Rehabilitation counselor is a counselor who possesses specialized knowledge, skills, and attitudes required to collaborate a professional relationship with people with disabilities to help them achieve their personal, social, professional, and vocational goals (CRCC,2010; see www.crccertification.com). Rubin and Roesseler (2008) stated that in order to provide effective services to people with disabilities the rehabilitation counselors had to operate as “sophisticated professionals” who possessed multiple skills and understanding of knowledge domains, which help them in integrating a multidisciplinary service delivery system. The roles of rehabilitation counselors have been changing since the conception of the field of rehabilitation counseling
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By providing funding for studies that keep refining the roles and functions of rehabilitation counselors and incorporating these changes into the periodic refinement of the educational standards, reflects CORE’s standards of keeping pace with the changing economy and diversification of the workforce (Benshoff, Robertson, Davis, & Koch, 2008). Two major changes in the country that identify with the rehabilitation counseling field are the diversification of the workforce and the increasing complexity in the nature of the disabilities (Benshoff et al., 2008). As per the U.S Census Bureau (2008) approximately 33% of the country’s population consists of minorities of different racial/ethnic backgrounds and by the year 2050, 50% of the population will surpass the dominant race of the country. In order to deal with individuals from different cultural backgrounds, Middleton et al., (2000) suggested that researchers should continue to examine and implement different teaching strategies that will train rehabilitation counselors to be culturally competent and skilled to address the needs of minority clients with disabilities. Parallel to the increase in individuals from different cultural backgrounds, there is an increase in the number of consumers with coexisting disabilities or dual diagnosis (Benshoff, et al., 2008). Benshoff and colleagues (2008) suggested that the intricacies involved in dealing with clients with dual diagnosis or coexisting disabilities is highly complex, therefore it is necessary to increase the counseling development skills of rehabilitation counselors to meet the needs of individuals with coexisting
By providing funding for studies that keep refining the roles and functions of rehabilitation counselors and incorporating these changes into the periodic refinement of the educational standards, reflects CORE’s standards of keeping pace with the changing economy and diversification of the workforce (Benshoff, Robertson, Davis, & Koch, 2008). Two major changes in the country that identify with the rehabilitation counseling field are the diversification of the workforce and the increasing complexity in the nature of the disabilities (Benshoff et al., 2008). As per the U.S Census Bureau (2008) approximately 33% of the country’s population consists of minorities of different racial/ethnic backgrounds and by the year 2050, 50% of the population will surpass the dominant race of the country. In order to deal with individuals from different cultural backgrounds, Middleton et al., (2000) suggested that researchers should continue to examine and implement different teaching strategies that will train rehabilitation counselors to be culturally competent and skilled to address the needs of minority clients with disabilities. Parallel to the increase in individuals from different cultural backgrounds, there is an increase in the number of consumers with coexisting disabilities or dual diagnosis (Benshoff, et al., 2008). Benshoff and colleagues (2008) suggested that the intricacies involved in dealing with clients with dual diagnosis or coexisting disabilities is highly complex, therefore it is necessary to increase the counseling development skills of rehabilitation counselors to meet the needs of individuals with coexisting