This study was designed to describe rehabilitation counselor perceptions of client characteristics which cause problems in counseling and vocational planning. Counselors were asked to identify barriers to effective rehabilitation which might be attributed to the client's characteristics. Each counselor was interviewed individually and was asked to identify major professional problems and to submit recommendations for their resolution. Data for this part of the present study were obtained from a question on problems stemming from the characteristics of the client himself. Responses were coded independently by three judges. Results suggest that rehabilitation counselors perceive a "lack of motivation for rehabilitation" to be the major problem in counseling and vocational placement. The pattern of responses was interpreted as reflective of the intense frustration encountered by the rehabilitation counselor in working with the "unmotivated" client. This general category was further delineated into six general patterns, the majority of which were psychological in nature. Differences between beginning and career counselors on perception of low-labor-market demand problems were interpreted as indicative of the beginning counselor's lack of job placement experience. (Author/KJ)