What do they do?

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.

Also known as:

Certified Rehabilitation Counselor, Classification Counselor, Employment Advisor, Employment Instructional Associate (EIA), Employment Services Case Manager, Employment Specialist, Human Services Care Specialist, Job Coach, Job Developer, Options Advisor, Rehabilitation Counselor, Rehabilitation Specialist, Resource Navigator, Vocational Case Manager, Vocational Counselor, Vocational Placement Specialist, Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor (VRC), Vocational Services Specialist, Work Counselor

Typical Wages

Projected Growth Rate

Employment of Rehabilitation Counselors is projected to grow 15 percent from 2020 to 2030, much faster than average compared to all occupations.

Projected Employment in OH

No Data Available
  • 15.6%

    Change

    Ranks #10 in job growth rate
    570

    Job Openings

    Ranks #4 in net job growth

Colleges with the most graduates that become Rehabilitation Counselors

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Education Level

Percent of workers in this field with these degrees:

  • Doctorate or Professional Degree  (4%)
  • Master's degree  (37%)
  • Bachelor's degree  (25%)
  • Associate's degree  (12%)
  • Some college, no degree  (12%)
  • High school diploma equivalent  (8%)
  • Less than high school diploma  (2%)

Typical College Majors

Most Popular Majors that prepare Rehabilitation Counselors

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People in this career often have these skills:

  • Active Listening - Giving 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.
  • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
  • Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
  • Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
  • Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
  • Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
  • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
  • Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
  • Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

People in this career often know a lot about:

  • Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge 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 Counseling - Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
  • Psychology - Knowledge 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 Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
  • English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Administrative - Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
  • Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
  • Sociology and Anthropology - Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.

People in this career often have talent in:

  • Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
  • Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
  • Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
  • Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
  • Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.

People in this career often do these activities:

  • Maintain client records.
  • Confer with clients to discuss treatment plans or progress.
  • Develop treatment plans for patients or clients.
  • Evaluate potential problems in home or work environments of clients.
  • Assist clients in handling details of daily life.
  • Monitor clients to evaluate treatment progress.
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of counseling or educational programs.
  • Refer individuals to educational or work programs.
  • Evaluate characteristics of individuals to determine needs or eligibility.
  • Confer with family members to discuss client treatment plans or progress.
  • Develop working relationships with others to facilitate program activities.
  • Counsel clients regarding educational or vocational issues.
  • Arrange physical or mental health services for clients.
  • Collaborate with other professionals to assess client needs or plan treatments.
  • Manage organizational or program finances.
  • Supervise patient care personnel.
  • Collaborate with other professionals to develop education or assistance programs.
  • Develop tools to diagnose or assess needs.

This page includes data from:

O*NET OnLine Career data: O*NET 28.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (“USDOL/ETA”). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Logo Occupation statistics: USDOL U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics

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