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A rehabilitation specialist is the one who helps a patient get back to normal lifestyle after the patient has gone through a traumatic incident, severe illness or injury. Rehabilitation specialists also help mentally disabled people to be a part of the normal society. They teach such people do all the daily activities taking the help from or  depending on others. There are various types rehabilitation specialists, each  specializing in different field of illness. However, there are three broad categories of rehabilitation psychologist; psychological, vocational and physical specialists. Irrespective of the type of rehabilitation specialist, all of them have to go through a certain process to become a rehabilitation psychologist. These processes are as follows:

First, get a bachelor degree

A person who wants to become a rehabilitation psychologist must have a bachelor degree in the respective field with a specialization of his interest. A bachelor degree will not only help the student get bookish knowledge but will also help him/her work with different types of patients. The student will get practical knowledge of how to deal with different cases and he will thus be able to broaden his knowledge. Various subjects are taught in the bachelor degree. Some of the subjects include teaching proper communication to disabled, rehabilitation psychology,human services, dealing with disabilities, case management etc.

Second, get a master’s degree

After the bachelor degree one must get a master’s degree in his field of specialization. The master’s degree will provide him a wider and deeper knowledge of the specialization subject. The common topics covered in the master’s degree are workforce development, criminal rehabilitation (in case of drug addicts), chemical dependency, rehabilitation counselor, psychophysiology and language.

Third, get a certificate

After completing the educational qualifications, one must get a certificate of the degree that he has obtained. Certificate is proof that the  person has acquired the qualification to practice in the field of psychology. A certificate granted from National Certification Commission (NCC) is considered to be the most valid one of all the certifications. However a person has to meet certain criteria and pass the examination conducted by NCC to get the certificate.

Fourth, get a license

The fourth step is to get a license that will be a legal document that would permit a person to practice as a rehabilitation specialist. Although the requirement to practice as a rehabilitation specialist differs from state to state, still license will give one the legal right to practice.

Fifth, get the job

The fifth step is to get the job as a rehabilitation specialist. Once you have all the degrees and certificates, you can find a suitable job for yourself.

There are various types of rehabilitation psychologists but to become one, these are the basic steps that one must follow. to become a rehabilitation psychologist. 





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