Job Description, Daily Responsibilities, and Work Life
Rehabilitation Counselors
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, aging, 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.
Table of Contents
Job Description
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. They also prepare and maintain records and case files, including documentation such as clients’ personal and eligibility information, services provided, narratives of client contacts, or relevant correspondence.
Other tasks include:
- 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.
We asked Rehabilitation Counselors how satisfied they are with their job. Here is what they said.
74%
91%
74% of them said they were satisfied with their job and 91% said they find that their job makes the world a better place or helps to make someone else’s life better.
Typical Day At Work
On a daily basis, Rehabilitation Counselors prepare and maintain records and case files, including documentation such as clients’ personal and eligibility information, services provided, narratives of client contacts, or relevant correspondence. They maintain close contact with clients during job training and placements to resolve problems and evaluate placement adequacy.
A typical day for a Rehabilitation Counselor will also include:
- Monitor and record clients’ progress to ensure that goals and objectives are met.
- Develop rehabilitation plans that fit clients’ aptitudes, education levels, physical abilities, and career goals.
- Participate in job development and placement programs, contacting prospective employers, placing clients in jobs, and evaluating the success of placements.
- Develop diagnostic procedures to determine clients’ needs.
- Confer with physicians, psychologists, occupational therapists, and other professionals to develop and implement client rehabilitation programs.
We asked some Rehabilitation Counselors a few questions to find out what else does their work day look like. Here is what we found.
Do you have telephone conversations everyday in this job? | 57% said yes | |
How important is it to work in a team in this job? | 54% said very important | |
Do you have group discussions everyday in this job? | 71% said yes | |
Do you talk or work with customers everyday in this job? | 32% said yes | |
Do you have to deal with angry customers everyday in this job? | 22% said yes | |
Do you have to make decisions everyday in this job? | 56% said yes |
Other responsibilities
Besides their typical day, Rehabilitation Counselors also manage budgets and direct case service allocations, authorizing expenditures and payments. They may also arrange for on-site job coaching or assistive devices, such as specially equipped wheelchairs, to help clients adapt to work or school environments.
On a weekly to monthly basis, Rehabilitation Counselors Confer with clients to discuss their options and goals so that rehabilitation programs and plans for accessing needed services can be developed. They might also Develop and maintain relationships with community referral sources, such as schools or community groups.
In addition, they Arrange for physical, mental, academic, vocational, and other evaluations to obtain information for assessing clients’ needs and developing rehabilitation plans.
Although specific duties may vary, many of them Locate barriers to client employment, such as inaccessible work sites, inflexible schedules, or transportation problems, and work with clients to develop strategies for overcoming these barriers.
To some Rehabilitation Counselors, it is also their responsibility to Develop diagnostic procedures to determine clients’ needs.
Working life
More than 40 hours per week
Regular schedule like a 9 to 5
In a typical work week as a Rehabilitation Counselor, you can expect to work more than 40 hours per week.
Is this right for me
The Helpers and The Thinkers
People who are suitable for this job tends to like working with, communicating with, and teaching people. They like helping or providing service to others..
They also like working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. They like searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
You can read more about these career personality types here.
Learn more about Rehabilitation Counselors
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