Psychiatric Disabilities: The Role of the Rehabilitation Counselor

Most Americans with a disability are usually laid-off and if they do have a job it is usually part time, dead end or under minimum wage. Many organizations do not want to hire disabled workers because they do not expect anything from them, which is due to the way society treats the disabled. People believe they are not strong or capable of doing anything or worthwhile. There are laws put against this matter, but no one who is being treated this way is not saying anything because they accepted it. This makes them feel isolated and causes depression (APA

Growing up in modern society, we already know that having any kind of handicap, physical or mental, limits an individual’s social, economic, and class mobility throughout their life due to a number of factors, including stereotypes and prejudice held by modern society. In my paper I will be arguing that employment assistance for mentally ill persons does not currently provide enough support for the rapidly increasing number of participants on employment and welfare support programs. I will first address the issues faced my mentally disabled persons every day in the workplace and I will dispel the myths commonly held about the mentally ill and their abilities. I will then discuss the different types of employment support currently offered

While the struggle to find employment in today’s society is difficult for everyone, the chances are nearly impossible for disabled adults. For example, 1 in 3 high functioning young adults

Lack of accommodations serves as an additional culprit of discrimination for the mentally ill in the workplace, as well. The Mercury News reported that a 54-year-old woman “was fired from her sales job in March 2013 when her boss said the time she took off for medical appointments — which included visits to her therapist — prevented her from meeting her quotas.” A 33-year-old man interviewing for a position as a personal trainer at a gym decided to be “open about his bipolar disorder” and informed the interviewer of his condition because he wanted to be “an honest employee and figured they were going to find out eventually” (The Mercury News). The response? The interviewer told him, “We don’t have time for that.” Due to a lack of understanding

Expansion of the disability programs and the poor employment rates of adults with disabilities have become major concerns for Social Security and disability policy makers across the country. Disability law, culture, and policy, as reflected most directly by the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), has undergone a dramatic shift toward the equal employment of persons with disabilities. The ADA prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities in employment, governmental, and local services, public accommodations, insurance, telecommunications, and public transportation. Dramatic, positive changes affecting the lives of persons with disabilities are occurring in public attitudes and behavior toward individuals

4) and “C.2.g. Impairment” (p. 9). If impaired, the counselor should determine an appropriate course of action and actively engage in appropriate strategies to remedy the situation and decrease impairment. Specifically, the counselor should engage in supervision to receive feedback and support on the situation and potentially engage in individual therapy to assist in processing of and coping with their own personal issues disclosed to the client. Self-care practices, such as exercise, attending to physical health, taking a mental health vacation from work, and utilizing positive coping skills can assist the counselor in managing any stressors and issues that may have triggered impairment as well as preventing impairment (Remley & Herlihy, 2016). All in all, the strategies suggested would provide the counselor with a solution to remedy the situation encompassing boundary violations, especially as the solution aligns with the ethical standard for addressing impairment as well as mirrors solutions suggested in the counseling literature of self-evaluation, accessing supervision, and utilizing strategies and accessing support from other professionals (Everall and Paulson,

Many people with serious mental illnesses are forced to live in overcrowded, and often substandard living environments, that place them at physical and emotional risk. The ongoing stigma surrounding mental illness means that many housing providers, funding sources, and neighborhood groups are reluctant to serve people with disabilities, despite legislation such as the Fair Housing Amendments Act. People with serious mental illnesses, with appropriate support, are often quite successful at working when employed. However, the unemployment rate among people with serious mental illnesses hovers at 90 percent. Though today’s economy has created significant opportunities for people with serious mental illnesses to gain better, higher paying jobs, the technology and the resources to provide them with necessary long-term support in those jobs are lagging far behind. People with serious mental illnesses require appropriate and timely mental health and primary health care

My mother taught me that a key factor to being successful is having the right tools for the job. I learned what that meant to me in my early years at Southern Illinois University. Growing up, I was challenged by Dyslexia. A disability that made school difficult. Until college, I found ways around it.

Firstly, adults with mental illnesses experience discrimination from employers which leads to very high unemployment rates for this marginalized group. ‘‘Sixty-one percent of working age adults with mental health disabilities are outside of the labour force, compared with only 20% of working-age

“Mental health problems and illnesses account for approximately 30% of short – and long-term disability claims and are rated one of the top three drivers of such claims by more than 80% of Canadian employers.” (Thorpe, K. & Chenier, L., 2011)

There are many types of rehabilitative services. These include physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, inhalation therapists, audiologists, and registered dietitians. There are many more types, but these are the most well-known. These services are done in a lot of settings such as the clinic and office practices, in the hospital itself, nursing homes, and in sports medicine. There are even some rehabilitative services that are done through home visits. If a person needs help to find the right type of therapy for them they should talk to their doctor.

Working with people with disabilities and being the parent of a child with a disability has played a major role in my decision to continue my education. This past year that I have had the opportunity to work in the field I have seen firsthand the need for Certified Rehabilitation Counselors in our community. As I continue to work with people of all ages and all types of disabilities I have noticed the difficulty that most of them have in getting a job or returning to work. Most of my consumer have mentioned to me time and time again that their

A rehabilitation Counselor is focused with people who have disabilities that will want to achieve their personal, career, and independent living natural goals through a counselor.

Counseling clients with disabilities is both challenging and rewarding. Clients come from many backgrounds with a variety of disabilities such as physical, learning, and mental. Some clients may have physical disabilities such as being a paraplegic or quadriplegic. Others have learning disabilities such as dyslexia while others have mental disabilities which include ADD/ADHD, autism, post-traumatic stress disorder, and depression. Counseling those with mental disabilities is something all counselors will do in their lifetime.

A literature review illustrates how vital job placement services have been found to be in the job employment assistance endeavors. The review of previous studies reveals the “receipt of placement services” to be the “strongest predictor of employment outcomes” (Fleming et al., 2014, p. 7). A 2006 study characterized job placement as “the driving force behind the vocational rehabilitation program” (Fleming et al., 2014, p. 7). According to the researchers, the public Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) services have attained the status of “the most important vocational programs for persons with disabilities” (Fleming et al., 2014, p. 7). The authors cite the number of “new applicants [registered] nationally” as 564,908, in the 2011 Fiscal Year alone, as proof of the organization’s heavy caseload of new clients (Fleming et al., 2014, p. 7). These numbers indicate that rehabilitation services have been in high demand. Considering the importance of the vocational programs in assisting the disabled clients who are in need of employment, the authors determined that it was appropriate to examine the different ways these services can be rendered.