RCE 620: Theories and Techniques of Counseling: Annotated Bibliography

Chan, F., Berven, N. L., & Thomas, K. R. (Eds.). (2015). Counseling theories and techniques for rehabilitation and mental health professionals (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Springer.
In the second edition of Counseling Theories and Techniques for Rehabilitation and Mental Health Professionals, numerous rehabilitation health professionals from the United States and Australia provide case studies and other rehabilitation examples to inform evidence-based practices for applying counseling theories and techniques to people with disabilities and other chronic illnesses. Practitioners, graduate students, and upper-level undergraduates should use this text as a supplement to other counseling and psychotherapy textbooks that forego applying certain theories and techniques in a rehabilitation setting (Chan, Berven, & Thomas, 2015). Different parts of the book focus on counseling theories, basic counseling techniques, and special considerations for people with disabilities. There is also a section that explores professional issues. The three approaches to counseling that are highlighted (humanistic, cognitive and behavioral, and psychodynamic) will help to inform a personal philosophy of counseling, while “Part IV: Special Considerations” will aid in applying counseling theory to working with people who have physical and psychiatric disabilities. Through informing current and future counseling professionals of these evidence-based practices, Chan, Berven, and Thomas (2015) hope that thousands of vocational, psychosocial, and mental health counseling clients will benefit from their counselors’ increased knowledge and improved counseling techniques.

Sherman, S., Del Valle, R., Chan, F., Landon, T. J., & Leahy, M. J. (2018). Contemporary perceptions of evidence-based practices in rehabilitation counseling. Journal of Rehabilitation, 84(4), 4-12. Retrieved from https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,shib&db=c9h&AN=133539322&site=eds-live&scope=site
Despite positive attitudes towards evidence-based practices, many rehabilitation counselors continue to deliver habit-based counseling techniques. Even as the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research emphasizes research projects that focus on evidence-based practices in order to inform practice and policy, limited funding, insufficient academic preparation, and lack of motivation and interest prohibit many vocational rehabilitation counselors from conducting such research (Sherman, Del Valle, Chan, Landon, & Leahy, 2018). Sherman et al. (2018) presented two research questions to a panel of 30 subject matter experts working as rehabilitation educators/researchers, counselors/supervisors, and vocational rehabilitation administrators. They explored the panelists’ definitions of evidence-based practices in relation to the delivery of vocational rehabilitation services, as well as examples of best practices that had led to gainful employment for individuals with disabilities. The researchers identified several promising practices that could potentially improve the counselor-client relationship. Since vocational rehabilitation counselors have an ethical obligation to their clients, counseling centers should use these evidence-based practices as professional development opportunities for their employees (Sherman et al., 2018). Institutions of higher learning and other educational organizations that train rehabilitation counselors can also use these findings to develop coursework that more adequately prepares counselors to interact with their future clients and provide effective outcomes.