Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-mlc7c Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T10:52:23.406Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

How peer support can assist job-seekers with a disability move into work

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 April 2020

Diana Dorstyn Open the ORCID record for Diana Dorstyn [Opens in a new window] ,
Gregory Murphy ,
Elizabeth Potter  and
Ashley Craig
Diana Dorstyn*
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Gregory Murphy
Affiliation:
School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Elizabeth Potter
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Ashley Craig
Affiliation:
John Walsh Centre for Rehabilitation Research, Northern Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney and Kolling Institute of Medical Research, St Leonards, New South Wales, Australia
*
*Corresponding author. Email: diana.dorstyn@adelaide.edu.au
Get access

Abstract

Anecdotally, there are frequent reports that peer-facilitated initiatives can be successfully used in employment services. However, in Australia, there is little information about how to effectively deliver peer support. In this paper, we discuss how peer-based interventions might be used to supplement formal return-to-work services and contribute to positive job-seeking outcomes. We illustrate the potential of vocational peer support using a real situation involving a young adult who successfully returned to work soon after sustaining a traumatic injury. Future research should explore the inclusion of various peer support structures and formats as a component of other employment services, to help people with long-term conditions and disabilities achieve a range of vocational outcomes and to guide practice in this area.

Keywords

Employmentsocial supportspinal cord injuryrehabilitationself-efficacy
Type
Articles
Information
The Australian Journal of Rehabilitation Counselling , Volume 26 , Issue 1 , July 2020 , pp. 7 - 11
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press and The Australian Journal of Rehabilitation Counselling

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Azrin, N. H., Flores, T., & Kaplan, S. J. (1975). Job-finding club: A group-assisted program for obtaining employment. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 13, 17–27. doi: http://doi.org/10.1016/0005-7967(75)90048-0CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84(2), 191–215.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York, NY: W. H. Freeman.Google Scholar
Heisler, M. (2010). Different models to mobilize peer support to improve diabetes self-management and clinical outcomes: Evidence, logistics, evaluation considerations and needs for future research. Family Practice, 27, i23–i32. doi: 10.1093/fampra/cmp003CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Liu, S., Huang, J. L., & Wang, M. (2014). Effectiveness of job search interventions: A meta-analytic review. Psychological Bulletin, 140, 1009–1041.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lorig, K. R., Sobel, D. S., Ritter, P. L., Laurent, D., & Hobbs, M. (2001). Effect of a self-management program on patients with chronic disease. Effective Clinical Practice, 4(6), 256–262.Google ScholarPubMed
Mpofu, E., Craig, A., Millington, M., Murphy, G., & Dorstyn, D. (2015). Return to work practices and research with spinal cord injury: An Australian perspective. Australian Journal of Rehabilitation Counselling, 21(1), 65–76. doi: 10.1017/jrc.2015.1CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nakai, Y., Hill, S. C., Snell, A. F., & Ferrell, J. Z. (2018). A job club for older job seekers: Change in attitude and perceived utility during training. Journal of Career Development, 45(6), 551–565. doi: 10.1177/0894845317724550CrossRefGoogle Scholar
O’Hare, M. A., & Murphy, G. C. (2017). Predicting participation in interventions designed to promote job retention post-SCI. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 46, 233–243. doi: 10.3233/JVR-160859CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Simoni, J. M., Franks, J. C., Lehavot, K., & Yard, S. S. (2011). Peer interventions to promote health: conceptual considerations. The American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 81(3), 351–359. doi: 10.1111/j.1939-0025.2011.01103.xCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Smith, D. L., Atmatzidis, K., Capogreco, M., Lloyd-Randolfi, D., & Seman, V. (2017). Evidence-based interventions for increasing work participation for persons with various disabilities. Occupational Therapy Journal of Research, 37(Suppl 2), 3S–13S. doi: 10.1177/1539449216681276.Google ScholarPubMed