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Rehabilitation specialist skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

5 min read

Quoted experts

Grace Palmisano,

Dr. Robert Cantu

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical rehabilitation specialist skills. We ranked the top skills for rehabilitation specialists based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 23.5% of rehabilitation specialist resumes contained rehabilitation as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a rehabilitation specialist needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 rehabilitation specialist skills for your resume and career

1. Rehabilitation

Here's how rehabilitation specialists use rehabilitation:

Coordinated the development, implementation and evaluation of clinical standards to enhance the quality of care for the pediatric rehabilitation patient.
Administered ongoing Community Rehabilitation Assessments and developed individualized treatment plans in order to identify client needs and direct client treatment.

2. Patients

Here's how rehabilitation specialists use patients:

Ensured the facilities' mission was achieved by effectively supervising the mental health rehabilitative efforts of severely and chronically ill patients.
Designed and provided therapeutic exercise protocols for patients, performed re-examinations/case histories, and administrative/insurance responsibilities.

3. Crisis Intervention

Here's how rehabilitation specialists use crisis intervention:

Provided crisis intervention for clients in crisis situations to ensure health and safety or to prevent hospitalization or incarceration.
Handled emergency situations appropriately in accordance with MHA and DMR policies utilizing crisis interventions when necessary.

4. Excellent Interpersonal

Here's how rehabilitation specialists use excellent interpersonal:

Possess impeccable organizational, written and verbal skills and excellent interpersonal skills.

5. Patient Care

Patient care entails the diagnosis, recovery, and control of sickness as well as the maintenance of physical and emotional well-being through the use of healthcare providers' services. Patient care is described as services provided to patients by health practitioners or non-professionals under guidance.

Here's how rehabilitation specialists use patient care:

Assisted owners in managing day-to-day operations of outpatient clinic and off-site contract obligations (including direct patient care delivery).
Performed daily operational checklists to ensure facility was adequate for patient care.

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7. Behavior Management

Here's how rehabilitation specialists use behavior management:

Facilitated day treatment groups teaching children diagnosed as severely emotionally disturbed social skills, behavior management, and life skills.
Provide behavior management and case management for school-age children with diagnoses of major mental illness or serious emotional disturbance.

8. Mental Health

Mental health is the state of wellbeing in which an individual can cope with the regular stresses and tensions of life, and can work productively without having any emotional or psychological breakdown. Mental health is essential for a person of any age and helps them make the right decisions in their life.

Here's how rehabilitation specialists use mental health:

Networked and upheld positive professional relationship with mental health professionals, consumers, and family members to provide effective services.
Gathered case history data including incarcerations, mental health history, hospitalizations, past/present diagnosis and all prescribed medications.

9. Rehabilitation Services

Here's how rehabilitation specialists use rehabilitation services:

Job responsibilities further include development of rehabilitation treatment plan, development and delivery of rehabilitation services and documentation of progress.
Interviewed and evaluated injured workers to determine the degree of disability and feasibility of vocation rehabilitation services.

10. Community Integration

Community integration pertains to the different procedures that help patients integrate and become well-functioning members of a community.

Here's how rehabilitation specialists use community integration:

Provided necessary supports, personal care, transportation and community integration to persons with developmental disabilities in CLA setting.
Direct support for individuals with intellectual disabilities, teaching and role modeling daily living skills, community integration.

11. Substance Abuse

Here's how rehabilitation specialists use substance abuse:

Facilitate daily groups regarding mental illness and substance abuse and complete necessary assessments help individuals reach their treatment objectives.
Coordinated medication management/substance abuse treatment services consisting of random urine and saliva tests to ensure sobriety.

12. Support Services

Support services are services that support the organization internally and are usually non-revenue generating. Examples include, IT, admin, HR, etc.

Here's how rehabilitation specialists use support services:

Communicate with community agencies and provide information about community resources to enhance support services for program participants.
Coordinated and implemented counseling support services for a caseload of children and adolescents with mental illness.

13. CPR

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR is a medical procedure that involves chest compression to help a patient breathe. This artificial ventilation helps in keeping the brain function in place and regulates blood throughout the body. CPR is a lifesaving procedure that is used in emergencies.

Here's how rehabilitation specialists use cpr:

Utilized extensive administrative, CPR, first aid, and medical equipment training as needed.
Receive MAT and CPR certification.

14. Severe Mental Illness

Here's how rehabilitation specialists use severe mental illness:

Provide supportive and directive services using applied behavior intervention strategies to high-risk children with behavior problems and severe mental illness.
Planned and delivered activities for 50-80 individuals with severe mental illness to improve social skills and symptom management.

