A CRC may be called upon to evaluate a client's emotional and cognitive status. Both the pre-disability psychological status and acute emotional reaction to disability will affect rehabilitation.

Disabled clients face various losses of functioning. Many disabled clients will need to deal with the anger they experience concerning their disability. Sometimes their anger will influence their motivation to be rehabilitated. It may be acted out as aggression. Other psychological symptoms the CRC will come across are depression and emotional lability. Some clients exhibit delusions and psychotic behaviors. Brain damage may result in loss of some cognitive functioning in regard to attention span or ability to synthesize new information. Mental fatigue will lead to diverse reactions to stress. These reactions may include anxiety and isolation. Denial is a frequent symptom. The client's ability to learn adaptive coping skills should be understood by the CRC.