Bachelor's Degree Programme in Rehabilitation Counselling
Key learning outcomes
A rehabilitation counsellor is able to take on an expert role in the planning, coordination, implementation and development of goal-targeted, rehabilitee-oriented and effective multidisciplinary rehabilitation by making use of innovative solutions and digital services. A rehabilitation counsellor’s professional core competences include rehabilitation needs assessment competence, rehabilitation service system and legislation competence, as well as rehabilitation counselling, planning and coordination competence. A rehabilitation counsellor is familiar with the multidisciplinary knowledge base of rehabilitation, evidence-based rehabilitation activities, good rehabilitation practice, the diversity of the rehabilitation and service system as well as up-to-date legislation and guidelines concerning rehabilitation, and is able to utilise these in different types of rehabilitation operating environments.
A rehabilitation counsellor is able to comprehensively assess and describe, with reference to the ICF framework, the client’s overall situation, working and functional capacity as well as identify and assess individual needs for rehabilitation. A rehabilitation counsellor is a rehabilitation service counsellor. He/she familiar with the laws and decrees governing different rehabilitation services and the existing rehabilitation opportunities and is able to coordinate between the client’s rehabilitation needs and the existing services based on them. A rehabilitation counsellor is able to draw up rehabilitation plans in accordance with good rehabilitation practice in collaboration with the rehabilitee and other rehabilitation and care providers. A rehabilitation counsellor has versatile guidance and counselling skills and is able to guide the rehabilitee and their family members according to the principles of responsible client counselling. A rehabilitation counsellor is able to encounter rehabilitees in different change situations and promotes the rehabilitee’s individual functional capacity, change motivation, resources and smooth running of everyday life during rehabilitation.
A rehabilitation counsellor has the capabilities to work with an investigative, developing and evidence-based approach, as entrepreneurs, and in multidisciplinary project management and team and networking duties. They can describe, design, productise and market their own competence to promote their employment and career planning. A professional counsellor takes into account the viewpoints of expenses and effectiveness of rehabilitation activities and complies with the professional and ethical guidelines of the profession. A rehabilitation counsellor follows and recognises the ongoing changes in society and in health care and social services and participates in the development of rehabilitation services so that they correspond to the needs of the various rehabilitee groups.
Education content and professional growth and know-how
In the Degree Programme in Rehabilitation Counselling, the students complete the degree of Bachelor of Health Care in health and social studies. In the degree programme, the students gain the capabilities to work in a variety of guidance, counselling, planning, coordination and development positions in the different operating areas of rehabilitation in the public and private sector, in non-governmental organisations, and as entrepreneurs. The rehabilitation counsellor’s competences develop and deepen as the studies progress, and after graduation, the rehabilitation counsellor will be able to work as an expert in rehabilitation and counselling in multiprofessional and multidisciplinary networks.
The educational content of the degree is constituted by the multidisciplinary and multicultural operating environments of rehabilitation, encountering, guiding and interacting with different types of clients, planning, coordinating and counselling of rehabilitation services, and networking. Principal contents also include the ethics of rehabilitation services as well as the consideration of the principles of global responsibility and sustainable development in rehabilitation guidance, and these themes are addressed in a cross-curricular way throughout the studies, both in practical training and in different theoretical courses. The contents also address the economic, quality and impact aspects of social, health and rehabilitation services.
The professional core competences of a rehabilitation counsellor include rehabilitation service system competence, rehabilitation needs and opportunities assessment competence, and rehabilitation counselling and planning competence. The rehabilitation counsellor’s competence and professional identity will begin to form during the first year of study while pursuing common studies in health care and social services, studies that promote the student’s transferable skills, and the basics of rehabilitation work. As the studies progress, professional studies in rehabilitation counselling will be emphasised, as the students will study a range of rehabilitation themes and methods, such as rehabilitation needs assessment, rehabilitation service systems and legislation, rehabilitation processes, and a variety of rehabilitation counselling methods. These themes are examined from the individual, community and society-level points of view.
Since the beginning of the studies, the student will acquire competences in the development of services and operations that draw upon service design and innovative solutions, utilising a range of digital and technological platforms and tools. In the thesis completed towards the end of the studies, the student will develop and apply their research method competence to the area of rehabilitation counselling of their choice.
The student’s well-being is supported according to the student’s needs. In the regular face-to-face discussions (personal learning plan) with the career tutor, study-related matters, such as the progress of studies and career plans, as well as those related to the student’s well-being are discussed. Where necessary, the student has the opportunity to receive a range of support services, such as those of a study counsellor and study psychologist, and attend courses that support the progress of studies or the student’s personal well-being.
Flexible studies
Part-time studies consists of 3.5 years of full-time study requiring approximately 40 hours of work per week. At the beginning of your studies, you will prepare a personal learning plan (PLP), in connection with which your prior acquired learning will also be assessed. Rehabilitation counselling studies progress flexibly according to the student's personal learning plan. For example, the student may complete practical training at any time during the academic year and also complete studies in summer.
Part-time studies combine independent studies, online learning, group work, contact study days in Jyväskylä, the studification of work and practical training in working life. Studying requires an active approach to studying, a willingness to take responsibility for one's own learning, basic IT skills, a willingness to develop as an online learner, and an opportunity to participate in online teaching in the form of webinars on weekdays and in contact days in Jyväskylä.
