Glory
You already know a rehabilitation counselor career won't make you rich. However, your life may well be enriched by your clients' personal successes. And you know what they say: You aren't rich until you have something money can't buy.
For example, consider a physically disabled client who was told he'd be forever dependent on institutional care. You found him an occupational therapist who helped him become more self-sufficient. You located an employer willing to hire him. Now he's been named "Employee of the Month," and you couldn't be more proud.
You've also been working with an elderly lady who's fiercely independent, but who's just suffered a broken leg from a fall. She's recuperating in the hospital, but will soon be moved to a nursing home for rehab and follow-up care. She's quite distressed about the loss of her mobility. You know if you don't turn the situation around quickly, she'll begin a downward slide that will be hard to reverse.
You consult with the nursing home's physical therapist and activities director, and arrange for a therapy dog and her owner to visit the woman regularly. Realizing the quality of this woman's life hangs in the balance, you use every resource you have to help her.
When you see her two months later, she's ready to move into the assisted living facility next door. She's achieved remarkable results with her physical therapy, and she's become the nursing home's unofficial "social secretary." Understand that your dedication to this woman's recovery has helped her in ways money can never match.