Rehabilitation Psychology

[PsychBoxe]

I am new to the literature and practice of rehabilitation psychology and would like to know if forum members have clinical experience in medical rehabilitation settings (inpatient, long-term care). I matched to an inpatient health psychology program and would like to know more about "what it looks like" to support the literature I am collecting. I recently joined Division 22 of APA (Rehab Psych) and it has already been an amazing resource. Any thoughts on this subfield of psychology would be appreciated.

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[docma]

I am new to the literature and practice of rehabilitation psychology and would like to know if forum members have clinical experience in medical rehabilitation settings (inpatient, long-term care). I matched to an inpatient health psychology program and would like to know more about "what it looks like" to support the literature I am collecting. I recently joined Division 22 of APA (Rehab Psych) and it has already been an amazing resource. Any thoughts on this subfield of psychology would be appreciated.

I am not knowledgeable about the field (am a Counseling Psych grad and have worked in CMH/SMI settings in my career)---but think Rehab Psych is one of the most viable career development areas for the future, due to the aging of the population and TBI/trauma recovery. It would be great to have more about it on this board.

 

[WisNeuro]

Just make sure you stick to the moderate to severe TBI populations in rehab. When I work with mild TBI, my batteries turn into SVT/PVT batteries with a hint of real neuropsych thrown in. Too many mild TBI pts can make one jaded.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

Just make sure you stick to the moderate to severe TBI populations in rehab. When I work with mild TBI, my batteries turn into SVT/PVT batteries with a hint of real neuropsych thrown in. Too many mild TBI pts can make one jaded.

While I read this as somewhat tongue-in-cheek…there is a lot of truth to the above.

A good place to start is "The Handbook of Rehabilitation Psychology" and the Div 22 listserv. There is also a reading list that is out there for anyone looking to pursue ABPP-RP boarding that is a who's who of articles…though that may be a bit much at the beginning of training.

 

[WisNeuro]

While I read this as somewhat tongue-in-cheek…there is a lot of truth to the above.

A good place to start is "The Handbook of Rehabilitation Psychology" and the Div 22 listserv. There is also a reading list that is out there for anyone looking to pursue ABPP-RP boarding that is a who's who of articles…though that may be a bit much at the beginning of training.

Yeah, it was a sarcastically serious comment on my part. But seriously, anyone in a TBI setting should have a good grasp of PVT/SVT measures and know a good deal about their sensitivity and specificity in target populations.

 

[Balmoral]

My internship was in rehabilitation psychology with IP/OP rotations. I now work at a post-acute rehab facility peforming both evaluations and psychotherapy. You should be trained on not just effort testing, but also appropriateness of batteries, integration, and delivery of feedback. In psychotherapy, there are numerous clinical issues such as pain management, adjustment to injury, depression, acute stress, family problems, somatization, etc. Interactions with various team (e.g., PT, OT, SLP, PM&R) are also typical so this part of training can be emphasized.

Congratulations and good luck!

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

Yeah, it was a sarcastically serious comment on my part. But seriously, anyone in a TBI setting should have a good grasp of PVT/SVT measures and know a good deal about their sensitivity and specificity in target populations.

I'd argue that anyone working in TBI/ABI should have an excellent grasp on PVTs/SVTs, a solid background in neuroanatomy, and be willing to do a lot of additional reading because the literature keeps advancing. I spend 80% of my time working with TBI, but ABI can be just as tricky when it comes to funky assessment data (assuming adequate effort).

 

[WisNeuro]

I'd argue that anyone working in TBI/ABI should have an excellent grasp on PVTs/SVTs, a solid background in neuroanatomy, and be willing to do a lot of additional reading because the literature keeps advancing. I spend 80% of my time working with TBI, but ABI can be just as tricky when it comes to funky assessment data (assuming adequate effort).

Very true, I'm a little biased. when I see TBI pts it's usually mild TBI, and there is usually secondary gain involved. Probably the least favorite part of my clinical load. Much prefer my neurology consults.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

I'm the opposite. 😀 I'll cherry-pick some zebras from Neurology and Psychiatry, but my bread and butter referrals are primarily post-concussion and mTBI/TBI. Worker's Comp, SSDI, and related systems encourage a sick role, so there are inevitable forces that come with that. These types of cases can get frustrating if there are clear cut secondary gain factors, but the data is the data…so I try and do my best to provide treatment/other recommendations to help the person within their given situation. I'm still tweaking the mix of cases I see because I definitely see how someone could get jaded working in this area.

 

[PsychBoxe]

Thanks to everyone for the advice and resources!