If you enjoy people, would like to work in the medical profession and take great pride and joy in seeing people succeed because of your efforts then perhaps a career as a rehabilitation counselor is for you. The basic goal of a rehabilitation counselor is to serve as a medical professional who counsels individuals who have been traumatized with a disability.
Job Description Of A Rehabilitation Counselor
The counseling that is provided focuses on the affects of the individual s disability as it pertains to three critical aspects of their life. Those three aspects of the individual include their personal, social and vocational lives. The disabled clients that a rehabilitation counselor has under their care are often those individuals who have been afflicted with either a birth defect, disease, traumatic accident, illness or those who are coping with the pressures of life.
Specifically, the rehabilitation counselor will evaluate the referred client. Part of this evaluation will include an assessment of their strengths and limitations. Also, depending upon the need of the individual, other actions and referrals may take place. These referrals could include the facilitating of personal and vocational counseling, making arrangements for additional medical care and possible job placement.
Another critical function of a rehabilitation counselor is to confer with other medical professionals. These professionals could be physicians, psychologists or therapists. In consultation with these medical professionals a comprehensive plan of action is comprised to insure that a full plan of treatment is prescribed and implemented. And, of course, the patient is advised and consulted and becomes a participating partner in the rehabilitative process.
The major goal of a rehabilitation counselor is to facilitate the rehabilitation of the patient. Success is realized when the client has developed job skills which will provide for their independence as a person as well as the learning of skills needed to live autonomously.
A Needed Profession
As our population continues to age and the segment of the elderly grows disproportionately, the demand for rehabilitation counselors is on the rise. To perform as a rehabilitation counselor, higher education must be achieved as well as the passing of an exam in order to obtain licensing.
The first level of higher learning is through the obtaining of an undergraduate degree. Generally these degrees are awarded for the graduate who has studied in the fields of rehabilitative services, psychology, sociology or other human services.
Once the undergraduate degree is obtained, the next level of learning is through the awarding of a master’s degree. Often this master’s degree can be earned when the individual completes a year and a half to two years of additional study. Along with the additional didactic commitment is the requirement of receiving practical clinical experience. The number of hours varies and may require up to 600 hours of practical study.
The profession of rehabilitation counselor, in order to practice, requires credentials and licensing. Often states require the individual to provide proof of degrees earned, require the passing of an examination and, to maintain that license, continue their education at a prescribed rate.