It has been proposed that perceived control plays an important role in influencing health-related behaviour. This study examined the relationship between locus of control and the return-to-work achievements of a group of back-injured workers' compensation claimants. The obtained results supported the hypothesised relationships between both ‘internal’ and ‘powerful others’ locus of control, and the return-to-work criterion variables. It was concluded that use of rehabilitation-specific measures of locus of control (such as were employed in the present study) could guide the program planning efforts of rehabilitation personnel dealing with this client group.

Competency research in the rehabilitation profession and that of rehabilitation counselling in particular, has an extensive pedigree. This article reviews the significant research in the field and details several of the instruments used in competency research to date. Issues concerning the current use of competency research and the future role of such research are discussed.

The use of computer simulations in professional rehabilitation counselling training has received considerable attention in recent years. Most notably, computer-based rehabilitation case management simulations have been developed for teaching and evaluating clinical problem solving skills of rehabilitation counselling trainees. However, a major problem confronting the use of computer simulations in professional rehabilitation training is the lack of quantification procedures for measuring performance on computer simulations. A current approach involves the computation of proficiency and efficiency indices as performance feedback measures. The purpose of this paper, however, is to demonstrate the potential problems with using these two indices as feedback mechanisms in computer simulations and to present an alternative quantification procedure for measuring and providing feedback about trainee performance on computer-based case management simulations.

Societal changes of the twenty-first century have implications for the future of rehabilitation counselling in the United States and in Australia. An emerging knowledge society, new populations with diverse needs, third wave messages from the disability community, and culture wars of politics influence the direction of rehabilitation counselling. The demographics of disability and the professional status of rehabilitation counsellors in the United States are reviewed. The adaptability and durability of rehabilitation counselling skills and knowledge is discussed.

Key stakeholders (injured workers, rehabilitation co-ordinators, rehabilitation providers, treating doctors and insurers) in the occupational rehabilitation process were interviewed to gain their perspective concerning the degree to which case management was viewed as the organising principle of post-injury management and to whom this role was most frequently assigned. Findings indicated that there were differences in stakeholder perceptions about who should fill this role for the injured worker, with the majority of each group claiming case management as their proper role. In contrast, 35% of the injured workers interviewed stated that they either did not have a case manager or that they case managed themselves. Although it was argued that rehabilitation co-ordinators are suitably placed to act as case managers, they were nominated least by injured workers. Three vignettes of successful case management were presented and recommendations for policy and practice were made.

Recent rehabilitation counselling literature has pointed to major developments in the contribution of rehabilitation counsellors to acquired brain injury (ABI) rehabilitation. Rehabilitation counsellors have widened their skill base in case management, vocational evaluation, and in the therapeutic relationship between counsellor and client. It is evident, however, that better methods of ABI rehabilitation service delivery, including those services provided by rehabilitation counsellors, continue to be sought. Strategies needed to ensure the advancement of rehabilitation counselling practice and research in ABI rehabilitation are discussed, and involve the adoption of a systems approach, a shift away from dominant clinical psychological analyses in favour of psychosocial frameworks, and the co-participation of persons with ABI in the rehabilitation process.

Forty-nine injured workers were selected from a study population of 3,041 injured workers using a critical case sampling technique, to explore characteristics of workplaces and worker perceptions and attributions related to return to work status following workplace injury. The only significant differences between those who returned and those who did not return to work were satisfaction with pre-injury pay and provision of training in occupational health and safety procedures. From the in-depth structured interviews of 49 injured workers, 5 workers who failed to return to work were selected for detailed case study to further explicate the factors which contributed to unsuccessful rehabilitation. Worker characteristics, the timing and meaning of the injury to individual workers, and conflicting and unstated agendas in the occupational rehabilitation process, were all identified as critical factors which impact on return to work outcomes.

The impact of long-term unemployment is not confined to the vocational sphere but also includes a psychosocial component. Many who are out of work for long periods of time not only report deskilling but also lack of support, poor self esteem and low self confidence. This paper examines some of these issues by reference to both the Australian government's ‘Working Nation’ paper on unemployment and research carried out with 77 unemployed persons in Sydney, Australia. While it is not unusual for rehabilitation counsellors to receive referrals of people with disabilities who have been unemployed for considerable periods, contact with the general long-term unemployed population has been less common. The rehabilitation counselling profession is closely examined in terms of the degree to which its skill and knowledge base matches the needs profile of this general unemployed population. Rehabilitation counselling was found to be an appropriate profession to deal with the complex mix of vocational and psychosocial issues confronted by persons who have remained unemployed for long periods of time.

In this paper the ageing labour force, changing labour force participation rates, and age discrimination in the world of work, especially as exhibited in employer practices, are discussed. Implications of these phenomena for what rehabilitation counsellors do are proposed by way of discussion points on the topics of vocational and rehabilitation counselling, job analysis and placement, professional advocacy and community programs, and training of older workers.

Minority group identification, community integration and self-esteem was investigated among 55 adult deaf persons. Deaf persons who reported greater levels of deaf minority group identification also reported significantly higher levels of self-esteem than those with less deaf group identification. Second, employed deaf persons reported higher levels of self-esteem than those who were unemployed. Employment status was, however, independent of involvement in both “mainstream” and deaf community activities. Implications for rehabilitation counsellors are discussed.

A questionnaire survey of 85 counsellors investigated potential contributors to stress in the workplace and valued coping strategies. The sample consisted of three groups: a Government group, a Private group and a Religious group, which represented three different types of work organisation. Recent research suggests that organisational factors contribute to occupational stress, and that personal coping strategies may not alleviate stress appreciably. The results of the study indicated that the most stressed group was the Government group of counsellors, that the most highly rated contributor to stress was management attitudes and that the most valued coping strategies were organisational in nature rather than personal.