Students’ first-year studies begin with orientation days, after which they gather at the campus on various occasions for contact hour classes, usually for a few days a month. Students will receive detailed information on contact day dates during the orientation days when they enrol for their selected courses. After the first year of study, the amount of study on the campus varies depending on the courses that the student selects. The contact hour dates are announced annually in connection with the enrolment for courses. In addition to the contact hours on campus, the studies also include webinars delivered between 8:00 and 18:00 on weekdays, as well as independent and group learning assignments conducted remotely.
The studies include optional or elective studies as supplementary studies. The student may choose these studies from Jamk’s other degree programmes, as applicable, and from the supplementary studies offered by Jamk. Studies are also offered by partner universities in Finland and abroad, such as other universities of applied sciences (CampusOnline), universities and educational institutions involved in the EduFutura collaboration (University of Jyväskylä and Gradia). Higher level studies completed elsewhere may be accredited as part of the degree. The student must have a certificate or some other document to prove that they have completed the studies. A student who possesses previously acquired competence in the social and health care sector through work experience, for example, is advised to identify their competences and apply for accreditation, i.e. recognition of prior learning based on such competence with regard to, for example, the first-year common studies in health care and social services. Further information about the recognition of prior learning is provided in Jamk’s web pages for student.
Supplementary studies, practical training work placements and thesis provide the student with an opportunity to deepen their competences according to their personal objects of interest and career plan. The studies support the student’s inner entrepreneurship and enable an individual career path by e.g. placing special effort on entrepreneurship capabilities with studies at the Startup Factory, for example, or by means of StartUp activities. The student may also improve their multicultural competence and internationalisation capabilities by e.g. completing a part of their studies abroad in international student exchange.
The student’s self-direction and learning to learn are supported by means of e.g. the guidance of a peer tutor and career tutor. Part-time studies make use of multiprofessional and multidisciplinary cooperation and, to an increasing extent, digital learning opportunities, such as electronic materials, network interaction, production of video materials and remote participation. The development of the student’s mastery of remote and virtual services and mobile applications increases the digital and technological competence needed in the work of a rehabilitation counsellor. Part of the studies is carried out in English.
Working life oriented learning
Working life oriented learning is included in bachelor’s degree courses throughout the studies. These include practical trainings to promote professional skills, the thesis, and various RDI and working life projects. At JAMK University of Applied Sciences, the operating model for working life oriented and student-driven learning is called JAMK Future Factory®. It combines working life operators, students, JAMK experts and working life oriented LAB environments and other learning environments. In addition to multidisciplinary and working life oriented project studies, it offers students a chance to develop their future working life skills, career paths and networks. In addition to the JAMK Future Factory® activities, the students may complete their studies in national and international RDI projects.
About one-third of the studies consist of practical training or development assignments carried out in public, private and third-sector workplaces in the field, such as social services and health care, the Social Insurance Institution of Finland, insurance rehabilitation, employment and economic development services, organisations or companies. The student may also complete practical training abroad.
The development of social, health and rehabilitation services is one part of working life oriented learning. The students develop their service design competence during e.g. the JAMK InnoFlash course, in which the principles of Design Thinking are applied to authentic working life assignments. Practical training and various kinds of development assignments are carried out according to the student’s personal career and learning plan at different stages of their studies.
Studification is also among the options offered by working life oriented learning. It refers to combining work, project work, JAMK Future Factory® activities, etc. with studies. A plan is prepared for the studification and an agreement is concluded with the employer. The competence is acquired by doing the work concerned and demonstrated by means of various written documents, for example, or oral presentations. The teacher will make an assessment decision in accordance with the learning objectives of the module or assessment criteria of the course concerned. Further information about studification is provided in JAMK’s Degree Regulations (Section 17).
Career opportunities and employment
Students who have graduated as rehabilitation counsellors (bachelor’s degree) work under many different job titles, such as rehabilitation counsellor, vocational rehabilitation counsellor, rehabilitation planner, outreach youth work counsellor, job coach, career counsellor and rehabilitation specialist.
Rehabilitation counsellors work in health care and social welfare services. Typical workplaces and responsibilities include rehabilitation counselling tasks in central and university hospitals, service and social counsellor tasks in municipalities, insurance rehabilitation, Kela, TE services (employment services), non-governmental organisations, rehabilitation centres and counselling tasks of various client groups in sheltered housing units. In the future, rehabilitation counsellors will be needed in health and social services centres for coordination and counselling duties and in occupational healthcare for planning and providing counselling on rehabilitation of those with a partial ability to work.
Qualifications
A rehabilitation counsellor is a licenced social welfare professional.
Further studies
Students may, after graduation and a working career of at least two years, apply for studies leading up to a master’s degree. Studies can also be continued by applying for a university master’s degree programme or similar programmes as well as professional teacher education. After a bachelor’s degree from a university of applied sciences, it is also possible to continue studies at higher education institutes abroad on master’s degree level programmes. A university of applied sciences also provides opportunities for continuing education in the form of specialisation studies, open studies, an online study portal (CampusOnline) and working life based continuing education.
Education planning
In addition to the teachers, the planning work for the degree programme has involved representatives of the students, alumni as well as representatives of the social, health care and rehabilitation sector from public, private and non-governmental organisations. The events organised have featured discussions on the common competence in health care and social services and profession-specific future competence needs. Opportunities and operating models for working life oriented studying and studification of work have also been planned in collaboration with working life.
Contact Information
Anne Koivisto
Senior Lecturer, Rehabilitation and Social Studies
+358504426258
firstname.lastname@jamk.fi