Certified Rehabilitation Counselor Practice

What approach to rehabilitation counseling emphasizes a client's capabilities over their limitations?

1. Medical model

2. Deficit approach

3. Empowerment approach

4. Rehabilitative model

The correct answer is: Empowerment approach

The empowerment approach in rehabilitation counseling is centered around recognizing and enhancing the client's capabilities rather than focusing on their limitations. This perspective encourages clients to take ownership of their rehabilitation process, fostering self-determination, confidence, and active participation in setting and achieving goals. By emphasizing strengths, this approach helps clients to build resilience and adaptability as they navigate challenges. In contrast, the medical model primarily focuses on diagnosing and treating disabilities, often overlooking the individual's strengths. The deficit approach similarly concentrates on what the individual cannot do, which can lead to a negative self-image and a disempowered mindset. The rehabilitative model tends to balance elements of both medical and social frameworks but doesn't specifically highlight empowerment as its central theme like the empowerment approach does. Thus, the empowerment approach stands out as the most supportive method of promoting a positive and capable view of clients in the context of rehabilitation counseling.