VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION SERVICES AND REHABILITATION COUNSELING AS A NEGLECTED AREA IN TURKEY

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Despite the considerable progress recently made in the provision of vocational rehabilitation services in Turkey, the quality and extent of the services remains to be insufficient. The medical model continues its prevalence as the most common approach to service provision and the multidisciplinary nature of vocational services appears to be overlooked. Furthermore, research and data with regard to the extent and effectiveness of the existing services seem to be limited. Most importantly, rehabilitation counseling, which leads vocational rehabilitation services in many countries including the US as a profession whose effectiveness in the provision of vocational rehabilitation services has been supported by research, does not exist in Turkey. All these factors can be suggested to negatively affect vocational rehabilitation services provided to individuals with disabilities in Turkey. Thus, as an area that is confused with other areas such as special education or physical therapy in Turkey, rehabilitation counseling is introduced in terms of its historical development, definition and functions and, then, the scope and foundations of vocational rehabilitation are overviewed in this manuscript. Finally, current status of vocational rehabilitation services both in Turkey and the US are overviewed and suggestions are provided to help improve the quality of vocational rehabilitation services in Turkey.

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Vocational rehabilitation , rehabilitation counseling , counseling and guidance , individuals with disabilities

Abant İzzet Baysal Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi

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Abant İzzet Baysal Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi