Rehabilitation Counseling Master of Art (M.A.)
The 48 Credit Master's Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling
The 48-credit program in Rehabilitation Counseling is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs (CACREP) and is designed to prepare students to counsel people with disabilities, in order to help them manage their mental health and/or substance use disorders; societal and personal problems; help them plan careers; and find and keep satisfying jobs. Major goals include helping individuals achieve positive mental health and wellness, empowering individuals to make informed choices regarding their mental health and medical treatment, and maximizing opportunities for economic independence through obtaining employment, when possible. Students interested in becoming licensed as Mental Health Counselors will need to take an additional 12 credits of classes and supervised clinical experience.
From July 2020 to May 2021, 100% of the students who graduated from the program were employed full-time as counselors either before or upon graduation. Work settings for our graduates are very diverse and include mental health agencies, state rehabilitation agencies, hospitals, psychiatric rehabilitation centers, substance use programs, wellness programs, schools, universities and college counseling centers, university and college offices of disability services, community agencies serving families, criminal justice agencies and prisons, independent living centers, nursing homes, group homes, insurance companies providing workers’ compensation case management, for profit corporations as disability specialists, employee assistance programs, and private practice in counseling, forensics or geriatric case management.
The intent of the program is to prepare the graduate, after appropriate supervised experience, to be eligible to sit for the national examination to become certified as a rehabilitation counselor (CRC). Students interested in state licensing as a mental health counselor have the option to complete the 60-credit Clinical Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling or, along with those students who have less than a 60-credit MA degree from other institutions, enroll in the Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies in Mental Health with a concentration in Rehabilitation Counseling with 12 additional credits (60 credits total) to have the academic components for Mental Health Counseling licensure in many states.
Rehabilitation Program Requirements
Students in all rehabilitation counseling programs are required to engage in all learning activities in ways that are consistent with the current ethical and professional standards of rehabilitation and mental health counselors as published by the CRCC and the American Counseling Association (ACA). Inconsistencies with these standards, as determined by the program director or program faculty, can serve as a basis for dismissal from the program. Following successful completion of an approved program of 48 graduate credits, students are eligible to receive the Master of Arts in Rehabilitation Counseling. In addition, they must meet the University's standards for admission to graduate studies upon application to the program as described in this catalog.
On Campus or Online
The 48-credit master's degree in Rehabilitation Counseling may be earned by taking courses online or at the Newport campus. If a student lives within community distance from the University the degree can be completed by taking a combination of on-campus and online courses.
Students with a Prior Master's Degrees in Related Areas
Students who hold a master's degree in a related area and are subsequently enrolling in the master's degree in rehabilitation counseling, may request a waiver for up to 24 credits. The waiver may be granted if all of the following criteria are met: 1) an equivalent course in regard to curriculum content can be identified from both programs; 2) students received a grade of B or better in each course requested for waiver; and 3) at least three (3) courses were completed at a regionally accredited institution. Students must request the waiver in writing and be able to provide documentation of the course content including a syllabus or course outline as well as an official transcript. When granting such credits, the program director must take into account program accreditation guidelines as established by CACREP. The credit hours that are waived must be made up by taking additional classes to fulfill the 48-credit or 60-credit requirement of the program. The decision for a waiver must be granted by the program director and the department chair, and accreditation requirements will need to be met.
Areas of Study and Course Listings
- Professional Orientation and Ethics
- Human Growth and Development
- Career Counseling
- Counseling and Personality Theory
- Couples and Family Counseling
- Cultural Awareness
- Group Counseling and Group Work
- Appraisal
- Medical and Psychosocial Aspects of Chronic Illness and Disability
- Research and Program Evaluation
- Foundations of Rehabilitation Counseling
The 48-Credit M.A. Rehabilitation Counseling Program – CACREP Accredited
(Total of 16 courses/48 credits)
Goal of the 48 Credit Rehabilitation Counseling Program
The goal of the rehabilitation counseling program is to prepare students to become rehabilitation counselors who have the clinical competencies to perform a vital role in the educational, career, and personal adjustment of persons with physical, mental, and emotional disabilities, co-occurring disorders, substance abuse and advocacy for the rights of all people with disabilities.