15. Psychosocial Rehabilitation

Here's how rehabilitation specialists use psychosocial rehabilitation:

Trained several newly hired Psychosocial Rehabilitation Specialist
Provided professional psychosocial rehabilitation, case management, and living skills training services for individuals in an Intervention Resource Classroom.

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What skills help Rehabilitation Specialists find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on rehabilitation specialist resumes?

Grace Palmisano

Lancaster Bible College

For those seeking mental health fields, skills that stand out on resumes: possess strong self-awareness and emotional stability, critical thinking, interpersonal/relational skills, communication skills, problem-solving, creativity, and genuine interest and concern for humanity. Some of these skills can be developed, but other skills are a "must-have" even before entering into the field of mental health as one is working with all kinds of people. Carl Rogers shares that counselors ought to possess and demonstrate qualities of unconditional positive regard, empathy, and congruency. These are essential ingredients that make a therapist effective in the field and helps build therapeutic alliance. More importantly what clients innately want in therapy is not just a "clinical expert" but a human being who relates and understands them as a human person.

What soft skills should all rehabilitation specialists possess?

Dr. Robert Cantu

Associate Professor, Brenau University

People skills: For the workgroup: ability and willingness to work in groups and manage conflict. Flexibility: Willingness to occasionally work late or come in early to accommodate the patient load. Team player attitude. Willingness to play their assigned part on the team. Strong commitment and discipline for timely completion of tasks such as daily paperwork. This shows "discipline in the drudgery," which is critical for the smooth operation of the clinic and results in better customer service.

People skills: For patient management: Empathy, the warmth of personality, a caring demeanor, and express kindness. And absolutely, a willingness to always put the patient first. Good eye contact, firm but kind, reassuring handshake (or a kind elbow bump). The understanding is that even though they work for a company, ultimately, the clinician works for the patient.

What hard/technical skills are most important for rehabilitation specialists?

Dr. Robert Cantu

Associate Professor, Brenau University

During initial employment, clinical skills can be honed informally or through a formal residency program for a new grad. Affinity for technology is important. Examples: Willingness to do telehealth, able to adapt to changes in software such as EMR systems. Skills should closely match the clinic's needs, and if not, the candidate should express an interest in what the clinic is doing and exhibit a strong commitment to learning.

Ability to adapt to changes in insurance reimbursement policies while not compromising patient care.

What rehabilitation specialist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Dr. Emily Goodman-Scott Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Assistant Chair, Graduate Program Director, and School Counseling Coordinator, Old Dominion University

Getting experience working/volunteering in schools, and other capacities working/volunteering with youth: learn the culture of education, build rapport and be in relationship with youth and their families.

What type of skills will young rehabilitation specialists need?

Chris Hennington Ph.D.

School Counseling Program Coordinator, Lubbock Christian University

School counselors will be tasked with the usual school counseling responsibilities while also encountering trauma that students experience outside of school and in school. Being well versed in trauma response is going to be a vital aspect of being a school counselor. Kids are experiencing more trauma, but we are getting better at recognizing and treating trauma as well.

What technical skills for a rehabilitation specialist stand out to employers?

Christopher Kevin Wong Ph.D.

Associate Director of Faculty Development, Columbia University Irving Medical Center

Many clinic owners and rehab department managers may not be as facile with social media, website management, and IT ideas as younger people. Nevertheless, social media and internet searches is how we generate publicity, business, and potentially profit. Skills to help as a webmaster, social media manager, or data management and analyst can be a valuable contribution. Therapy technology can be taught as needed.

Do you want to know more?

List of rehabilitation specialist skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a rehabilitation specialist resume and required skills for a rehabilitation specialist to have include:

Rehabilitation
Patients
Crisis Intervention
Excellent Interpersonal
Patient Care
Social Work
Behavior Management
Mental Health
Rehabilitation Services
Community Integration
Substance Abuse
Support Services
CPR
Severe Mental Illness
Psychosocial Rehabilitation
Community Resources
Independent Living

Rehabilitation Programs
Direct Care
Persistent Mental Illness
Medication Management
Physical Therapy
Incident Reports
Vocational Rehabilitation
Developmental Disabilities
Community Outings
Symptom Management
Cardiac Rehabilitation
Community Agencies
Vital Signs
Mental Health Diagnosis
DBT
Group Therapy
ADL

Medical Appointments
Applied Behavior Analysis
Traction
Discharge Planning
Conflict Resolution
Social Security
PSR
Group Sessions
Physical Disabilities
Anger Management
PRP
Home Management
Rehabilitation Plans
Traumatic Brain Injuries
Hippa
Medication Administration

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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