Rehabilitation psychology, definition, scope and methods. Functions of rehabilitation psychology, work setting of rehabilitation psychologists Psychological approach to rehabilitation: assessment, diagnosis, treatment and certification Role of psychologist in disability rehabilitation.

1. REHABILITATION PSYCHOLOGY
a. rehabilitation psychology, definition, scope and methods. Functions of
rehabilitation psychology, work setting of rehabilitation psychologists
b. Psychological approach to rehabilitation: assessment, diagnosis, treatment and
certification
c. Role of psychologist in disability rehabilitation.
Introduction
Rehabilitation is an integrated program of interventions that empower
individuals with disabilities and chronic health conditions to achieve
“personally fulfilling, socially meaningful, and functionally effective
interaction” in their daily contexts (Maki & Riggar, 2004, p. 1).
Rehabilitation Psychology is a specialty area within psychology that
focuses on the study and application of psychological knowledge and skills
on behalf of individuals with disabilities and chronic health conditions in
order to maximize health and welfare, independence and choice, functional
abilities, and social role participation across the lifespan.
Rehabilitation psychologists are uniquely trained and specialized to engage
in a broad range of activities including clinical practice, consultation,
program development, service provision, research, teaching and education,
training, administration, and development of public policy and advocacy
related to persons with disability and chronic health conditions.
Rehabilitation psychology is the study and application of psychological principles
on behalf of persons who have disability due to injury or illness.
Rehabilitation psychologists, often within teams, assess and treat cognitive,
emotional, and functional difficulties, and help people to overcome barriers to
participation in life activities.
Rehabilitation psychologists are involved in practice, research, and advocacy, with
the broad goal of fostering independence and opportunity for people with
disabilities.
Scope of the Field
Consistent with the World Health Organization's International
Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF), rehabilitation
psychologists address multiple personal factors impacting the ICF domains
of activities and participation in which persons with disabilities engage.

2. Rehabilitation psychologists’ work includes assessment and intervention
regarding the range of
 physical,
 personal,
 psychosocial,
 cognitive, and
 behavioral factors that may be affected,( such as neurocognitive status,
sensory difficulties, mood/emotions),
 desired level of independence and interdependence,
 mobility/freedom of movement,
 self-esteem and self-determination,
 behavioral control and coping skills,
 subjective view of capabilities, and
 quality of life.
In addition, rehabilitation psychologists consider the influences of
 culture,
 ethnicity,
 language,
 gender,
 age,
 developmental level,
 sexual orientation,
 social network,
 residence and geographic location,
 socioeconomic status, and
 relative visibility and/or assumption of disability on attitudes and
available services.
When planning interventions and recommending services, rehabilitation
psychologists involve the rehabilitation team and consider the network of
an individual’s environments (e.g. familial, social, cultural, physical,
service availability, and political) and the means of addressing barriers in
these areas, such as personal adaptation, the use of assistive technology
and personal assistance services, and modifications of physical and social
environments. It is frequently a blend of such products and services that is
most beneficial to individuals in achieving desired goals and well-being.
The preferences, needs, and resources of persons served are taken into
account in treatment planning and any obstacles preventing the highest

3. level of personal and social functioning are identified and reduced or
removed when feasible.
The broad field of Rehabilitation Psychology includes not only clinical
practice, but also rehabilitation program development and administration,
research, teaching of psychology students and other health trainees, public
education, development of policies for injury prevention and health
promotion, and advocacy for persons with disabilities and chronic health
conditions.
Work Settings
Rehabilitation psychologists work in a variety of settings, including
 acute care hospitals and healthcare centers,
 inpatient and outpatient physical rehabilitation units/centers,
 assisted living and long-term care facilities,
 specialty clinics (e.g., pain and sports injury centers, cardiac
rehabilitation facilities), and
 community agencies serving individuals with specific disabilities or
chronic health conditions (e.g. cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, spinal
cord injury/disease, brain injury, deafness).
Rehabilitation psychologists may be
 full or part-time university or college faculty focusing on teaching,
 research,
 and/or administration.
Others may work in or
 consult to industry,
 provide expert legal testimony,
 or conduct assessments and evaluations for insurance agencies.
 They may work for private facilities or nonprofit organizations,
 or for government facilities, such as Veterans Administration hospitals
and centers, or offices of Social Security Disability Determination.
Some rehabilitation psychologists work across diverse settings and with a
broad range of persons with varying disabilities and illnesses, while others
specialize in a particular area of practice.
Regardless, rehabilitation psychologists are concerned with individuals
from a systemic, holistic perspective, considering all factors of the person,
the context, the relationships in which the person is involved or needs to be
involved, the team of treatment providers, as well as the full range of the
person’s characteristics, such as gender, temperament or personality,
intellectual and cognitive skills, and developmental factors throughout the
lifespan, from earliest childhood through late adulthood.

