation programs in the United States. Diversity considerations are important to operationalising the construct of the working alliance in the context of clinical supervision training for early career rehabilitation counsellor supervisors. Acquiring, retaining and cultivating multicultural clinical supervision competencies in self and others is a lifelong process.

This study highlights lessons learnt from establishing a new recovery-focused inpatient rehabilitation unit in a typical regional city of New South Wales. We have learnt that the most important aspects are recruitment, retention and training of dedicated staff and a belief that recovery is possible. Strategies employed to meet the challenges of integrating a recovery-based practice into this type of setting may be transferable to other new services or existing services of a similar nature. We have provided a summary of standard outcome measures reflecting the performance of the unit for the first 2 years of functioning.