Ashley Kaseroff

Work-related social skills: Definitions and interventions in public vocational rehabilitation.

OBJECTIVE Social skills play an important role in employment. This study provides a qualitative analysis of salient work related social skills and interventions for addressing social skills in public vocational rehabilitation (VR). RESEARCH DESIGN A modified consensual qualitative research (CQR) approach was taken to understand the elements and influence of work related social skills in public VR. Thirty-five counselors, supervisors, and administrators participated in semistructured interviews to provide their perspectives of work related social skills and the interventions they use for addressing these skills. RESULTS Multiple aspects of work-related social skills were described as being important for VR consumer success. The most common work related social skills across all participants were nonverbal communication and the ability to connect with others. Primary social interventions included informal social skills training (SST), systems collaboration, and creating an appropriate job match. CONCLUSIONS Public rehabilitation agency staff, constantly faced with addressing work related social skills, possess many insights about salient skills and interventions that can benefit future research and practice. Agencies currently address social skills deficits by providing interventions to both person and environment. The research provides directions for future research related to identification of social skills and interventions to address related deficits.

A Qualitative Study of Job Placement Provider Decisions in Vocational Rehabilitation

A modified consensual qualitative research approach was taken to determine factors that influence job placement services in selected state Vocational Rehabilitation agencies. Thirty-five counselors, supervisors, and administrators participated in semistructured interviews on job placement and how they determine whether the counselor or another professional (e.g., in-house placement specialist, community rehabilitation provider) provides the direct service. Results indicated that several factors were noted by at least half of the participants, including anticipated intensity of services needed by the client, counselor caseload size/available time, existing employer relationships, availability of a placement service provider, and placement skills. Results highlight the impact of consistently high client volume on placement services, particularly for individuals with the most significant disabilities. Implications related to the current state of policy and practice for placement services, as well as potential future directions, are discussed.

Positive Psychology Theory, Research, and Practice: A Primer for Rehabilitation Counseling Professionals.

Positive psychology is a scientific study that explores what makes life most worth living and applies psychological theory to understand the human strengths that are important for enhancing overall well-being and happiness. The rehabilitation counseling philosophy shares a similar emphasis on personal strengths and the importance of enhancing what is good rather than merely addressing the negative aspects of adversity. The field of rehabilitation counseling provides a solid foundation for the practice of positive psychology and there is great potential for improving services and outcomes for people with disabilities by applying positive psychology approaches in rehabilitation practice and research. The objective of this article is to provide rehabilitation professionals an overview of positive psychology and its application to rehabilitation counseling. Specifically, a brief history of the positive psychology movement, major constructs and research findings, measurement considerations, and empirically supported intervention frameworks will be reviewed.

Social Effectiveness A 30-Year Review of the Rehabilitation Counseling Literature

The ability to effectively manage social interactions is key to achieving many life goals. A substantial amount of research has been conducted in rehabilitation counseling and rehabilitation psychology that includes a consideration of some aspect of social effectiveness. The purpose of this study was to collect and synthesize the past 30 years of rehabilitation counseling and rehabilitation psychology research addressing aspects of social effectiveness. A total of 13 terms (e.g., interpersonal skills, social competence, social functioning, and soft skills) were used to search six of the most prominent rehabilitation counseling and rehabilitation psychology journals from the period January 1982 to May 2013. A total of 608 articles were identified as including at least one of the search terms, with 175 using a search term prominently and the other 433 only passively. Social skills, social functioning, and social competence were among the most frequently used search terms, accounting for almost 90% of all used terms. It was found that social effectiveness constructs were rarely defined and often used interchangeably. Twenty-nine interventions studies had been published in the 30-year period. Results reflect a substantial and useful body of literature in this area of research while also conveying an opportunity for the development of a more systematic, unified, and theory-driven approach to understanding and addressing aspects of social effectiveness.

THE LIVING WELL TOGETHER PROGRAM: A QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS OF A HEALTH SELF-MANAGEMENT PROGRAM FOR AGING AFRICAN AMERICANS WITH CHRONIC ILLNESS

easy 12 minute/day yoga meditation. The control group consisted of either music listening or memory enhancement training (MET). Memory, cognitive function and various biomarkers were measured at baseline, 3 and 6months. Results:Practicing KK 12minutes a day for 8 12 weeks improves cognitive function, increases cerebral blood flow, augments neurotransmitters and neuroanatomical plasticity in the anterior and posterior cingulate gyrus, hippocampus, & prefrontal cortex. Moreover, these studies show improved mental health, better sleep, reduced stress, increased telomerase and longer telomeres, reduced inflammatory markers, strengthened neuro-connectivity, increased plasma amyloid beta, and a rise in aspects of psycho-spiritual well-being such as selfacceptance and a sense of purpose in life. All of these benefits may help prevent or reverse cognitive decline. Gains were sustained or improved at 6 months. No side effects were reported. Conclusions:Kirtan Kriya is a simple and effective yoga meditation with striking results, including an improvement in cognitive function in SCD and MCI. KK has significant potential to be valuable in the fight against AD in women.

RACIAL DIFFERENCES POTENTIALLY INFLUENCING SELF-IDENTIFICATION OF MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT

per se, particularly oily fish rich in omega 3 fatty acids, further limits the potential protective effect on dementia(3-4). Given the role of diet modification in dementia prevention, understanding the link between diet and dementia in Lebanon can be an important dementia prevention intervention for Lebanon and for the Middle East.Methods: 510 participants 65 years old residing in Beirut and Mount Lebanon governorates were included in a cross-sectional survey. Data collection by trained interviewers took place in randomly selected clusters from the capital Beirut andMount Lebanon area. The 10/66 Dementia Research Group diagnostic assessment for dementia and risk factor questionnaires were administered to the participants and their caregivers. Results: Preliminary analysis was carried on 303 participants, 174 females (57.4%) and 129 males (42.6%). The mean age was 72.28 years (SD 7.03). 24 participants were diagnosed with dementia (8%). There was a high prevalence of overweight (54.4%) and obesity (27.7%) among the study population. Neither fish nor meat consumption in this sample was related to dementia prevalence (OR: 0.83; 95%CI: 0.30, 2.33; and OR: 1.48; CI: 0.33,6.56, respectively). Conclusions: Preliminary findings do not support the protective effect of fish consumption, but more definitive conclusions can be made once the entire sample of 510 randomly selected individuals are analyzed. Still, the trends of a lower odds of dementia among older people who consumed fish, and a higher odds of dementia amongmeat consumers is consistent with the results of the large 10/66 study carried out in five LMIC. The latter finding, combined with the nutritional transitions observed in Lebanon and the Arab region and the mounting evidence of the role of diet on dementia, warrants further investigation on a larger national and regional scale.