Make Room For Connection
Loneliness Awareness Week 3-9 August 2026
Loneliness is increasingly recognised as a significant public health issue in Australia, affecting not only mental health, but also physical health, participation, and employment outcomes. Research from Ending Loneliness Together highlights that loneliness is associated with poorer health, reduced wellbeing, lower workforce participation, and increased economic costs to individuals and society.
For Rehabilitation Counsellors, addressing loneliness isn't an "extra" it's embedded in what we do.
Rehabilitation Counselling has always taken a whole-person approach, recognising that successful recovery extends beyond just treating an injury or illness. We understand that meaningful work, social connection, confidence, purpose, and community participation are all interconnected
Through psychosocial rehabilitation, Rehabilitation Counsellors work alongside individuals to identify and overcome barriers that may contribute to social isolation. This may include rebuilding confidence following injury, supporting adjustment to disability or illness, strengthening self-efficacy, reconnecting people with their communities, developing vocational goals, and facilitating a sustainable return to meaningful employment.
Work itself can be a powerful protective factor against loneliness. Beyond financial security, employment provides opportunities for routine, identity, belonging, social interaction and purpose. However, returning to work successfully requires more than physical recovery, it requires people to feel connected, supported and capable of participating in their workplaces and communities.
Research consistently shows that coordinated, person-centred approaches that build meaningful social connections are among the most effective ways to reduce chronic loneliness. These principles closely align with the core values of Rehabilitation Counselling, where collaboration, strengths-based practice and participation are central to supporting long-term recovery and wellbeing.
This Loneliness Week, ASORC recognises the important role Rehabilitation Counsellors play in fostering connection, resilience and inclusion. By addressing the psychosocial factors that influence health, recovery and work participation, Rehabilitation Counsellors help individuals not only return to work, but reconnect with their lives.
Author: Danielle Murphy