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Rehabilitation Counselors

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.

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A look at the work

  • Develop rehabilitation plans that fit clients' aptitudes, education levels, physical abilities, and career goals.
  • Confer with clients to discuss their options and goals so that rehabilitation programs and plans for accessing needed services can be developed.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Analyze information from interviews, educational and medical records, consultation with other professionals, and diagnostic evaluations to assess clients' abilities, needs, and eligibility for services.
  • Monitor and record clients' progress to ensure that goals and objectives are met.
  • 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.

A selection of source-listed tasks; duties vary by role and employer.

Interests involved in this work

These source scores describe occupational work activities. They are separate from your personal test results.

Hands-on

2026-02 · Machine Learning/Expert

1.2 / 7

Investigative

2026-02 · Machine Learning/Expert

3.3 / 7

Creative

2026-02 · Machine Learning/Expert

3.0 / 7

Helping people

2026-02 · Machine Learning/Expert

6.8 / 7

Enterprising

2026-02 · Machine Learning/Expert

3.6 / 7

Organizing

2026-02 · Machine Learning/Expert

3.3 / 7

Skills to explore

Source-reported importance on a 1–5 scale. Try a course, project or conversation to learn what these skills involve.

Active Listening

Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

2026-08

4.1 / 5

Social Perceptiveness

Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

2026-08

4.1 / 5

Monitoring

Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

2026-08

4.1 / 5

Speaking

Talking to others to convey information effectively.

2026-08

4.1 / 5

Coordination

Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.

2026-08

4.0 / 5

Service Orientation

Actively looking for ways to help people.

2026-08

4.0 / 5

Reading Comprehension

Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.

2026-08

3.9 / 5

Critical Thinking

Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.

2026-08

3.9 / 5

Writing

Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

2026-08

3.5 / 5

Judgment and Decision Making

Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

2026-08

3.5 / 5

Plan a small next step

Talk to someone doing this work, look for a supervised activity, and explore the subjects that interest you. Admission, licensing and current program requirements should be confirmed with the relevant institutions.

Source preparation category: Job Zone 5 of 5 · 2026-08. This category describes typical preparation, not your eligibility.

Related study fields

Source crosswalk connections are research leads, not required qualifications.

Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling/Counselor →

Assistive/Augmentative Technology and Rehabilitation Engineering →

Rehabilitation Science →

Explore all related study fields →

Source & methodology

O*NET-SOC code 21-1015.00 · Database 31.0 · Retrieved Oct 14, 2026. Dates on individual observations describe their source periods.

How interest exploration matching works →

Data: O*NET® 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Used under CC BY 4.0. StudyIndex normalizes the presentation and adds exploration features; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these additions.