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The Department of Rehabilitation Counseling strives
to provide our students with a well-rounded education
that includes intensive classroom study and focused
internships and fieldwork. We also help our
graduates
realize their responsibilities and the philosophy of
their chosen profession.
We have listed below what we feel are the most important
aspects of this worthy career — understanding
your roles and responsibilities as a rehabilitation
counselor and appreciating the philosophy that provides
the backbone to the profession.
Acquiring your education and training is just the
start; understanding what is expected of you is a
major step
in becoming a rehabilitation counselor. The foundation
of the counseling profession is to assist individuals
with physical, mental, cognitive and/or sensory disabilities
(resulting from birth, automobile
accidents, or consequences of war, work and daily
life) to become and/or remain self-sufficient,
productive citizens within the community of their
choice.
Counselors help persons with disabilities respond
constructively to societal and personal challenges,
plan careers, and find and keep satisfying jobs.
Counselors:
- evaluate an individual’s potential for independent
living and employment;
- arrange for medical and psychological care, vocational
assessment, training and job placement;
- interview and advise individuals, utilize assessment
procedures, evaluate medical and psychological reports
and consult with family members;
- confer with physicians, psychologists and other
professionals about the types of work individuals
can perform;
- recommend appropriate rehabilitation services including
specialized training to help the individual with
a
disability become more independent and more employable;
- work closely with employers to identify and/or
modify feasible job opportunities and training options;
and
- May work with individuals, professional organizations
and advocacy groups to address the environmental
and
social barriers that create obstacles for people
with disabilities.
Rehabilitation counseling involves more than classroom
work and training — there is a philosophy that
we encourage our students to embrace. The philosophy
of rehabilitation is interdisciplinary, inclusive and
transcends the idea of any individual, group or program.
Rehabilitation is an empowering process in which persons
exercise control over their lives. Basic philosophical
underpinnings of the rehabilitation counseling profession
include the concept of the holistic
nature of people, rehabilitation
goals, wellness,
self-responsibility,
uniqueness
and equality
of opportunity.
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