About Rehabilitation Counseling

What Is Rehabilitation Counseling?

Rehabilitation empowers people with disabilities to make informed choices, build viable careers, and live more independently in the community. The primary focus of career preparation in rehabilitation is developing counseling skills, acquiring knowledge of disabilities and demonstrating respect and sensitivity for people with disabilities. Knowledge and practice of these principles, combined with a solid foundation of specialized education in the rehabilitation field, enable dedicated rehabilitation professionals to partner with individuals with disabilities to obtain gainful employment, pursue meaningful careers, and live independently. 

Rehabilitation counselors and administrators provide rehabilitation services to individuals from diverse backgrounds who have a variety of disabling conditions, including but not limited to cognitive disabilities, substance use disorders, visual or hearing impairments, psychiatric disabilities, and orthopedic disabilities. Rehabilitation professionals collaborate with their clients to enhance their autonomy, self-determination, and quality of life. They work with individuals in the context of their families and environments to effect positive change. In most cases, employment is an expected outcome. For some individuals, the goal is to maximize self-sufficiency and independence. SDSU's Rehabilitation Counseling Program addresses vocational, psychosocial, medical, and cultural aspects of disability. Students learn to propose, develop, package, and deliver rehabilitation services and programs, and to monitor, evaluate, and refine these programs.

Learn more about this fascinating field and the SDSU Rehabilitation Master's program from Associate Professor Tucker and current students, alumni, and employers.

What kind of a job might I be able to do with an M.S. degree in rehabilitation counseling?

Upon graduation, a rehabilitation counselor is qualified to work in a wide variety of rehabilitation settings. A rehabilitation counselor can find employment within state vocational rehabilitation agencies nationwide, with federal vocational rehabilitation programs serving veterans with disabilities, in postsecondary education programs that support students with disabilities, with state agencies serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and with community rehabilitation programs or other community-based agencies that provide rehabilitation services to people with disabilities. Some graduates work in specialized fields such as deafness, mental health, or alcohol and drug use disorders. Another market for rehabilitation counselors is private rehabilitation, providing rehabilitation services to injured workers. Some graduates develop their own career paths by securing grants or contracts that support services to individuals with disabilities. RCP graduates work as counselors and administrators in all of these settings. 

San Diego: A Thriving Educational Center

San Diego, with its warm, temperate climate, is the second-largest city in California and a thriving cultural, scientific, and educational center. The area is home to five major universities, eight community colleges, many proprietary schools and numerous organizations that offer graduate assistantships, internships and job opportunities in the region.