Counseling Persons with Disabilities

Approximately 57 million people (20% of the total population) in the United States report having one or more disabilities, and as people age, the prevalence of disabilities becomes higher. For example, only about 12% of children have a documented disability, but for persons 65 years and older, the incidence is 50% (U.S. Census Bureau, 2012). Depending on one’s professional preparation, various counseling disciplines address disability on a continuum of being a central part of graduate training (e.g., rehabilitation counseling) or a less centralized role that depends largely on specialized disability practice areas (e.g., long-term mental illness, substance abuse), professional function (e.g., family counselor, clinical mental health counselor) and/or work setting (e.g., schools, clinics). A diversity in formal training and clinical supervision has resulted in varying levels of preparation for counselors working with people with disabilities (e.g., Dipeolu, 2011; Madaus & Shaw, 2007). This practice brief is intended to help counselors who have limited training in disability aspects and may benefit from resource information to inform professional practice. For the purposes of this practice brief, disability refers to broad categories that impact cognitive (e.g. learning disability), physical (e.g. persons with spinal cord injuries), sensory (persons who are Deaf), and emotional functioning (persons with long-term, persistent mental illness).