Rehabilitation Counselors
What Rehabilitation Counselors Do
Counsel individuals to maximize the independence and employability of persons coping with personal, social, and vocational difficulties that result from birth defects, illness, disease, accidents, aging, or the stress of daily life. Coordinate activities for residents of care and treatment facilities. Assess client needs and design and implement rehabilitation programs that may include personal and vocational counseling, training, and job placement.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- None
- Self-employed
- Not available
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 4 of 5Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
- Experience
- A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations.
- Education
- Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
- Job training
- Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Key Knowledge Areas
Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.
- Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 4.1/5
- Therapy and Counselingimportance 4.1/5
- Psychologyimportance 4.0/5
- Education and Trainingimportance 3.9/5
- English Languageimportance 3.9/5
- Administrativeimportance 3.9/5
- Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.6/5
- Sociology and Anthropologyimportance 3.3/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- E-Mail4.8/5
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.8/5
- Telephone Conversations4.8/5
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled4.7/5
- Contact With Others4.6/5
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team4.4/5
Careers With Similar Skills
Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.
- Marriage and Family Therapists99% skill match
- Psychiatrists99% skill match
- Healthcare Social Workers98% skill match
- Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers97% skill match
- Sociologists97% skill match
- Political Scientists97% skill match
- Insurance Underwriters97% skill match
- School Psychologists97% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Social Perceptivenessimportance 4.0/5
- Service Orientationimportance 4.0/5
- Coordinationimportance 3.6/5
- Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.4/5
- Time Managementimportance 3.3/5
- Persuasionimportance 3.1/5
- Instructingimportance 3.1/5
- Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.1/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Hot Technologies
Other Software Used
- Adobe Acrobat Reader
- Budgeting software
- Chart Links
- Client information database software
- Data input software
- Electronic medical record EMR software
- Email software
- Encryption software
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Empathy
- Cooperation
- Dependability
- Optimism
- Sincerity
- Social Orientation
- Integrity
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- SocialHigh
- EnterprisingMedium
- InvestigativeMedium
- ConventionalMedium
- ArtisticLow
- RealisticLow
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where rehabilitation counselors make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA6.90× national avg
- 2El Centro, CA6.40× national avg
- 3Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT5.80× national avg
- 4Yakima, WA4.83× national avg
- 5Springfield, MA4.26× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- Healthcare Social WorkersAdvancement
- Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social WorkersAdvancement
- Child, Family, and School Social WorkersLateral Move
- Marriage and Family TherapistsAdvancement
Related Education Programs
Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.
Assistive/Augmentative Technology and Rehabilitation Engineering
- University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences (San Marcos, CA)grads earn ~$76,852
- The University of Montana (Missoula, MT)grads earn ~$82,240
- University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences (San Marcos, CA)grads earn ~$77,356
- University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA)
- Arcadia University (Glenside, PA)