Book Review

Abstract

F or approximately 70 years, rehabilitation psychology has been a recognizable specialty area of practice. Over that time period, the field has grown to impact a wide variety of rehabilitation and medical populations through clinical work and research. To address the growing interest in the field exemplified by the number of individuals pursuing diplomate status from American Board of Rehabilitation Psychology and recognition by related specialties, such as health psychology and clinical neuropsychology, the Handbook of Rehabilitation Psychology was published by American Psychological Association in 2000. It was quickly recognized to be the most influential text in the field. 1 As the field has continued to develop over the decade, an updated version was warranted and, thus, the second edition of the Handbook has been published. This second edition is an expansion of the earlier edition, with the addition of several new topic areas relevant to the field. However, of note, it does not include some important topics that were covered in the first edition. As noted by the editors, the limited space led them not to include some topics in which there have been few advances in the understanding of the area since the first edition. Thus, to some degree, this second edition can be viewed as an adjunct text to the first edition and both Handbooks remain important references for the field. This is potentially a weakness of the Handbook, because it necessitates the purchase of both editions.The second edition of the Handbook has 34 chapters organized within 6 main topic areas: clinical conditions, assessment, clinical interventions, pediatrics, emerging topics for rehabilitation psychology, and professional issues. The chapters in part I include discussion of the core rehabilitation populations, including traumatic brain injury, stroke, spinal cord injury, limb amputation, chronic pain, burn injuries, multiple sclerosis, and geriatrics. Part II is a clear adjunct to, rather than replacement of the first edition offering new discussion of the important topics of functional status and quality of life, forensic issues, the practice of neuropsychology in the rehabilitation setting, assessment of personality and psychopathology in rehabilitation populations, and the role of neuroimaging. Similarly, part III provides summaries of what is known in the field regarding interventions with rehabilitation populations, including important updates about substance abuse issues in populations with disabilities, psychotherapeutic interventions to promote adjustment and improved life participation, and the engagement of family caregivers in the process, and new models of interventions using assistive technology and cognitive rehabilitation. Part IV focuses on pediatric rehabilitation populations and the unique issues that arise when developmental or acquired disability is present in childhood. Part V offers a hodgepodge of topics relevant to the practices of rehabilitation psychology, including theoretical perspectives on disability, rehabili...