Clinical supervision is an important part of developing and enhancing counselor proficiency that begins during preprofessional training and continues throughout one’s career as a professional rehabilitation counselor. However, rehabilitation counselors and, in particular, their supervisors may have an underappreciation of its value to professional practice. In short, clinical supervision needs to be something not only applicable to the initial entry into the profession but continued throughout one’s professional career. This chapter defines clinical supervision and barriers to supervision in rehabilitation settings. It examines the developmental process in progressing from counselor to supervisor roles and reviews effective practices in group supervision. The chapter also discusses multicultural perspectives on supervision, and identifies clinical supervision strategies consistent with good ethical practice. It helps the reader to understand what is meant by ‘parallel/cross-progressive/cross-regressive’ supervision dyads as applied to racial identity and its impact on clinical supervision.

Treatment for substance use disorders can take place within a variety of different settings, ranging in intensity from highly structured inpatient treatment programs to self-help groups, such as Alcoholics Anonymous. Rehabilitation counselors and other rehabilitation professionals, in conjunction with the client and any involved third party (e.g. drug court), should determine the most appropriate treatment setting for the client, given his or her individual situation. This chapter defines the primary concepts related to substance use disorders. It explains the major models of substance use disorders, as well as related intervention strategies. The chapter then reviews empirical evidence for treatment modalities for various substance use disorders and outlines the primary methods for assessment of substance use disorders and readiness for change. It finally describes types of substance abuse treatment programs and discusses issues related to substance use disorders and disability.

As the profession of rehabilitation counseling has evolved, rehabilitation counselors have taken on increasing responsibility and, consequently, have assumed increasing obligations to practice ethically, legally, and professionally. The importance of the roles of the rehabilitation counselor and the special nature of the rehabilitation counseling relationship have increasingly been acknowledged by legal bodies through the inclusion of rehabilitation counselors, as well as other counselors, in licensure and in other functions stipulated by statutory and regulatory bodies. This chapter defines risk prevention in rehabilitation counseling practice and identifies how professional codes of ethics intersect with the law. It also identifies action steps that rehabilitation counselors should take when faced with ethical dilemmas; and areas of practice, which are ‘hot spots’ for risk-management concerns. The chapter then highlights issues related to maintaining and breaching confidentiality, discusses unique dynamics and liabilities within the counseling relationship, and identifies counselor protections against malpractice.

Basic counseling skills are essentially relationship-building and empathic listening skills, drawing out client stories and concerns in depth, along with the surrounding context. Thus, basic counseling skills serve as the foundation for working collaboratively with clients in understanding and conceptualizing their concerns and problems in ways that can be addressed, along with developing counseling, service, and intervention plans to address the concerns in collaboration with the client. The skills are basic to virtually all theoretical orientations in counseling, which help counselors conceptualize problems and develop plans for interventions and other services. This chapter facilitates understanding and development of the skills to apply in counseling, regardless of a counselor’s theoretical orientation. It helps the reader to develop knowledge and skill in applying basic attending behaviors in counseling and to develop skill in integrating the basic listening skills to structure a counseling session.

Providing career and vocational counseling services to individuals with disabilities is a complex and dynamic process that is developmental in nature, involves the person interacting with the environment, and is moderated by social cognitive factors. This chapter addresses career and vocational counseling of persons with disabilities and provides information on evidence-based vocational interventions associated with supporting efforts to enter the workforce. It introduces the concept of work as a therapeutic intervention and provides an overview of a theoretical framework for the vocational readiness of individuals with disabilities to engage in work. It also provides an overview of commonly used career counseling techniques in rehabilitation settings. In discussing the centrality of work and the ways in which work is critical in meeting human needs, rehabilitation counselors gain an understanding that work plays an important role in the individual’s mental health and social integration.

Today, disability is conceptualized as a biopsychosocial phenomenon that reflects an interaction between the person and her or his environment, of which the family system is a critical component. This chapter provides rehabilitation health professionals with a set of tools (i.e., theoretical constructs) used to understand families of a person with a disability from family systems and social–ecological perspectives. It familiarizes rehabilitation health professionals with specific family systems and social–ecological interventions as they relate to individuals with a disability and increases rehabilitation counselors’ sensitivity to the cultural and social context that impacts the families of a person with a disability. The chapter then introduces rehabilitation health professionals to a social–ecological approach that addresses the needs of families of an individual with a disability, and addresses the limitations of family systems and social–ecological therapies as well as the implications of these approaches for training and practice in rehabilitation health.

This chapter provides an overview of group procedures in rehabilitation from an evidence-based perspective. Specifically, it discusses the application of group procedures in rehabilitation, including counseling, psychotherapy, and psychoeducation formats, highlights the major theoretical approaches that guide group work, and reviews the empirical support for group procedures. There are a number of key advantages related to the use of group approaches. First, clients may feel less alone because the group format allows them to receive support and encouragement from other group members often facing similar problems. In addition, group members can serve as role models and support figures for other members. Groups also provide a safe context for individuals to practice behaviors within a secure setting. Further, groups provide a context for the leader or counselor to directly observe how each client responds to other people and behaves in social situations in order to tailor valuable feedback in vivo.

This chapter informs readers of major concepts in Adlerian theory, with an emphasis on the contemporary relevance of Adlerian approaches for rehabilitation counselors and related professionals. It highlights the importance of a holistic understanding of individuals, as well as the significance of one’s social context. The chapter helps the reader to develop an understanding of key concepts, including holistic understanding of individuals, the significance of social context in Adlerian approaches, and the importance of goal-directed behavior and ‘lifestyle’. It also helps the reader to understand the counseling process in Adlerian approaches and the role of the counselor in providing encouragement while facilitating change, consider the level of evidence-based support for Adlerian approaches and appreciate the relevance of Adlerian theory in rehabilitation counseling, including the significance of the environment, the need to address problems in the environment, and implications for social justice.