Rehabilitation counselors often holistically apply counseling skills to advocate for clients as individuals, otherwise known as case advocacy, and for persons with disabilities in general, otherwise referred to as class advocacy. In addition, they may work with clients to assist them to be self-advocates. Advocacy is an integral component of rehabilitative counseling and has proven really important with regard to the creation of public awareness over the same. Moreover, it is viable for a rehabilitation counselor to promote advocacy for the good of individuals, most especially, students with disabilities (Myers, Sweeney &White, 2002)
Advocacy is essential in regard to the protection of the welfare, both of clients and of practitioners, within the rehabilitation counseling profession. This is for purposes of the advancement of the latter as a career path, but by emphasizing the interests of both parties. The constant struggle for accreditation of the profession, as well as for its acceptance by the public, has for long been of considerably negative impact on professional rehabilitation counseling (Lynne, 2010). It is recommended that counselors, in the case of contextual issues relative to the wellbeing of clients, act as agents of social change. Advocacy preoccupies itself with the championing of causes, and in this case, the cause is to promote rehabilitation counseling.
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Primarily, any rehabilitation counselor ought to embrace advocacy as an imperative to their professional success, in order that they may promote it. Moreover, it is important to teach clients self-advocacy skills for their personal convenience. Further, counselors may promote advocacy by including it as part of a comprehensive program, so as to help minority students. In both ways, advocacy is promoted.
In conclusion, advocacy has helped to earn rehabilitation counseling a place in schools, organizations and private agencies. However, it is necessary for more to be done in order for professional rehabilitation counseling to earn a recognizable society within mainstream society. It is critical for rehabilitation counselors to be seen as credible, in order for them to equally access job positions and earn deserving payments.
References
Myers, J., Sweeney, T., & White, V. (2002). Advocacy for Counseling and Counselors: A Professional Imperative . Journal of Counselling & Development , 80 : 394-402.
Lynne, S. (2010) . Counselors Taking a Stand. Retrieved from http://ct.counseling.org/2010/06/counselors-taking-a-stand/
