Bonding with your hard of hearing or late-deafened VR client
James M. Grover · Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation · 2017
BACKGROUND: The quality of the counselor-client relationship, as defined by the therapeutic or working alliance (WA), has long been known to impact therapeutic outcomes ( Horvath, Del Re, Flückiger, & Symonds, 2011 ; Lambert & Barley, 2001 ). Within the Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) process, a strong working alliance has likewise been shown to result in better vocational and/or independence outcomes ( Lustig, Strauser, Rice, & Rucker, 2002 ) due to more active client collaboration in vocational planning and follow-through with planned services, a strong predictor of outcome in therapy ( Gomes-Schwartz, 1978 ). OBJECTIVE: As bonding between therapist/counselor and patient/client is one essential element in the construct of the WA ( Bordin, 1979 ), the sub-elements of bonding are considered in this review as they apply to the critical role of communication ( Egan, 2013 ) between the generalist VR counselor ( Cook & Bolton, 1997 ) and client who is hard of hearing or late-deafened. CONCLUSION: Communication challenges peculiar to these populations are explored, and how they impact the development of bonding and a functional relationship in the counseling setting. Finally, ways to reconsider and accommodate these challenges are reviewed.