Handbook of Rehabilitation Psychology. - book review

Journal of Rehabilitation, July-Sept, 2002 by Stacie Robertson

The fourth and final part, professional issues, discusses issues of payment systems, educational pro grams, and ethics. This section provides information that is very timely. Concerns about payment systems as well as differences in educational programs have been the conversation of individuals on two different listservs that I subscribe to over e-mail. These chapters address some of the common pitfalls and ways around some of these pitfalls. The chapter on education, for instance, discusses the pitfall of the division within the field and ways to bring unity to the many programs that train individuals to become rehabilitation psychologists. The chapter on ethics also addresses ways around ethical pitfalls by suggesting guidelines for ethical skill development.

Overall, the Handbook of Rehabilitation Psychology is a great resource. The only shortcoming of the book is that there is no clear balance between too much information and not enough. In some sections the reader is given information that assumes an introductory level while in other places it is assumed that the reader already has a background in the field (or at the least is able to gain this information independently). Regardless, I recommend this book for individuals interested in rehabilitation psychology. It is the first of it's kind to offer a collection of subjects related to the field. It addresses the role of the rehabilitation psychologist, the future of the field, and it's current shortcomings.

Stacie Robertson, M.S., CRC
Doctoral Candidate
Penn State University