Rehabilitation Counselors
Career, Salary and Education Information
What They Do: Rehabilitation counselors help people with physical, mental, developmental, or emotional disabilities live independently.
Work Environment: Rehabilitation counselors work in a variety of settings, such as community rehabilitation centers, senior citizen centers, and youth guidance organizations.
How to Become One: Rehabilitation counselors typically need a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling or a related field. Some positions require certification or a license.
Salary: The median annual wage for rehabilitation counselors is $38,560.
Job Outlook: Employment of rehabilitation counselors is projected to grow 11 percent over the next ten years, much faster than the average for all occupations.
Related Careers: Compare the job duties, education, job growth, and pay of rehabilitation counselors with similar occupations.
Following is everything you need to know about a career as a rehabilitation counselor with lots of details. As a first step, take a look at some of the following jobs, which are real jobs with real employers. You will be able to see the very real job career requirements for employers who are actively hiring. The link will open in a new tab so that you can come back to this page to continue reading about the career:
Top 3 Rehabilitation Counselor Jobs
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Licensed Independent Substance Abuse Counselor
- FCS, Inc
- Mesa, AZ
Licensed Independent Substance Abuse Counselor (lisac) with supervisory experience. Outpatient drug abuse treatment, counseling and rehab facility Outpatient drug abuse counseling program with focus ...
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Rehabilitation COTA
- Sevita
- Carbondale, IL
... rehabilitation ... counselors , medical personnel, and residential staff. Core competencies include proficient ...
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Physician Physiatry/Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation - Competitive Salary
- Healthcare Recruitment Counselors
- Baltimore, MD
Physician - Physiatry/Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation in Baltimore, MD. DocCafe is the premier physician and advanced practice job board to help you advance your healthcare career. Register now to ...
What Rehabilitation Counselors Do[About this section] [To Top]
Rehabilitation counselors help people with physical, mental, developmental, or emotional disabilities live independently. They work with clients to overcome or manage the personal, social, or psychological effects of disabilities on employment or independent living.
Duties of Rehabilitation Counselors
Rehabilitation counselors typically do the following:
- Provide individual and group counseling to help clients adjust to their disability
- Evaluate clients' abilities, interests, experiences, skills, health, and education
- Develop a treatment plan for clients, in consultation with other professionals, such as doctors, therapists, and psychologists
- Arrange for clients to obtain services, such as medical care or career training
- Help employers understand the needs and abilities of people with disabilities, as well as laws and resources that affect people with disabilities
- Help clients develop their strengths and adjust to their limitations
- Locate resources, such as wheelchairs or computer programs, that help clients live and work more independently
- Maintain client records and monitor clients' progress, adjusting the rehabilitation or treatment plan as necessary
- Advocate for the rights of people with disabilities to live in a community and work in the job of their choice
Rehabilitation counselors help people with disabilities at various stages in their lives. Some work with students, to develop strategies to live with their disability and transition from school to work. Others help veterans cope with the mental or physical effects of their military service. Still others help elderly people adapt to disabilities developed later in life from illness or injury. Some may provide expert testimony or assessments during personal-injury or workers' compensation cases.
Some rehabilitation counselors deal specifically with employment issues. These counselors, sometimes called vocational rehabilitation counselors, typically work with older students and adults.
Work Environment for Rehabilitation Counselors[About this section] [To Top]
Rehabilitation counselors hold about 93,200 jobs. The largest employers of rehabilitation counselors are as follows:
| Community and vocational rehabilitation services | 32% |
| Individual and family services | 17% |
| State government, excluding education and hospitals | 16% |
| Nursing and residential care facilities | 14% |
| Self-employed workers | 1% |
Rehabilitation counselors work in a variety of settings, such as community rehabilitation centers, senior citizen centers, and youth guidance organizations.
Rehabilitation Counselor Work Schedules
Depending on where they work, some rehabilitation counselors may work evenings or weekends.
How to Become a Rehabilitation Counselor[About this section] [To Top]
Get the education you need: Find schools for Rehabilitation Counselors near you!
Rehabilitation counselors typically need a master's degree in rehabilitation counseling or a related field. Some positions require certification or a license.
Education for Rehabilitation Counselors
Most employers require a master's degree in rehabilitation counseling or a related field. Master's degree programs teach students to evaluate clients' needs, formulate and implement job placement strategies, and understand the medical and psychological aspects of disabilities. These programs typically include a period of supervised clinical experience, such as an internship.
