Best Practice Models of Effective Vocational Rehabilitation Service Delivery in the Public Rehabilitation Program: A Review and Synthesis of the Empirical Literature

Rehabilitation counselors and practitioners are under increased pressure to adopt and pursue evidenced-based practices, and the rehabilitation counseling literature has been criticized for a lack of empirical work providing support for individual-level interventions. The purpose of this literature review was to examine the last 25 years of rehabilitation research with specific attention to empirical studies related to active employment-focused interventions and present models of best practices that already exist within the literature. Findings indicated that 35 empirical studies met the search criteria of presenting services or models with initial evidence of supporting employment outcomes. In the review process, studies were classified into seven categories based on topic, including interagency collaboration, counselor education and customer outcomes, services to a targeted group, supported employment and evidence-based practice (EBP), empowerment and customer self-concept, essential elements of service delivery, and miscellaneous vocational rehabilitation services and outcomes. A review and synthesis of studies within these topical areas are presented, along with implications within the context of the critical need for EBPs in rehabilitation counseling.