Educational Preparation for Private Sector Rehabilitation Practitioners

This is a descriptive study of private sector rehabilitation practitioners’ opinions about rehabilitation counseling preparation, including distance education delivery. An electronic survey created at SurveyMonkey.com was distributed anonymously to members of the International Association of Rehabilitation Professionals (IARP), which is the professional organization representing private sector practitioners in rehabilitation. Fifty-six members responded to the survey. Respondents identified master’s level training in rehabilitation counseling or a related discipline as necessary preparation for practice in the private sector, but generally viewed master’s level graduate readiness for entry into the private sector as insufficient. Of respondent-suggested essential topics, business law, business management and human resources, disability management, non-profit management, forensic statistics, and forensic rehabilitation are not adequately covered in current program instruction. A majority of respondents viewed the Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) credential as essential.