Career in Rehabilitation
Counseling
Deborah Ebener, PhD, CRC, NCC
Coordinator, Rehabilitation Counseling and
Services Program
Florida State University
What is Rehabilitation
Counseling?
• Specialization within the field of
counseling
• Considered both a counseling and
allied health profession
Rehabilitation Counselors
• Assists persons with disabilities to
•achieve their personal, career, and
independent living goals in the most
integrated settings possible
•become or remain self-sufficient and
productive members of society.
• Achieve rehabilitation goals through
the counseling process
History of the Profession
• Began as an occupation almost 80 years ago
serving veterans from World War I and
workers injured in industry.
• Major strides in professional growth occurred
after 1954 with federal legislation allocating
training funds for education of rehabilitation
counselors
Rehabilitation Counseling
Today
• Today there are 13,000 or more Certified
Rehabilitation Counselors (CRCs)
• Serving the estimated 49 million persons with
disabilities
• Growing Profession
• Employed in diverse setting under various
job titles
Values of Rehabilitation
Counselors
• Belief in the dignity and worth of all
people.
• Commitment to a sense of equal justice
based on a model of accommodation to
provide and equalize the opportunities
• Holistic perspective of the individual
• Belief in self-responsibility and wellness
Professional Philosophy
• Interdisciplinary and inclusive
• Empowering process
• Recognition of the individual’s cultural
background, psychosocial environment, and
unique assets.
• Facilitation of independence, integration, and
inclusion of people with disabilities in
employment and the community.
How is Rehabilitation
Counseling different from
other counseling
professions?
• Focus on disability
• Specialized training in the medical,
psychological and social aspects of
disability
What is a Disability?
• Physical or mental
impairment
• Substantially limits
or restricts the
person’s in one or
more major life
areas
• work, education,
social, living
independently
Causes of Disabilities
• Birth defects
• Illness and disease
• Work-related injuries
• Automobile accidents
• War
• Aging
Types of Disability
• Physical
• Sensory
• Cognitive
• Psychiatric
• Developmental
Scope of Practice
• Assessment, Diagnosis and Treatment planning
• Individual and group counseling focused on
facilitating psychosocial adjustment to disability
• Case Management and service coordination
• Consultation and access to rehabilitation technology
• Interventions to remove environmental, employment,
and attitudinal barriers
• Job development, placement and employment
accommodations
• Advocacy for persons with disabilities
Examples of Job Titles
• Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors
• Alcohol and Substance Abuse Counselor
• Case Manager
• Transition Specialist
• Family and Marriage Counselor
• Forensic Rehabilitation Specialist
• Life Care Planning Specialist
• Job Placement Specialist
• Mental Health Counselors
• Vocational Evaluator
Examples of Employment Settings
• State Rehabilitation Agencies (DVR; DBS)
• Veteran’s Administration
• Hospitals (Rehabilitation, VA, Psychiatric)
• Substance Abuse Treatment programs
• Schools
• Independent Living Centers
• Insurance Companies
• Community mental health centers
• Private agencies or practice
• Industry
Earning Potential of Rehabilitation
Professionals
• Average annual earnings with a Master’s
degree: $42,000
• Range $27,000 - $67,000
• Varies across settings
Growing Demands
• Career opportunities expected to increase by
25% between 2006 and 2016.
• Expanded opportunities in pediatric and
geriatrics
• Critical shortage of rehabilitation counselors
• Federal funding for training programs
Professional Standards
• Master’s Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling
• 48-60 hour graduate program
• Courses in counseling, rehabilitation, and disability
• Clinical Training (practicum and internship)
• Certification as a Rehabilitation Counselor
• State Licensure as a Professional Counselor may
be needed in some settings
• Other certifications: National Counselor
(NCC), Vocational Evaluation (CVE), Life Care
Planning, Addictions, Case Management
Accreditation and Certification of
Rehabilitation Counselor Programs and
Professionals
• Primary credentialing body for Rehabilitation
Counseling Profession
• Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor
Certification (CRCC)
• Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE)
• Students with Master’s Degree in Rehabilitation
Counseling are eligible for certification as a
rehabilitation counselor (CRC)
Critical Shortage of
Rehabilitation Counselors
• Federal funding of graduate training programs in
rehabilitation counseling
• Increase number of rehabilitation counselors working
in or in conjunction with the state/federal vocational
rehabilitation program.
• Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA)
scholarships provide tuition and stipends to graduate
students majoring in rehabilitation counseling at certain
universities.
What’s the Catch?
• Students accepting RSA scholarships MUST o
work after graduation in a state, non-profit
rehabilitation agency, or related community-
based agency for two years per year the
scholarship is accepted.
• After the “pay back” period then no longer
obligated to work in those settings.
Summary
• Growing profession with excellent
occupational outlook
• Offers a diversity of work settings,
roles, functions, and clientele.
• Employment opportunities in public
and private sector
• Scholarships available for graduate
education
For More Information
Web Sites
Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE)
http://www.core-rehab.org/
Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor
Certification (CRCC)
http://www.crccertification.com/
Rehabilitation Services Administration
Scholarships
http://www.ed.gov/students/college/aid/r
ehab/scholrsp.html
Professional Associations
American Rehabilitation Counseling Association
(ARCA) http://www.arcaweb.org/
American Counseling Association (ACA)
http://www.counseling.org/
American Psychological Association (APA) –
Rehabilitation Psychology
http://www.apa.org/about/division/div22.html
National Rehabilitation Association (NRA)
http://www.nationalrehab.org/
For Further Information
Dr. Susan Miller or Dr. Deborah Ebener
Rehabilitation Counseling and Services
School of Teacher Education
Florida State University
205 Stone Building
Tallahassee, FL 32312
(850) 644-4880
smiller@coe.fsu.edu or debener@fsu.edu