Work stress and burnout are common problems in rehabilitation services. Usually, attempts to account for stress and burnout focus on the qualities of the individual and the demands of the organisational environment. However, the current paper has responded to recent demands in the occupational stress literature to examine burnout from a third perspective, namely the institutional level. This level of analysis transcends the boundaries of organisations and can be defined by the various political, economic, social and legal constraints that characterise a broad area. It is argued that the rapid growth of insurance-based rehabilitation in Australia has created a unique institutional context that has significant implications for the development of stress and burnout among rehabilitation counsellors. Rehabilitation counsellors in this context face a diverse array of conflicting demands within a system that often does not support the goals of rehabilitation. It is proposed that the development of strategies to reduce stress and burnout in this area would benefit from an institutional-level analysis. While individualised stress management training clearly has a role in the minimisation of stress and burnout, it is proposed in the current paper that this issue has human resource management and educational implications that must be addressed.

This article describes the development of the current part-time distance education Post graduate and Masters in Rehabilitation Counselling course offered by the School of Community Health, University of Sydney Cumberland Campus, into an online/multimedia instructional medium.. A literature review explored factors involved in the educational technology design process utilising an ACTIONS framework proposed by Bates (1995). The findings confirm that it is appropriate to utilise selected mediums to improve access and maintain teaching standards. However, the review highlights the need to offer a combination of presentation mediums, adequate technical support, and staff development/training. Formative evaluation must be part of the design process, supported by a responsive organisational infrastructure. Evaluation of the first unit of study to be offered online in 2000, Counselling, will form the basis for a follow-up article.

The Work Repertory Grid was developed to investigate a Personal Construct model of burnout for an empirical study involving 60 mental health professionals working in the Illawarra area. This paper backgrounds some of the theories of stress and burnout and the traditional methods of measuring predictor and dependent variables. It also describes the development of the Work Repertory Grid and how it was derived from both Personal Construct and burnout theory. Results from the empirical study suggest a valuable role for the instrument in interpreting and exploring results from future research in conjunction with other objective measures, which, in turn, tend to validate the instrument. By fixing constructs relating to personal attributes and relating styles the Work Repertory Grid holds the promise of early prediction of burnout in stressful work environments.

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) are evidence of the progress, in relation to civil rights, made in the disability public policy arena. Similarly, much progress has been made in regard to societal values and attitudes toward persons with disabilities. Although much progress has been made for persons with disabilities, there is much work to be done. An abundance of concerns have recently surfaced regarding whether the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the ADA effectively address the rights of persons with disabilities. In light of recent concerns, some social scientist have advocated the minority group model as a catalyst for creating public policy that will effectively address the rights of persons with disabilities. The belief is that this perception of persons with disabilities would further progress society's value of promoting the well being of others, respecting the rights of others and promoting the fair distribution of society's resources. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to support the hypothesis that society's perception of persons with disabilities as a bona fide minority group will change societal values resulting in a more progressive public policy.

Individuals with psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia, have been found to have less successful vocational rehabilitation outcomes than other disability groups. A contributing factor may be that existing traditional vocational assessment methods and tools simply lack characteristics that would make them most useful for individuals with schizophrenia. Specific symptomatology present in the schizophrenic disorders interferes with the individual's ability to properly complete traditional assessment tools. Alternative methods of assessment are therefore needed for individuals with schizophrenia to get the most benefit from the vocational rehabilitation process and reach their vocational potential. A five-stage model is proposed which attempts to address issues that arise during the vocational assessment process for people with schizophrenia.