|
The Profession
The International Rehabilitation Counseling Consortium,
a group composed of several professional organizations
related to rehabilitation counseling, developed the
following definition, which has been endorsed by all
of its member organizations:
“A rehabilitation counselor is a counselor who
possesses the specialized knowledge, skills and attitudes
needed to collaborate in a professional relationship
with people who have disabilities to achieve their
personal, social, psychological and vocational goals.”
Visit the program goals section
to learn more about this profession.
Employment
Through Virginia Commonwealth University’s M.S.
in Rehabilitation Counseling program, graduates become
qualified for a wide range of employment opportunities,
with expertise in three critical areas:
- counseling, or facilitating real change in people’s
lives;
- medical, psychosocial and functional aspects of
disabilities; and
- vocational issues and the world of work.
The intersection of these three areas makes rehabilitation
counseling a unique profession, while the breadth of
expertise allows rehabilitation counselors to succeed
in a very wide range of employment options. Some program
alumni focus primarily in the counseling area, working
in mental health centers or psychiatric hospitals,
or on community services boards. Other graduates focus
more on the medical area, working in settings such
as hospitals, insurance companies or rehabilitation
centers. A focus on vocational expertise is important
for alumni working in private rehabilitation companies,
developing disability management programs for businesses,
or working in career counseling centers. Some positions
require significant expertise in all three areas (counseling,
medical and vocational); in particular, vocational
rehabilitation counselors working for state agencies
rely heavily on each of these areas of expertise.
Some alumni focus their work with specific populations,
or individuals with specific focused problems, while
others are generalists. Examples of specializations
include a focus on substance-abuse recovery, vocational
evaluation, working with people who are deaf or case
management with people who have experienced catastrophic
injuries.
For more information about employment opportunities
and the occupational outlook for the profession of
rehabilitation counseling, you may visit the Bureau
of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook.
|