4. Services/functions ofrehabilitation psychologists:
 Rehabilitation psychologists provide services with the goals of
increasing function and quality of life for persons living with disability,
activity limitations, and societal participation restrictions. Because
disability impacts multiple areas of a person’s life, rehabilitation
psychologists provide services within the network of biological,
psychological, social, environmental, and political environments to
assist the persons served in achieving optimal rehabilitation goals via
intervention, therapeutic support, education, consultation and
interdisciplinary collaboration, and advocacy. This necessarily includes
the provision of training, educational, and support services to families
and primary caregivers, as well as other significant people in the
individual's social/community circle (e.g. teachers, employers, co-
workers, clergy, friends).
 In addition to working directly with the persons served and their support
systems, rehabilitation psychologists play a key role in providing
consultations regarding disability and health issues to attorneys, courts,
governmental agencies, educational institutions, employers, and
insurance companies. Because rehabilitation psychologists advocate for
improvement in quality of life for people with disabilities and chronic
health conditions, they are involved in the development and promotion
of public policies and legislation that supports nondiscriminatory
practices and funding of services designed to maximize independence.
 They also conduct critical research on the occurrence of, and immediate
and lifelong implications of, circumstances leading to disability.
 Common research areas include, but are not limited to, risk factors for
disability and chronic health conditions and associated prevention
strategies; identification and reduction of co-morbidities; development,
use, and effectiveness of assessment and intervention tools and
strategies; changes in social support, familial and cultural networks;
coping needs and resources; educational and community re-entry and
participation processes, developmental processes and aging after
diagnosis; and healthcare access, resource needs, and cost.
 Rehabilitation psychologists also plan and conduct teaching programs to
develop clinical and research skills for psychology and other health
trainees.

5.  The ultimate goal is to help reduce or ameliorate the negative impact of
disability and chronic health conditions and optimize the well-being of
persons served throughout their lives.
 Clinical practice focuses on the provision of services to assist
individuals and their support systems in coping with, and adapting to,
the effects of the injury or illness.
 In addition, rehabilitation psychologists address the implications of the
injury or illness in one’s life context, both currently and
developmentally as the person’s needs change over time.
Rehabilitation psychologists view persons served holistically and as active
partners in the rehabilitation process. They work together with an
interdisciplinary and/or multidisciplinary team of professionals and the
persons served to broaden opportunities to facilitate maximal individual
functioning as well as participation in social relationships and activities,
recreation, education, employment, and the community in general.
Role of psychologistin disability rehabilitation:
Rehabilitation counselors typically do the following:
 Provide individual and group counseling to help clients adjust to their
disability
 Evaluate clients’ abilities, interests, experience, skills, health, and education
 Develop a treatment plan in consultation with other professionals, such as
doctors, therapists, and psychologists
 Create rehabilitation or treatment plans based on clients’ values, strengths,
limitations, and goals
 Arrange for clients to obtain services, such as medical care or career training
 Help employers understand the needs and abilities of people with disabilities,
as well as laws and resources that impact people with disabilities
 Assist clients in creating strategies to develop their strengths and adjust to
their limitations
 Locate resources, such as wheelchairs or computer programs, that help clients
live and work more independently
 Monitor clients’ progress and adjust the rehabilitation or treatment plan as
necessary
 Advocate for the rights of people with disabilities to live in the community
and work in the job of their choice
Rehabilitation counselors help people with physical, mental, emotional, or social
disabilities at various stages in their lives. Some work with students to develop
strategies to live with their disability and move from schoolto work. Others help

