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This webinar introduces positive psychological capital (PsyCap) as a practical counseling framework for vocational rehabilitation professionals supporting underserved individuals with disabilities who are currently in, or transitioning from, subminimum wage employment. The session situates PsyCap within the ethical and policy context of informed choice, competitive integrated employment, Section 511 counseling, and structural barriers such as poverty, transportation, benefits uncertainty, low expectations, and discrimination. Participants will learn to translate the HERO resources—hope, self-efficacy, resilience, and optimism—into brief counseling strategies that build credible pathways, mastery evidence, setback recovery plans, and accurate future expectations. The presentation emphasizes that PsyCap is not a substitute for wages, access, or systems change; rather, it is most ethical when paired with concrete supports such as benefits counseling, customized employment, job trials, peer mentoring, family engagement, accommodations, and job coaching.
Objectives
Upon completion of this webinar, participants will be able to:
1. Describe the ethical and policy relevance of positive psychological capital for counseling individuals with disabilities in, or transitioning from, subminimum wage employment.
2. Differentiate the four HERO components of PsyCap--hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism--and identify at least one VR counseling strategy for each.
3. Apply a PsyCap-informed, equity-sensitive case formulation by pairing client psychological resources with concrete VR supports such as benefits counseling, customized employment, job trials, family engagement, accommodations, and job coaching.
About the presenter:
Brad McDaniels, PhD, is an Associate Professor and Associate Department Chair in the Department of Rehabilitation and Health Services at the University of North Texas. He earned his PhD in Rehabilitation Counseling from the University of Kentucky and completed a postdoctoral research fellowship in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine. His scholarly work focuses on vocational rehabilitation, psychosocial adjustment to disability, meaningful employment, psychological strengths, and quality-of-life outcomes among people with disabilities and chronic health conditions. Dr. McDaniels teaches graduate rehabilitation and counseling courses and develops professional education for rehabilitation, health, and disability service providers. His presentation style integrates empirical evidence, ethical practice, case application, and practical tools that professionals can translate directly into counseling and employment-service encounters.
