Rehabilitation Counselors

Counsel individuals to maximize the independence and employability of persons coping with personal, social, and vocational difficulties that result from birth defects, illness, disease, accidents, or the stress of daily life. Coordinate activities for residents of care and treatment facilities. Assess client needs and design and implement rehabilitation programs that may include personal and vocational counseling, training, and job placement.

Median Annual Wage: $34,380

Education: Master's degree (49%); Bachelor's degree (26%); High school diploma or equivalent (14%)

Projected Growth: Faster than average (15% to 21%)

Related Job Titles: Program Coordinator; Case Manager; Human Services Care Specialist; Rehabilitation Counselor; Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor (VCR); Rehabilitation Specialist; Job Coach; Program Specialist; Vocational Case Manager; Vocational Placement Specialist

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Source: O*NET OnLine information for Rehabilitation Counselors.

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  • Develop rehabilitation plans that fit clients' aptitudes, education levels, physical abilities, and career goals.
  • Monitor and record clients' progress to ensure that goals and objectives are met.
  • Confer with clients to discuss their options and goals so that rehabilitation programs and plans for accessing needed services can be developed.
  • Maintain close contact with clients during job training and placements to resolve problems and evaluate placement adequacy.
  • Confer with physicians, psychologists, occupational therapists, and other professionals to develop and implement client rehabilitation programs.
  • Arrange for physical, mental, academic, vocational, and other evaluations to obtain information for assessing clients' needs and developing rehabilitation plans.
  • Analyze information from interviews, educational and medical records, consultation with other professionals, and diagnostic evaluations to assess clients' abilities, needs, and eligibility for services.
  • Develop and maintain relationships with community referral sources, such as schools and community groups.
  • Locate barriers to client employment, such as inaccessible work sites, inflexible schedules, and transportation problems, and work with clients to develop strategies for overcoming these barriers.
  • Develop diagnostic procedures to determine clients' needs.
  • Collaborate with clients' families to implement rehabilitation plans such as behavioral, residential, social, and employment goals.

Source: O*NET OnLine information for Rehabilitation Counselors.

  • Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
  • Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
  • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
  • Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
  • Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
  • Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
  • Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
  • Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Source: O*NET OnLine information for Rehabilitation Counselors.

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