The clear affirmative answer that a group program
which includes very enhanced choice is an efficient option is qualified by the
fact that the program is not considered viable for those who do not freely chose
it. We do not really know in detail
why some choose it and some do not – or much about the right time in one’s
life for such an experience. With
the exception of those few who did not choose Career Choice because the cost of
additional services they knew they needed was far in excess of Career Choice
resources, there does not seem to be any reliable data predictors.
Career choice was obviously limited in the variations
it could test. It did not
extensively test by a separate model persons who are mentally ill, mentally
retarded, blind, previous substance abusers, and others.
It did have among participants persons from all those “categories”
and also had leadership persons from most of them.
Group work among persons with organically based brain disorders (e.g.
some MS) is very viable, but there are areas of mental illness and brain injury
which further testing would suggest are not as amenable to group – or maybe
the opposite. Also, while it is
believed that group would be quite workable for persons with mental retardation,
the materials and model of Career Choice were beyond their limits with persons
of a 65 I.Q. We believe a workable variation could be constructed.
There are, of course, numerous other variations which
when developed and tested would broaden the applicability of Career Choice and
similar programs. Often, insight
learned in adapting the program for one group has much wider use.
Variations of time, intensity, content, additional services, etc. are all
considered open questions by many observers.
We believe it would be useful to test the degree to which the values of
group can be sustained by Internet groups and other groups which don’t always
meet face to face.
Finally, the ways in which senior management could be built into the changing major ongoing systems of “rehabilitation” are areas which have not yet been fully developed, but without this kind of skill it will be much more difficult for local programs to begin or continue.