About the Profession of Rehabiliation Counselling
What is Rehabilitation Counselling?
Rehabilitation Counselling is a dynamic, challenging and rewarding profession that is grounded in human rights, the value and importance of work.
Rehabilitation counselors work in partnership with people who have experienced problems associated with social disadvantage, injury or disability.
Rehabilitation Counsellors help people work through their personal, interpersonal, and societal problems, they plan careers, they assist in finding and maintaining employment. They provide specialist counselling, coordination and vocational services to a variety of people in a variety of service settings.
Rehabilitation Counsellors are committed to facilitating the independence, integration, and inclusion of people with problems due to social disadvantage, injury and disability in the community. In doing their work, Rehabilitation Counsellors draw on knowledge from several fields – psychology, sociology, medicine, psychiatry, education, law and the world of work. Rehabilitation Counsellors work closely with the professionals from these areas to ensure a coordination of services to individuals throughout the rehabilitation process, a role crucial to its overall success.
What do Rehabilitation Counsellors specialise in
Rehabilitation Counsellors have particular expertise in adjustment to disability and vocational counselling and vocational assessment. “Vocational” refers not only to the counselling, planning and implementation of an employment goal, but also refers to the more broad rehabilitation aim of assisting the client to make maximum adjustment to living. Attainment of all these tasks requires the Rehabilitation Counsellor to have knowledge and expertise across broad areas such as:
- Counselling theory and skills
- Knowledge of disability
- Case management
- Rehabilitation practices and service provision Assessment and evaluation
- Rehabilitation planning
- Labour market knowledge
- Job development skills
- Employment trends
- Legislation
- Avocational counselling and Independent living
These skills and knowledge areas are used selectively with individual clients to assess current and long-term needs, set meaningful and attainable goals and implement a program of services to achieve these goals.
Rehabilitation Counsellors have traditionally maintained continuity of client contact right through the rehabilitation process. Rehabilitation Counsellor contact begins at the early phases of referral and continues through until the client is eventually resettled into employment and/or back into the community.
Follow-up of cases, particularly those in employment, has also been a major part of the Rehabilitation Counsellor's contribution to the overall rehabilitation process.
It is a very hands-on profession with significant client contact and encompasses a variety of skills and tasks, making every day different and interesting. Rehabilitation Counsellors may be called upon to provide counselling; evaluation of social, medical, vocational and psychiatric information; coordination of individual client rehabilitation programs; job placement and job development services; and other rehabilitation services.
What kind of person is a Rehab Counsellor?
- Creative
- Flexible
- Persevering
- Understanding
- Likes working with people
- Likes helping people
- Good written and oral communication skills
- Committed to human rights
Career Prospects in Rehabilitation Counselling
The profession is GROWING RAPIDLY, rehabilitation is a dynamic field. Employment opportunities for Rehabilitation Counsellors are excellent and the field of rehabilitation is growing.
Currently the demand for qualified Rehabilitation Counsellors is far greater than the supply. This means that many of our students are employed before graduating.
Work in a VARIETY of settings with a VARIETY of people with a VARIETY of problems
Graduates work in a variety of public and private human service programs for people with various adjustment problems, disorders, and disabling conditions. These include:
- Public and private rehabilitation agencies
- Community-based rehabilitation settings
- Occupational rehabilitation agencies
- Psychiatric rehabilitation agencies
- Correctional facilities and programs
- Drug and alcohol programs
- Industry based disability management programs in large corporations
- Educational settings such as TAFE
Other human service programs serving people with various adjustment problems, disorders, and disabling conditions.
Rehabilitation Counsellors also work in private practice and as consultants.
Opportunities for PROMOTION are excellent -
The personal and professional rewards of this work are considerable and, with a growing rehabilitation industry, the opportunities for promotion are excellent.