Rehabilitation Counselors

If you are compassionate and empathize with the sufferings of others. And wish to work for the well being of people, then rehabilitation counselor is the career for you.

Rehabilitation counselors as a career  is highly satisfying.The counselors take pride in seeing the successes of the people they serve. Be it helping a senior citizen, or a worker injured on the job or a high school student getting a job, their work has advantages for individuals, groups and community.

Who is a Rehabilitation Counselor

Rehabilitation Counselor, are professional who assist people with physical, emotional or mental disabilities to become or remain self-sufficient, productive citizens.

Professionals rehabilitation counselors also play an important role in raising public awareness about  various disability related issues and achieving social justice for this section of the society.

Rehabilitation counselors work with people with a wide range of disabilities, including:
  • Mental illness
  • Chronic disease
  • Mobility impairment
  • Traumatic brain injury
  • Addiction and substance abuse
  • Language and communication disorders and,
  • Sensory impairment (blindness, deafness)

Role of a Rehabilitation Counselor

Rehabilitation counselors understand the social, emotional and occupational need of the people with disabilities. They conduct individual and group counseling session to identify the goal. Once the goal has been identified, the counselors work along with the clients to arrive at a solution.
  • Help individuals nurture a positive approach, and find ways to maximize opportunities for achieving financial independence Assess an individual’s potential for independent living and arranging for psychological, medical, services, vocational assessment, training, and job placement.
  • Evaluate medical and psychological reports and consulting with physicians and psychologists to identify the the types of work individuals can do.
  • Work along with employers and identify or modify job responsibilities to accommodate individuals with disabilities.

Skills required


Compassion: Being compassionate is a quality that helps counselors in their work while dealing with people who are in or going through stressful and difficult situations.

Listening skills: Important quality for rehabilitation counselors.Having good listening skills helps
the counselors to listen and  understand the clients about their problems, concerns, and values.

Patience:  must have skill for rehabilitation counselor-patience, as the clients are already  struggling to cope with their disabilities.

People skills: Ability to work with different types of people is necessary for counselors to help them work  with clients, families, employers, and other professionals.

Speaking skills: Ability to speak clearly, express ideas and perceive information  in such a way that is easily understood by the clients, families, employers and other professionals.

Pros and Cons

Pros
  • Job satisfaction
  • Rewarding work
  • Flexibility to work in a variety of settings, such as hospitals, mental health facilities and
  • private offices
  • Good career choice if you like interacting with people
Cons
  • Extended working hours
  • Advanced education required
  • State licensing requirements
  • Doing different kind of work daily  can be  frustrating

Connect me with the Top Colleges