Work support groups in state vocational rehabilitation agency settings: A case study

This paper reports the process and outcome of implementing a work support group (WSG) in the Illinois Department of Human Services/Office of Rehabilitation Services (IDHS/ORS), a state vocational rehabilitation (VR) agency. The authors argue that state VR counselors need to spend more time interacting with people who have psychiatric disabilities to help them with clinical and vocational issues. They also argue that a group work format is ideal for counselors carrying a heavy caseload of rehabilitation clients. The results of this preliminary case study suggested that the work support group approach has the potential of strengthening the working alliance between counselors and clients. The results also indicated that clients who attend more than two sessions of the work support group tend to