Rehabilitation Psychology Degree

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Rehabilitation Psychologists assist people with disabilities and help them overcome emotional and mental challenges related to those disabilities. By working with the emotional health of a disabled person, whether it's a permanent or temporary disability, this type of psychologist provides hope and a greater quality of life.

Psychologists in this field help their clients remove the cognitive and emotional barriers that are preventing them from leading a fuller life. A rehabilitation psychologist deals with issues related to interpersonal relationships, self-esteem or mental challenges preventing healing.

Rehabilitation Psychology Degrees

As with all psychologists, a minimum of a master's degree, internship and state licensing are required to practice in the rehabilitation field. Many rehabilitation psychologists hold doctorate degrees.

Rehabilitation Psychologist Job Description

Rehabilitation psychologists work with people who have congenital or acquired disabilities. In some cases, the disabilities are short term, but typically the client is struggling to come to terms with being disabled. Counseling, both individual and group, make up a significant portion of this type of psychology.

Rehabilitation psychologists could do any of the following:

• Work with individuals in hospital rehabilitation services
• Counsel patients in government and or private disability programs
• Practice independently with a focus on rehabilitation counseling, including individual and group therapy
• Provide assistance and counseling for caregivers of disabled people
• Complete assessments for disability counseling needs
• Research and teach in a university
• Train and educate other professionals who work with disabled people.

Counseling, collaborating, researching and evaluating all combine to make up the key components of this type of counseling. Rehabilitation counselors spend their days helping the disabled remove barriers and heal emotionally so they may have a better quality of life.

Rehabilitation Psychologist Salary

Depending on the work environment, whether it's a university, private hospital, government agency or personal practice, a rehabilitation psychologist may earn from $48,000 to $140,000 and up annually. In general, the psychology profession is expected to grow by at least 15% over the next decade. Those professionals with a doctorate degree with achieve the most lucrative positions.