Using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) in Adlerian Approaches

The International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF), developed by the World Health Organization, is a model based on a biopsychosocial approach that understands people’s health in context; there is a concentration on enablement not disablement. This framework allows for rehabilitation counselors and other health professionals to understand disability across cultures. The model parallels Alfred Adler’s theory of Individual Psychology of health with specific acknowledgment of the sociocultural context that values ability and understands the interplay of individual impairments, environment, and mutual interaction between individual and community health. This article compares the ICF model and Adlerian practice through a theoretical discussion as well as through a fictional case with included treatment suggestions. Sociocultural considerations and social justice practices are interwoven into treatment planning.