6. veterans cope with the mental or physical effects of their military service. Still
others help elderly people adapt to disabilities developed later in life from illness
or injury. Some rehabilitation counselors deal specifically with employment
issues. These counselors, sometimes called vocational rehabilitation counselors,
typically work with older students and adults rather than young children.
Some rehabilitation counselors work in private practice. These counselors must
spend time marketing their practice to prospective clients and working with
insurance companies and clients to get paid for their services. Some may provide
expert testimony or assessments during personal injury or workers’ compensation
cases.
Populations Served
Rehabilitation psychologists who provide clinical and counseling services
assist individuals and their significant others in coping with acute or
chronic, and traumatic, progressive or congenital injuries or illnesses, that
may result in a wide variety of physical, sensory, neurocognitive,
behavioral, emotional, and/or developmental disabilities. Common
populations with whom rehabilitation psychologists work include persons
with spinal cord injury; brain injury; stroke and other health conditions
typically associated with aging; amputations; neuromuscular disorders;
chronic pain; other medical conditions, such as cancer, AIDS, multiple
sclerosis, or limb weakness, that have the potential to limit functioning and
participation in life activities; developmental disorders such as intellectual
disabilty and autism; psychiatric disability; substance abuse; impairments
in sensory functioning, such as deafness and hearing loss and/or blindness
and vision loss; burns and/or disfigurement; and impairments that may be
compounded by cultural, educational and/or other disadvantages. In
addition, rehabilitation psychologists address the implications of the injury
or health condition as the person’s needs change over time.
Rehabilitation psychology serves people across the lifespan affected by any injury
or chronic condition that leads to disability. Typical population groups include
those with traumatic brain injury, stroke, spinal cord injury, limb loss, sensoryloss,
burn injury, chronic pain, multiple sclerosis and neuromuscular disorders.
Individuals with disability and their caregivers/ family members are served by
rehabilitation psychologists.
Training,Licensure, and CareerDevelopment
Rehabilitation psychologists have completed doctoraldegrees in psychology and
have had extensive pre-doctoraland post-doctoraltraining in healthcare settings.
Further, rehabilitation psychologists providing clinical services are required to be

7. licensed in order to provide services in their state or province of practice and to
receive reimbursement for services from health insurance payers. The American
Board of Professional Psychology(ABPP) recognizes Rehabilitation Psychology
as a specialty area of practice within psychology and maintains a complete listing
of board-certified rehabilitation psychologists.
While rehabilitation psychologists may belong to many professional organizations
relevant to their area of practice and specialization, the major organization
representing rehabilitation psychology is the American Psychological Association
(APA), Division of Rehabilitation Psychology (Division 22). The Division
publishes a scholarly journal and sponsors sessions relevant to Rehabilitation
Psychology research and practice at the annual APA convention and the annual
Mid-Winter Conference. In addition, rehabilitation psychologists participate in
other education venues for psychologists and other healthcare professionals. The
APA can be contacted for a list of rehabilitation psychologists who live in and
outside of the U.S.
Finally, there are excellent textbooks available on the general topic of
Rehabilitation Psychology, as well as books on areas of specialization within this
field.
Problems/Issues
The specialty of rehabilitation psychology addresses behavioral and mental health
issues faced by individuals across the lifespan who are affected by any injury or
chronic condition that leads to disability, including issues such as:
 Emotional coping, mental and psychological status.
 Behavior that promotes positive adaptation to disability.
 Minor adjustment issues as well as severe psychopathology.
Procedures
 Administration of standardized and non‐standardized tests of cognitive and
psychological functioning; behavioral observation methods; and culturally
sensitive interviewing techniques.
 Evaluation and treatment of bothindividual and family/caregiver coping and
adaptation.
Individual and group interventions including counseling and psychotherapy,
cognitive remediation, behavioral management, enhancing use of assistive
technology, and facilitation of healthy team functioning.
Personality and Interests

8. Rehabilitation counselors typically have an interest in
the Thinking and Helping interest areas, according to the Holland
Code framework. The Thinking interest area indicates a focus on researching,
investigating, and increasing the understanding of natural laws. The Helping
interest area indicates a focus on assisting, serving, counseling, or teaching other
people.
If you are not sure whether you have a Thinking or Helping interest which might
fit with a career as a rehabilitation counselor, you can take a career test to
measure your interests.
Rehabilitation counselors should also possess the following specific qualities:
Communication skills. Rehabilitation counselors need to be able to communicate
with clients effectively, expressing ideas and information in a way that is easily
understood.
Compassion. Counselors often work with people who are dealing with stressful
and difficult situations, so they must be compassionate and empathize with their
clients.
Interpersonal skills. Being able to work with different types of people is essential
for rehabilitation counselors, who spend most of their time working directly with
clients, families, employers, or other professionals. They must be able to develop
and maintain a good working relationship.
Listening skills. Good listening skills are essential for rehabilitation counselors,
who need to give their full attention to clients in order to understand their
problems, concerns, and values.
Patience. To help people learn new skills and strategies, rehabilitation counselors
must have patience as clients struggle to learn about and address the impact of
their disabilities.
REFERENCES:
http://www.div22.org/what-is-rehab-psych
https://www.apa.org/ed/graduate/specialize/rehabilitation
https://www.truity.com/career-profile/rehabilitation-counselor