Career assessments, counselling and support can be a very cloudy area for much debate, particularly for its real world worth and practicality to an injured party, who can be stuck, avoidant and likely emotional.
The end point needs to be highly realistic and attainable, available and accessible. But most importantly – be seen by the injured person as a worthy job option for them to act on.
My experience comes from the value of knowing the real job market, and the potential entry points where an injured party can see themselves re-establish a ‘viable’ employment path again.
I often notice flaws in vocational opinions for injured individuals, particularly where reports address employability or earning capacity without the evidence to support it. An occupational therapist is the right person for functional capacity and care needs. But whether someone can realistically return to work, and what they could earn, needs real labour market evidence and industry knowledge, not just a clinical impression.
What a vocational expert adds beyond an OT opinion
Let’s face it, the strike rate for an injured party to want to freely engage or go back to work before settlement – is slim. A pricey vocational report that summarises, ‘just go drive an Uber’ doesn’t really help.
So what then?
Give me a call or email and let’s chat.