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Rehabilitation Counselors Occupation Detailed Description

Rehabilitation Counselors career

General Job Description and Education/Training Levels for Rehabilitation Counselors

The main tasks and work activities of Rehabilitation Counselors are to maintain client records, monitor clients to evaluate treatment progress, confer with clients to discuss treatment plans or progress, arrange physical or mental health services for clients. In general, for the Rehabilitation Counselors, social Perceptiveness, speaking, service Orientation, active Listening and other 16 skills are required.
Rehabilitation Counselors Job Description
EducationMost of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Related ExperienceA considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Job TrainingEmployees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
ExampleMany of these occupations involve coordinating, supervising, managing, or training others. Examples include real estate brokers, sales managers, database administrators, graphic designers, chemists, art directors, and cost estimators.
The following chart shows the education/training levels for Rehabilitation Counselors jobs. 12.92% of Rehabilitation Counselors have High School Diploma (or the equivalent) and 87.08% of Rehabilitation Counselors have Bachelor's Degree and Above.
Less than a High School Diploma
0.00%
High School Diploma (or the equivalent)
12.92%
Post-Secondary Certificate
0.00%
Some College Courses
0.00%
Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)
0.00%
Bachelor's Degree and Above
87.08%

Tasks and Work Activities of Rehabilitation Counselors

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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 rehabilitation plans that fit clients' aptitudes, education levels, physical abilities, and career goals.
  • Maintain close contact with clients during job training and placements to resolve problems and evaluate placement adequacy.
  • Develop and maintain relationships with community referral sources, such as schools or community groups.
  • 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.
  • Arrange for on-site job coaching or assistive devices, such as specially equipped wheelchairs, to help clients adapt to work or school environments.
  • Confer with physicians, psychologists, occupational therapists, and other professionals to develop and implement client rehabilitation programs.
  • Develop diagnostic procedures to determine clients' needs.
  • Participate in job development and placement programs, contacting prospective employers, placing clients in jobs, and evaluating the success of placements.
  • Collaborate with clients' families to implement rehabilitation plans, such as behavioral, residential, social, or employment goals.
  • Collaborate with community agencies to establish facilities and programs for persons with disabilities.
  • Manage budgets and direct case service allocations, authorizing expenditures and payments.
  • Supervise rehabilitation counselors and staff.
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or SubordinatesProviding information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
  • Making Decisions and Solving ProblemsAnalyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
  • Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal RelationshipsDeveloping constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
  • Documenting/Recording InformationEntering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
  • Communicating with Persons Outside OrganizationCommunicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
  • Getting InformationObserving, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
  • Interacting With ComputersUsing computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
  • Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with StandardsUsing relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
  • Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing WorkDeveloping specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
  • Scheduling Work and ActivitiesScheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.
  • Maintain client records.
  • Monitor clients to evaluate treatment progress.
  • Confer with clients to discuss treatment plans or progress.
  • Arrange physical or mental health services for clients.
  • Evaluate characteristics of individuals to determine needs or eligibility.
  • Develop treatment plans for patients or clients.
  • Counsel clients regarding educational or vocational issues.
  • Develop working relationships with others to facilitate program activities.
  • Assist clients in handling details of daily life.
  • Evaluate potential problems in home or work environments of clients.
  • Collaborate with other professionals to assess client needs or plan treatments.
  • Develop tools to diagnose or assess needs.
  • Refer individuals to educational or work programs.
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of counseling or educational programs.
  • Confer with family members to discuss client treatment plans or progress.
  • Collaborate with other professionals to develop education or assistance programs.
  • Manage organizational or program finances.
  • Supervise patient care personnel.

Skills and Abilities for Rehabilitation Counselors

  • Social PerceptivenessBeing aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
  • SpeakingTalking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Service OrientationActively looking for ways to help people.
  • Active ListeningGiving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • MonitoringMonitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
  • Reading ComprehensionUnderstanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
  • Critical ThinkingUsing logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
  • WritingCommunicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
  • CoordinationAdjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
  • Judgment and Decision MakingConsidering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
  • Time ManagementManaging one's own time and the time of others.
  • Systems EvaluationIdentifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
  • Learning StrategiesSelecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
  • Systems AnalysisDetermining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
  • Active LearningUnderstanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
  • Complex Problem SolvingIdentifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
  • InstructingTeaching others how to do something.
  • PersuasionPersuading others to change their minds or behavior.
  • NegotiationBringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
  • Speech ClarityThe ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
  • Oral ExpressionThe ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Oral ComprehensionThe ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Deductive ReasoningThe ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Problem SensitivityThe ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
  • Written ExpressionThe ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
  • Written ComprehensionThe ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Inductive ReasoningThe ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
  • Speech RecognitionThe ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
  • Near VisionThe ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • OriginalityThe ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
  • Fluency of IdeasThe ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
  • Category FlexibilityThe ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
  • Information OrderingThe ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
  • Keyboardse.g. Alternative computer keyboards
  • Computer mouse or trackballse.g. Alternative mouse options
  • Desktop computerse.g. Desktop computers
  • Global positioning system GPS receivere.g. Global positioning system GPS receivers
  • Pocket calculatore.g. Handheld calculators
  • Intercom systemse.g. Intercom systems
  • Laser fax machinee.g. Laser facsimile machines
  • Laserse.g. Laser pointers
  • Laser printerse.g. Laser printers
  • Liquid crystal display projectore.g. Liquid crystal display LCD projectors
  • Special purpose telephonese.g. Multi-line telephone systems
  • Notebook computerse.g. Notebook computers
  • Personal computerse.g. Personal computers
  • Photocopierse.g. Photocopiers
  • Scannerse.g. Scanners
  • Mobile phonese.g. Smartphones
  • Tablet computerse.g. Tablet computers
  • Voice synthesizers for the physically challengede.g. Voice output communication aids
  • Digital telephonese.g. Voice over internet protocol VoIP systems
  • Customer and Personal ServiceKnowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  • Therapy and CounselingKnowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
  • PsychologyKnowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
  • Education and TrainingKnowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
  • English LanguageKnowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • ClericalKnowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
  • Computers and ElectronicsKnowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
  • Sociology and AnthropologyKnowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
  • Personnel and Human ResourcesKnowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
  • Administration and ManagementKnowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
  • Public Safety and SecurityKnowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
  • Law and GovernmentKnowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.