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Core Curriculum | ||
RHB-500 | Research Methods | 3 |
RHB-506 | Professional Orientation and Ethics | 3 |
RHB-508 | Human Growth and Development | 3 |
RHB-509 | Counseling and Personality Theory | 3 |
RHB-510 | Cross-Cultural Counseling | 3 |
RHB-513 | Couples and Family Counseling | 3 |
RHB-516 | Group Counseling and Group Work | 3 |
RHB-517 | Career Counseling | 3 |
RHB-518 | Appraisal | 3 |
RHB-520 | Practicum I and Seminar: Motivational Interviewing | 3 |
RHB-527 | Substance Use Disorders Counseling and Treatment | 3 |
RHB-540 | Medical and Psychosocial Aspects of Chronic Illness and Disability | 3 |
RHB-550 | Foundations of Rehabilitation Counseling | 3 |
Clinical Requirements 1 | ||
RHB-521 | Practicum II and Seminar | 3 |
RHB-570 | Internship I and Seminar | 3 |
RHB-571 | Internship II & Seminar | 3 |
Total Credits | 48 |
- 1
The clinical component of the rehabilitation counseling program includes three clinical experiences that emphasize acquiring and developing clinical counseling skills. Skills are developed during the classroom experiences using role plays, audio tapes and feedback and are applied to the clinical setting with supervision from a site supervisor and University faculty instructor. Upon completion of the clinical courses, students will have completed 900 hours of supervised clinical training in the field and an additional 90 hours of clinical supervision in the classroom. Ethical practices, multicultural competencies, principles and models of biopsychosocial case conceptualization, and rehabilitation treatment planning are emphasized through a whole-person approach to rehabilitation counseling.
Degree Plan for M.A. in Rehabilitation Counseling, Spring Cohort
First Year | ||
---|---|---|
Spring | Credits | |
RHB-500 | Research Methods | 3 |
RHB-508 | Human Growth and Development | 3 |
RHB-509 | Counseling and Personality Theory | 3 |
Credits | 9 | |
Summer | ||
RHB-510 | Cross-Cultural Counseling | 3 |
RHB-520 | Practicum I and Seminar: Motivational Interviewing | 3 |
Credits | 6 | |
Second Year | ||
Fall | ||
RHB-506 | Professional Orientation and Ethics | 3 |
RHB-517 | Career Counseling | 3 |
RHB-518 | Appraisal | 3 |
Credits | 9 | |
Spring | ||
RHB-521 | Practicum II and Seminar | 3 |
RHB-540 | Medical and Psychosocial Aspects of Chronic Illness and Disability | 3 |
RHB-550 | Foundations of Rehabilitation Counseling | 3 |
Credits | 9 | |
Summer | ||
RHB-513 | Couples and Family Counseling | 3 |
RHB-570 | Internship I and Seminar | 3 |
Elective | 3 | |
Credits | 9 | |
Third Year | ||
Fall | ||
RHB-516 | Group Counseling and Group Work | 3 |
RHB-571 | Internship II & Seminar | 3 |
Credits | 6 | |
Total Credits | 48 |
Degree Plan for M.A. in Rehabilitation Counseling, Fall Cohort
First Year | ||
---|---|---|
Fall | Credits | |
RHB-506 | Professional Orientation and Ethics | 3 |
RHB-508 | Human Growth and Development | 3 |
Credits | 6 | |
Spring | ||
RHB-509 | Counseling and Personality Theory | 3 |
RHB-540 | Medical and Psychosocial Aspects of Chronic Illness and Disability | 3 |
Credits | 6 | |
Summer | ||
RHB-510 | Cross-Cultural Counseling | 3 |
RHB-520 | Practicum I and Seminar: Motivational Interviewing | 3 |
Credits | 6 | |
Second Year | ||
Fall | ||
RHB-500 | Research Methods | 3 |
RHB-517 | Career Counseling | 3 |
RHB-518 | Appraisal | 3 |
Credits | 9 | |
Spring | ||
RHB-521 | Practicum II and Seminar | 3 |
RHB-550 | Foundations of Rehabilitation Counseling | 3 |
Credits | 6 | |
Summer | ||
RHB-513 | Couples and Family Counseling | 3 |
RHB-570 | Internship I and Seminar | 3 |
Elective | 3 | |
Credits | 9 | |
Third Year | ||
Fall | ||
RHB-516 | Group Counseling and Group Work | 3 |
RHB-571 | Internship II & Seminar | 3 |
Credits | 6 | |
Total Credits | 48 |