Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling in the United States

This paper discusses rehabilitation counseling in the United States. It provides an overview of the public vocational rehabilitation system (public VR), including its history, legal framework, and current operational profile. Lessons learned in the first century of the system's existence are discussed, as is the versatility of the profession. Finally, the discussion provides a preview of the future of vocational rehabilitation in the United States by outlining some emerging themes on the horizon. Additional research efforts are required in order to ascertain the high and low areas of performance in the VR system, and careful thought should be given to adaptation before policy makers in other countries adopt a similar model.