Alicia Wein-Senghas, in fulfilling the requirements of the PsyD in Clinical Psychology at Antioch University’s New England campus, has written and published a dissertation titled Motivational Interviewing for Vocational Rehabilitation: Why it Matters for People with Disabilities.
Motivational Interviewing helps people find the motivation to change their behavior by resolving feelings and insecurities. It was founded on the knowledge of how hard it is to make changes and the insight that people tend to be resistant to advice but responsive to a more empathetic approach. This method encourages people to come up with reasons to change for themselves, motivating them to improve their lives.
Motivational Interviewing can help people with disabilities find the motivation to improve their lives through working. Getting people with disabilities into the workplace is beneficial to their mental health and self-esteem. Having a job helps restore a sense of normalcy while providing for financial, personal, and social needs. Despite this fact, 81% of people with disabilities are unemployed in comparison to 34.7% of people without disabilities. Once people with disabilities leave the workforce, they often do not return, despite the positive impact working can have on their mental health.
People with disabilities can access vocational rehab, which is available at no cost, to help them prepare for, secure, and advance in a job. Vocational Rehab counselors have job training, placement, and education resources. While these counselors have many job-related resources, they often lack training in psychological approaches that effectively increase motivation and engagement.
Motivational Interviewing can increase motivation and engagement during the Vocational Rehab process. In her dissertation, Senghas recruits 30 Vocational Rehab counselors to see if there is a meaningful link between Motivational Interviewing proficiency and positive outcomes with disabled persons. The findings show that Motivational Interviewing is effective and encourages Vocational Rehab counselors to become proficient in this method.
Senghas graduated from Antioch University’s New England Campus with a PsyD in Clinical Psychology in 2021. She has been a trainer in Motivational Interviewing since 2015 and is a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers.
Read and download Senghas’s dissertation, Motivational Interviewing for Vocational Rehabilitation: Why it Matters for People with Disabilities.
