Rehabilitation Counseling

The mission of the Rehabilitation Counseling Program is to prepare counselors with knowledge and skills to improve the quality of life for persons with disabilities. The program provides didactic and clinical experiences that equip students to address functional, psychosocial, and vocational aspects of disability.

Program objectives:

• train students to achieve appropriate professional credentials as certified rehabilitation counselors and/or licensed professional counselors 

• provide students with academic and clinical training to promote development as professional counselors

• ensure that students are familiar with resources to address the needs of people with disabilities in the communities in which they live

Highlights of the program:

• accredited by the Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE), so students are eligible to take the Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) exam when 75% of their coursework is completed

• ranked #3 of all CORE accredited programs by U.S. News & World Report in 2007

• able to fund most students for tuition and a stipend for one year of study through federal Rehabilitation Services Administration grants

• over the past five years, 100% of the graduates of this program have found employment as rehabilitation counselors

• one of the oldest programs in the country

• strong emphasis on multiculturalism and training our students to be culturally aware counselors

Degrees offered: 

Either the M.Ed. or M.S. degree may be earned. The M.Ed. requires a departmental paper, the M.S. requires additional statistics/research courses and a thesis. Students are admitted into the M.Ed. but may switch to the M.S. The master's degree in counselor education with a rehabilitation counseling emphasis is a terminal degree.

 
Length of program:

The Rehabilitation Counseling emphasis is a two-year program, with a fall semester start date. Students are required to complete 51 credits, including a one-semester, off-campus internship. The internship may be completed in a variety of settings that provide rehabilitation counseling services. Students who wish to work towards counselor licensure may choose to take additional courses.

Psychiatric Rehabilitation option:

A psychiatric rehabilitation option has been developed that includes the regular program content and two additional courses, RHS 401 (Community Mental Health Practice and Services) and PSYCH 470 (Abnormal Psychology). Students who elect this option will also be required to do an internship serving clients with psychiatric disabilities, as well as complete a related master's paper or thesis.

Program Coordinator
Brandon Hunt, Ph.D.
327 CEDAR Building
Univeristy Park, PA 16802
(814) 863-2408