Psychological & Psycho-Vocational Services

Psychological factors and associated disability are receiving increasing recognition as a challenge for employers, workers, insurance companies, and the general public. Diversified Rehabilitation Group has several qualified mental health providers that can address a variety of issues by offering a comprehensive list of services.

In addition to specific psychological services, our clinicians also support our other team members by being available for onsite consultation to help increase our team’s effectiveness.

Psychological and Counselling Treatment

We have several highly qualified providers of mental health treatment. We provide treatment for common concerns such as work stress, depression, anxiety, trauma and PTSD, family and parenting issues, traumatic brain injury, adaptation to physical injuries, and stress management.

Our treatment approach is one of utilizing methods that are recognized in the scientific research as being effective. We do not needlessly dig into a client’s past. We focus on reducing distress and the promotion of better coping. Treatment is provided with the highest possible standard of confidentiality.

Funding for treatment is often supported by various agencies such as employee extended health plans, Veteran Affairs, WCB, ICBC and insurance companies.

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Employee & Family Assistance Programs

Many organizations try to promote psychological wellness by making free Counselling services available for employees and dependents. However, traditional EFAP services do not significantly decrease psychological disability for work. This is because many EFAP providers are not Return to Work (RTW) oriented. The economic argument for EFAP is to retain and help employees remain at work. If the Counsellor is not focused upon RTW issues when an employee’s work ability is being compromised the service is not providing proper service to the employer or the employee.

Our therapists are experienced in helping employees cope with psychological distress and maintaining or returning to work. Our goal is not to needlessly explore a client’s personal history searching for problems which can often lead to greater distress. We do listen, but we do more than listen. We promote coping and ability, not dysfunction and disability. This approach is also associated with a high level of client satisfaction. Our quality assurance research has revealed that over the six years of us providing this service 95% of our individual clients to date would recommend our EFAP Counselling services. Employers have also reported that our EFAP service has also been associated with significantly reduced stress related disability costs.

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Psychological Assessments

We provide several types of psychological assessments including psycho-vocational, diagnostic and treatment planning, psychological disability, and forensic. Assessments are of high quality and suitable for medico-legal purposes. The assessment process and report requirements can be tailored to the needs of the referral source.

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Psycho-Vocational Assessment

When people are looking for a new career either due to injury or simply for a change we can help provide an expert opinion on what that direction could be. This assessment helps determine a person’s capabilities and potentials so that suitable employment options and/or training can be pursued. Testing can include a subset or combination of tests for IQ, aptitudes, scholastic skills, personality, interests, and cognitive status. Specific psychological conditions/factors are also taken into account. Specific job titles and training options are generated. Recommendations for strategies to improve learning and skill acquisition are also provided.

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Diagnostic and Treatment Planning Assessments

Sometimes there is a need to determine if a person is suffering from a specific psychological disorder and how to best promote a return to better functioning. Sometimes there is a need to better understand what impact a particular disorder is causing in work or social functioning. Sometimes we need to understand what the cause of a particular problem is. Diagnostic assessments are used to answer these questions. Once a valid diagnosis is derived we can then better understand how to help the person. These assessments are often utilized by referral agencies to determine entitlement and help promote a return to wellness.

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Assessments for Disability from Work

Stress related disability is one of the greatest costs for employers- and it is rising. This is despite the fact that these conditions are usually highly treatable. The vast majority of claims begin with a note from a family doctor that an employee is disabled from working due to stress, depression, anxiety…etc. The physician has usually spent 15 minutes or less in assessing the worker and will often prescribe medication. The worker will then follow-up with the physician in a few weeks, another note is given, medication might be adjusted, and so on. It is rare that the physician will be able to understand the possibility of modified work, the psychological factors in promoting Return to Work (RTW), or be able to improve the worker’s psychological ability to cope.

We offer an assessment and treatment service by psychologists that are experts in assessing disability and treating the worker within a Return to Work model.

Assessments typically cost approximately $500 depending on case complexity. The assessment report describes if the worker is disabled from regular duties, whether the worker can perform reduced or modified duties, and outlines treatment recommendations. The cost of this service is kept low by the fact that lengthy reports are not generated as no unnecessary personal information is included. This also protects the worker’s privacy which tends to increase cooperation.

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Forensic Assessments

Our staff has over 20 years experience assessing criminal behavior. We conduct assessments that determine a person’s risk for future criminal behavior, the factors that would impact that risk, and management strategies to mitigate the risk.

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