Rehabilitation Counseling
Rehabilitation counseling is a job carried out by professionals in mental health. A rehabilitation counselor works with people who have been disabled so that they can cope with feelings of depression and anxiety, build skills, and find solutions to problems such as mobility, employment, basic care, chronic pain, and transportation. The practice and goals of a rehabilitation counselor are the same as those for many other professionals falling under the categories of mental health, counseling, and psychology. To carry out his work, a rehabilitation counselor uses a combination of tests and other tools of assessment to assess and understand problems of their clients so that they can develop a treatment plan and employ various therapeutic techniques aimed at fostering client’s better quality life. The various kinds of disabilities handled by rehabilitation counselors include emotional, social, mental, or physical conditions that significantly impair an individual’s senses, movements, or a major life activity. People who face such types of challenges usually rely on other people for assistance and benefit a lot from counseling and therapy that helps them to not only improve their independence but also their quality of life(Careers in Psychology, 2016).
Rehabilitation counselors can work in a variety of settings including senior citizen centers, youth guidance organizations, and community rehabilitation centers. The major objective of a rehabilitation counselor is to teach individuals with disabilities to become independent. To become a rehabilitation counselor, one need to go through a rigorous schooling program including obtaining a Bachelor's Degree, then enrolling for a Master's Degree, and finally pursuing a Doctorate or Ph.D. program. Typical level entry education for rehabilitation counselor is Master’s Degree (BLS, 2016).
A day in the life of a rehabilitation counselor involves several activities. The professionals meet their clients, but before they teach them to do anything, they assess the person to find out his/her strengths and weaknesses. In the first encounter with clients, the professional first interview them to understand what they are capable of doing and what they are not capable of doing. Upon understanding what they are capable of doing, the rehabilitation counselor will then implement an individual counseling and therapy plan to enable them to become more independent. The counselor then helps the clients to work through various types of problems that may be holding them from progressing well in life. Often, a solution to one problem could be a gateway to solving many other smaller problems. During the process of problem solving, the counselor works as per the goals set in the early stages of interaction with the client. A bigger part of the counseling process involves setting goals. The major goal for a client in need of counseling is to live an independent life as much as possible. This is usually achieved by the client discussing with the counselor on how to work to achieve many small goals. For example, a counselor working with a client with impaired mobility might work to help such client to gain access to a particular mode of transportation such as public transport. A small step like this enables their clients to confidence which they can enable them to run errands, find and keep a job, go for shopping, and live a more independent life with limited assistance from others (Careers in Psychology, 2016; BLS, 2016).
In the year 2015, the median pay for a rehabilitation counselor was $34, 390 per year or $16.54 per hour. Those who worked in state and local government excluding hospitals and education earned $45,530. Those who worked for individual family services earned $32,770 while those employed in nursing and residential care facilities earned $30,390. However, those employed in vocational rehabilitation services earned individual family services (BLS, 2016).
After carrying out some investigation, I have learned a number of things which I did not know about rehabilitation counseling. I did not know that rehabilitation counselors earn as much as $45,530. I thought it paid approximately $25,000 per year. I also found out that rehabilitation counselors can work in a variety of settings including the possibility of private practice. Initially, I thought they only work in hospitals. Further, I did not know the entry level for the career. Initially, I thought that after one complete a Bachelor’s degree, one can join the profession.
Some of the institutions which offer MS degree in Rehabilitation Counseling are University at Buffalo and university of Massachusetts Boston. To be admitted to University at Buffalo, one has to pay a non-refundable fee of $50, a letter stating interest in the course, three letters of reference, transcripts of undergraduate work and GRE test scores. One can choose an online program, full-time program or a part-time program. A resident total fee for a full-time student is $7,622.50 while for a non-resident student is $12,252.50 for 12 credit hours. A part-time student pays a total of $1,083.69 per credit hour. I addition to one’s own funds, one has a chance of getting a partial scholarship. For on-campus non-New York residents, the living costs for 9 months program is $42,748.00. Total direct costs for the 9-month program for the on-campus student is $15,745 (University at Buffalo, 2016).
The University of Massachusetts Boston (UMB) also offers an online program. Total graduate tuition and fees at UMB full-time are approximate $31, 110 for a resident and $16,115 for non-residents. One can also apply for a scholarship (UMB, 2016).
References
Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS). (2016). Rehabilitation Counselors. Retrieved from: http://www.bls.gov/ooh/community-and-social-service/rehabilitation-counselors.htm#tab-3
