Rehabilitation Counselors

Rehabilitation Counselors typically perform the following tasks: • Prepare and maintain records and case files, including documentation, such as clients' personal and eligibility information, services provided, narratives of client contacts, or relevant correspondence. • Confer with clients to discuss their options and goals so that rehabilitation programs and plans for accessing needed services can be developed. • Develop rehabilitation plans that fit clients' aptitudes, education levels, physical abilities, and career goals. • Locate barriers to client employment, such as inaccessible work sites, inflexible schedules, or transportation problems, and work with clients to develop strategies for overcoming these barriers. • Monitor and record clients' progress to ensure that goals and objectives are met. • Participate in job development and placement programs, contacting prospective employers, placing clients in jobs, and evaluating the success of placements. • Analyze information from interviews, educational and medical records, consultation with other professionals, and diagnostic evaluations to assess clients' abilities, needs, and eligibility for services. • Collaborate with clients' families to implement rehabilitation plans, such as behavioral, residential, social, or employment goals. • Develop and maintain relationships with community referral sources, such as schools or community groups. • Maintain close contact with clients during job training and placements to resolve problems and evaluate placement adequacy. • Arrange for on-site job coaching or assistive devices, such as specially equipped wheelchairs, to help clients adapt to work or school environments. • Arrange for physical, mental, academic, vocational, and other evaluations to obtain information for assessing clients' needs and developing rehabilitation plans. • Confer with physicians, psychologists, occupational therapists, and other professionals to develop and implement client rehabilitation programs. • Collaborate with community agencies to establish facilities and programs for persons with disabilities. • Manage budgets and direct case service allocations, authorizing expenditures and payments. • Supervise rehabilitation counselors and staff. • Develop diagnostic procedures to determine clients' needs.