The May 2026 StaffUp ASAP cohort brought together vocational rehabilitation professionals from 26 different VR agencies. For fifteen weeks, participants worked through training alongside full caseloads, meetings, documentation, and everything else their jobs demanded.
Of the 56 participants who started the training, 49 finished, and 46 completed all five domains. Around 20 participants also attended each of the five live Community of Practice calls, providing an opportunity to connect and learn alongside other VR professionals.
Those accomplishments are worth celebrating. They’re also an opportunity to share staffUp ASAP participant feedback about their experience—what was useful, what made a difference in their work, and where they wanted more.
What Stuck With Them
A few themes came up again and again in StaffUp ASAP participant feedback.
Self-care wasn't treated as optional. The training’s focus on boundaries and burnout prevention resonated with many participants. One put it simply:
Several others connected self-care directly to their ability to keep showing up for clients over the long run.
Caseload management gave them something they could actually use. The DRIVE note template came up repeatedly as a tool participants planned to start using right away, along with time-management strategies they said would help them stay organized and prioritize their work.
The mix of learning activities kept them engaged. Participants also responded positively to how the training was presented, including the combination of videos, quizzes, and knowledge checks. As one participant shared:
The training reframed why the work matters, not just how to do it. More than one participant described starting the course thinking of VR primarily as job-placement support and finishing with a broader view of it as relationship-driven, whole-person work.
As one participant wrote:
It wasn't just for people new to the field. Several experienced VR professionals said the training sharpened counseling skills they'd built over years. One participant with five years in the field wrote that a domain on counseling techniques "helped me to brush up on how best to show empathy" and led to noticeably better client interactions.
Where They Wanted More
Participants also told us where they'd like to keep building their skills.
One participant described the training as a stepping stone toward graduate-level VR education. Another said they wished they'd had access to hands-on practice activities before working with real participants in the field.
That StaffUp ASAP participant feedback is useful as StaffUp ASAP continues to evolve. It helps the team understand not only what's working, but where additional resources, practice, and learning opportunities could make the training even stronger.
Meet the Team Behind the Training
The participant experience starts with the people who develop and support StaffUp ASAP training.
Meet some of the leaders and trainers behind StaffUp ASAP and hear what motivates their work.