About Rehabilitation Counseling:
Professional Information

Rehabilitation as a Profession

Rehabilitation counseling began as an occupation almost 80 years ago, serving the needs of veterans returning from World War I and workers injured in industry. Major strides in the growth and definition of the profession occurred after 1954 with the recognition of rehabilitation counseling in federal legislation and the allocation of training funds for the education of rehabilitation counseling professionals. Today, there are more than 13,000 Certified Rehabilitation Counselors (CRCs) practicing in the United States, addressing the vocational, psychosocial, and independent living needs of the estimated 49 million persons with physical, cognitive, emotional, social, and developmental disabilities.

Rehabilitation counselors work in a variety of settings including public agencies such as state vocational rehabilitation organizations and Veteran's Administration vocational rehabilitation programs; private non-profit rehabilitation centers and supported employment programs; and private for-profit worker's compensation and insurance rehabilitation agencies.

Many new and exciting types of settings and services are emerging in rehabilitation counselor practice. Rehabilitation counselors may be found in such diverse areas as disability management programs in industry, schools, hospitals and clinics, residential and independent living agencies, university student support services, corrections facilities, and employment agencies, as well as employee assistance programs. Rehabilitation counselors provide interventions that are designed to assist persons with disabilities in adapting to the demands of the environment and that prepare the environment to accommodate the needs of the individual and enhance the full participation of persons with disabilities in society.The median expected salary for a typical Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor in the United States is $49,448 (Source: www.salary.com).

National professional standards require that the qualified rehabilitation counseling professional has (a) completed a master's degree in rehabilitation counseling or a closely related program (e.g., counseling); (b) achieved national certification; and (c) attained the appropriate state licensure in those states that require this level of credential for counseling practice and that allow for the licensing of counselors with a rehabilitation counseling background.