Dr. Leonard Matheson is a psychologist who is a pioneer in the field of occupational rehabilitation. He is the originator of work hardening and has participated in setting national standards of practice for work hardening, work conditioning, work capacity evaluation, and functional capacity evaluation. He has designed many of the tests and treatment models that are in use in Occupational Rehabilitation today.
His tests have been translated into more than two dozen languages. Among more than 45 peer-reviewed scientific papers and 100 invited papers and chapters in textbooks are the chapters on functional capacity evaluation in the American Medical Association’s Disability Evaluation handbook.
He is a consultant to several Fortune 100 employers and insurance carriers, the Social Security Administration, the United States Congress, the American Medical Association, and hundreds of rehabilitation centers and governmental agencies in the United States, Canada, and other countries. He has testified before the United States House of Representatives in Washington, DC. His doctoral work at the Andrus Gerontology Center at the University of Southern California focused on cognitive function and aging.
Among his current projects is the development of new methods to evaluate and treat people who have brain injury using graded demand simulations, and the reliable measurement of physical functional ability with integrated self-report measures using item response theory.
He served on the editorial board of Spine for ten years and currently serves as an associate editor of the Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation and is on the editorial board of Work. He retired after fifteen years as an Associate Professor of Occupational Therapy and Neurology at the Washington University School of Medicine.
Dr. Matheson maintains an active consulting and counseling practice in Chesterfield, Missouri, working with people who have physical, neurological and psychological disabilities, with businesses on employee selection, and with executives and professionals on career optimization. He is a Licensed Psychologist, Certified Vocational Evaluator, and Certified Rehabilitation Counselor. He uses a cognitive behavioral and motivational interviewing approach to assist his clients to develop the character strengths and virtues they desire to live fulfilling lives.
Dr. Matheson is the married father of two, with two grandchildren. He and his wife Mary are active at Windsor Crossing Community Church. The EpicRehab motto, “To recognize and develop the value in each of us” has guided his professional development and has been the focus of his career for more than 40 years. He is delighted that the number of days that he has not wanted to go to work can be counted on the fingers of one hand.