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Boston Career Explorer

Community and Social Service

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.

Also called: Classification Counselor, CRC (Certified Rehabilitation Counselor), Employment Advisor, Job Coach, Rehabilitation Specialist, Vocational Counselor

Median pay in Greater Boston
$47,440
$22.81/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
3,430
Massachusetts 2024–2034
+1.5%
620 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
Master's degree

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$38,770$44,780$47,440$73,350$102,610

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • Develop rehabilitation plans that fit clients' aptitudes, education levels, physical abilities, and career goals.
  • Confer with clients to discuss their options and goals so that rehabilitation programs and plans for accessing needed services can be developed.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Analyze information from interviews, educational and medical records, consultation with other professionals, and diagnostic evaluations to assess clients' abilities, needs, and eligibility for services.
  • Monitor and record clients' progress to ensure that goals and objectives are met.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Higher exposure68 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 59
  • Language-model AIOE 69
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 75

Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)

This job has higher AI exposure, so AI tools may help with paperwork and with organizing information from records and evaluations. Little AI use has been observed so far. Working one-on-one with clients to set goals and find ways around real-world barriers still relies on people.

Likely to change

  • Keeping case records and documentation
  • Summarizing medical and education records

Still relies on people

  • Talking through goals and options with clients
  • Solving barriers like transportation and schedules

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

Next steps from here

Related jobs that build on what you already do.

  • Occupational Therapists

    Setting rehabilitation goals and keeping records carry over. It also typically requires a master's degree, and Boston pay is much higher, with faster expected growth.

    Pay difference
    +$54,500 median
    AI exposure
    Moderate
    MA growth
    +11.6%
    To get started
    Master's degree

  • Occupational Therapy Assistants

    Helping clients build daily living skills fits your rehabilitation background. It typically requires an associate's degree and offers higher Boston pay.

    Pay difference
    +$27,860 median
    AI exposure
    Moderate
    MA growth
    +16.3%
    To get started
    Associate's degree

  • Physical Therapist Assistants

    Coaching and motivating people through recovery and documenting their progress carry over. It typically requires an associate's degree and has strong expected growth.

    Pay difference
    +$32,990 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +18.5%
    To get started
    Associate's degree

Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

2 programs near Boston (plus 4 graduate)

Related occupations

Talk to a career coach

A coach at the Office of Workforce Development can help you plan your next step, and connect you with training, apprenticeships and City partner programs that are not listed here.

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