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.
94,740 people do this job in the US. $46,850 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 79%
- 21%
- 0%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 55%. Today's estimate: 66%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 17 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Develop rehabilitation plans that fit clients' aptitudes, education levels, physical abilities, and career goals.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 19% | 1.7 h50 min to 3.3 h | 90%Half by now | |
| Analyze information from interviews, educational and medical records, consultation with other professionals, and diagnostic evaluations to assess clients' abilities, needs, and eligibility for services.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 16% | 2.1 h50 min to 3.3 h | 80%Half by now | |
| Confer with clients to discuss their options and goals so that rehabilitation programs and plans for accessing needed services can be developed.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 9% | 50 min25 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| 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.Done daily by most who do it. | 9% | 25 min13 min to 50 min | 100%Half by now | |
| 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.Done daily by most who do it. | 8% | 1.3 h25 min to 2.5 h | 87%Half by now | |
| Participate in job development and placement programs, contacting prospective employers, placing clients in jobs, and evaluating the success of placements.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 7% | 2.5 h50 min to 6.7 h | 46%Half by Oct 2026 | |
| Manage budgets and direct case service allocations, authorizing expenditures and payments.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 5% | 50 min17 min to 2.5 h | 87%Half by now | |
| Collaborate with community agencies to establish facilities and programs for persons with disabilities.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 5% | 2.5 h1.3 h to 1 work day | Stays with people | |
| Supervise rehabilitation counselors and staff.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 50 min25 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Develop and maintain relationships with community referral sources, such as schools or community groups.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 3% | 50 min25 min to 2.5 h | 95%Half by now | |
| Develop diagnostic procedures to determine clients' needs.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 3% | 3.3 h1.7 h to 6.7 h | 49%Half by now | |
| Monitor and record clients' progress to ensure that goals and objectives are met.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 25 min13 min to 1.1 h | 100%Half by now |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers21% now, 44% by 2028
- Mental Health Counselors65% now, 67% by 2028
- Healthcare Social Workers42% now, 62% by 2028
- Child, Family, and School Social Workers35% now, 52% by 2028
- Occupational Therapy Aides8% now, 8% by 2028
- Psychiatric Technicians0% now, 0% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
- Vocational Rehabilitation Services33,400 people
- Individual and Family Services15,650 people
- State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals14,610 people
- Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Facilities11,090 people
- Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals3,670 people
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).