What Do Rehabilitation Counselors Do (including Their Typical Day At Work)

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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.

Salary
$42080
Becoming One
Hard
Education
Master's degree
Job Satisfaction
Job Growth

Personality



Job Description

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.

Job satisfaction

74%

How meaningful is this job

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

Working hours

More than 40 hours per week

Working schedule

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.

Do Rehabilitation Counselors work in an office-style work environment?

Every day
63%


Once a week
21%


Do Rehabilitation Counselors work outdoors?

Never
52%


Once a year
31%



Is this right for me

Best personality for this career

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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Related to Rehabilitation Counselors Job Description

Rehabilitation Counselors job description, what do Rehabilitation Counselors do, typical day for Rehabilitation Counselors, what is it like to work as a Rehabilitation Counselor, how many hours do Rehabilitation Counselors work, day to day work of a Rehabilitation Counselor

Additional resources

http://www.bls.gov/OOH/community-and-social-service/rehabilitation-counselors.htm
http://www.counseling.org/
http://www.arcaweb.org/
http://www.crccertification.com/


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