The primary purpose of this mixed-methods study was to identify the current training needs of rehabilitation counselors in the private sector. Four hundred twenty-six participants completed the Knowledge Validation Inventory–Revised. The self-reported needs for training are reported across the 10 knowledge domains of rehabilitation counseling. The overall training needs (TN) score for the sample was moderate. For the broader knowledge domains, respondents reported the highest mean TN scores for Case Management and Utilization of Community Resources, Disability Management, Vocational Consultation, and Services for Employers. A secondary purpose was to compare the self-perceived training needs of rehabilitation counselors who are certified rehabilitation counselors (CRCs) with those of counselors who do not possess a CRC. Higher reported training needs were indicated for individuals without CRCs. A third purpose was to examine the relationship between counselor demographic variables and training needs. Gender and years of experiences were significant predictors of perceived training needs. Finally, the following areas were identified as the most significant training needs for private rehabilitation counselors in the field today: multicultural competence, private vocational rehabilitation, labor market research skills, ethics, and forensic case management.

Purpose:To examine the nature of ethical dilemmas most frequently reported by rehabilitation counselors in the private and public sectors and determine if significant differences exist in how practitioners experience ethical dilemmas in these two settings.Method:A mixed-methods internet-based survey design was utilized and included descriptive, qualitative, and quantitative approaches on a sample of rehabilitation counselors (N= 141) via an instrument created by the researchers.Results:The results indicate that there are clear differences between both the nature and frequency of ethical dilemmas encountered by practitioners in the private and public sectors of rehabilitation counseling. Findings indicate that there are significant differences not only in the frequency and importance each group attributes to ethical dilemmas but also in the types of ethical dilemmas experienced.Conclusion:Rehabilitation counselors in the private and public sectors practice in different environments (with varied laws, rehabilitation goals, duration of services), and minimal consideration has been given to the diversity of ethical dilemmas that these practitioners encounter in their professional roles. The inclusion of Section F in the 2010 CRCC Code of Ethics was the rehabilitation counseling field’s first attempt to address the differing nature of ethical dilemmas faced by private rehabilitation counselors in their practice. Further study is warranted to examine the dynamics that underlie the ethical decision-making process as well exploring the differences between these two settings.

Existing theories of career development have been criticized in the rehabilitation literature for having questionable applicability to persons with disabilities. Given the diversity of disabilities and of persons with disabilities, the authors doubt that a generally applicable theory can be developed. They propose a viable alternative to guide rehabilitation counseling practice: a framework that posits that the career development of individuals (including those with disabilities) at any given point in their lives can be classified into one or more statuses, each of which calls for different interventions. These statuses form the acronym INCOME: Imagining, informing, Choosing, Obtaining, Maintaining, and Exiting.The purpose of this article is to propose a framework for conceptualizing career development that is applicable to persons with disabilities. Conte (1983) pointed out that no existing theory of career development adequately took into consideration the particular needs of persons with disabilities. Consequently, these theories were of questionable use in describing, predicting, or facilitating the career development of persons with disabilities. Both Conte and Curnow (1989) indicated there were three factors in the lives of persons with disabilities (particularly persons with precareer onset disabilities) that rendered existing theories inapplicable to them: (a) limitations in early career exploratory experiences, (b) limited opportunities to develop decision-making abilities, and (c) a negative self-concept resulting from societal attitudes toward persons with disabilities. Over the past: decade, several attempts have been made to create a process model of career development that would address these issues

This study examined the relationship between attaining a job congruent with the Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE) vocational rehabilitation goal and vocational rehabilitation outcomes. Study participants were 171 vocational rehabilitation clients served by the Maryland State Department of Education Division of Rehabilitation Services (DORS) who were successfully rehabilitated and closed (Status 26) in 2002. Results generally supported the relationship between Holland's person—environment congruence construct and employment outcomes for this population. The IPE goal and employment outcome congruency was found to have a significant effect on participants' wages. In addition, educational attainment and disability category were also found to affect vocational rehabilitation employment outcomes. However, person—environment congruence did not increase participants' vocational satisfaction.

Purpose:To identify the current training needs of state-federal rehabilitation counselors and determine if the self-perceived training needs differ for participants who are a certified rehabilitation counselor (CRC) to those counselors with out the CRC credential.Method:A mixed-methods internet-based survey design was utilized and included descriptive, qualitative, and ex post facto approaches on a sample of rehabilitation counselors (N= 341) via the Knowledge Validation Inventory-Revised (KVI-R).Results:The participants reported high or moderate self-perceived training needs on 9 of the 10 content areas on the KVI-R; however, no significant differences between certified and non-certified rehabilitation counselors were found. Highest degree earned and numbers of years in practice were significant predictors of training needs.Conclusion:The results from this study indicate a self-reported need for additional training of state-federal rehabilitation counselors in many of the CORE knowledge domains considered essential for rehabilitation counseling. The findings also indicate that as level of education and experience increased among this sample, the need for training decreased.