Telling a good story: Using narratives in vocational rehabilitation with veterans

Because of the high chronicity of work-related problems in a Veterans Admin istration Medical Center population, many of the traditional methods of car eer assessment, counseling, and placement have proven ineffectual. In this article the authors detail the development of an intervention based on narr ative or storytelling principles. They describe efforts to introduce this m odel to patients as well as to relate patients' stories to vocational outco mes. The usefulness of stories as an organizing principle for counselors an d clients is discussed, and suggestions are offered for further uses of sto rytelling interventions.