Although some employers hire workers with a bachelor's degree in rehabilitation and disability studies, these workers typically cannot offer the full range of services that a rehabilitation counselor with a master's degree can provide. Students in bachelor's degree programs learn about issues faced by people with disabilities and about the process of providing rehabilitation services. Some universities offer dual-degree programs in rehabilitation counseling, in which students can earn a bachelor's and master's degree in 5 years.
Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations for Rehabilitation Counselors
Licensing requirements for rehabilitation counselors differ by state and by type of services provided. Rehabilitation counselors who provide counseling services to clients and patients must attain a counselor license through their state licensing board. Rehabilitation counselors who provide other services, however, may be exempt from state licensing requirements. For example, rehabilitation counselors who provide only vocational rehabilitation services or job placement assistance may not need a license.
Licensure typically requires a master's degree and 2,000 to 4,000 hours of supervised clinical experience. In addition, counselors must pass a state-recognized exam. To maintain their license, counselors must complete annual continuing education credits.
Applicants should contact their state licensing board for information on which services or counseling positions require licensure. Contact information for these state licensing boards can be found through the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification.
Some employers prefer or require rehabilitation counselors to be certified. The Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification offers the Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) certification. Applicants must meet advanced education, work experience, and clinical supervision requirements and pass a test. Certification must be renewed every 5 years. Counselors must complete continuing education requirements or pass a reexamination to renew their certification.
Important Qualities for Rehabilitation Counselors
Communication skills. Rehabilitation counselors need to be able to communicate effectively with clients. They must express ideas and information in a way that is easy to understand.
Compassion. Rehabilitation counselors often work with people who are dealing with stressful and difficult situations. They must be compassionate and empathize with their clients.
Critical-thinking skills. Rehabilitation counselors must be able to develop a treatment plan to help clients reach their goals by considering each client's abilities and interests.
Interpersonal skills. Rehabilitation counselors must be able to work with different types of people. They spend most of their time working directly with clients, families, employers, or other professionals. They must be able to develop and maintain good working relationships.
Listening skills. Good listening skills are essential for rehabilitation counselors. They need to give their full attention in sessions in order to understand clients' problems, concerns, and values.
Patience. Rehabilitation counselors must have patience to help clients learn new skills and strategies to address their disabilities.
Rehabilitation Counselor Salaries[About this section] [More salary/earnings info] [To Top]
The median annual wage for rehabilitation counselors is $38,560. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $28,890, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $65,880.
The median annual wages for rehabilitation counselors in the top industries in which they work are as follows:
| State government, excluding education and hospitals | $55,330 |
| Individual and family services | $38,930 |
| Community and vocational rehabilitation services | $36,380 |
| Nursing and residential care facilities | $36,100 |
Depending on where they work, some rehabilitation counselors may work evenings or weekends.
Job Outlook for Rehabilitation Counselors[About this section] [To Top]
Employment of rehabilitation counselors is projected to grow 11 percent over the next ten years, much faster than the average for all occupations.
About 9,900 openings for rehabilitation counselors are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Employment of Rehabilitation Counselors
Demand for rehabilitation counselors is expected to grow with the increase in the elderly population and with the continued rehabilitation needs of other groups, such as veterans and people with disabilities.
Older adults are more likely than other age groups to become disabled or injured. Rehabilitation counselors will be needed to help the elderly learn to adapt to any new limitations and learn strategies to live independently.
In addition, there will be a continued need for rehabilitation counselors to work with veterans who were disabled during their military service. They will also be needed to work with other groups, such as people who have learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, or substance abuse problems.
| Occupational Title | Employment, 2021 | Projected Employment, 2031 | Change, 2021-31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percent | Numeric | |||
| Rehabilitation counselors | 93,200 | 103,000 | 11 | 9,800 |
More Rehabilitation Counselor Information[About this section] [To Top]
For more information about counseling and information about counseling specialties, visit
American Counseling Association
American Rehabilitation Counseling Association
For more information about accredited degree programs in rehabilitation counseling, visit
Council for Accreditation of Counseling & Related Educational Programs
For more information about the Certified Rehabilitation Counselors certification and state licensing boards, visit
A portion of the information on this page is used by permission of the U.S. Department of Labor.