A novel inpatient vocational counseling service (named “In-Voc”) was developed and evaluated in three Australian spinal cord injury (SCI) rehabilitation hospitals, aiming to improve vocational outcomes after SCI. The program provided a trained Vocational Counseling Coordinator who worked alongside the allied health team, medical, and nursing staff at each hospital. The Coordinators were interviewed to examine the role expectations and role behaviors associated with the introduction of their novel, vocationally focused, occupational role. The Coordinators’ descriptions of their role behavior were very similar to those defined by rehabilitation counselors in North America. They reported the novel role to be a productive and satisfying one. Encouragingly, the In-Voc program was associated with significantly higher post-injury employment outcomes.

A visual narrative intervention – Serious Storytelling with Images – was proposed to manage interview anxiety and performance. Its ability to evocate significant incidents and enhance narratives construction was evaluated ideographically in two case studies. The findings suggest varying levels of sophistication in interviewee actions, challenges encountered, and perceived roles of images. Counselors can refer to the hierarchical concepts when tailoring interview training and coaching. Further investigation is highly recommended to confirm and measure intervention effects.