Return to: 4120 Department of Counseling and Psychological Services
The M.S. major in Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling prepares the students for employment in a variety of corporate and agency rehabilitation settings. The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) accredits the Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling program. Students who complete the program are prepared to take the examination for certification as a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor, as well as National Certified Counselor exam.
Program Objectives
The clinical rehabilitation counselor employs skills, instrumentation, and techniques to assist people to identify and resolve personal, social, vocational, intrapersonal, and interpersonal concerns.
The rehabilitation counselor is prepared to:
- work individually with clients on educational, vocational, social, emotional, or personal problems.
- consult with other professionals and administrators concerning the client’s development needs.
- participate in psychological assessment programs, including the interpretation of test results.
- provide information and understanding to clients in the areas of educational, social, or vocational planning.
- conduct and facilitate local research efforts.
Program Academic Regulations
A minimum of 60 semester hours of graduate coursework must be completed with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.00. Degree objectives may require more than the minimum number of hours to meet certain professional standards.
Usually, nine semester hours of the students’ program consist of laboratory experiences. The remainder of the courses occurs in classroom settings. The program culminates in an extensive supervised practicum and internship.
During their first term of enrollment, all clinical rehabilitation counseling students must complete CPS 6010 with a grade of “B” or higher. If the students do not complete CPS 6010 with a grade of “B” or higher, they may not register for any other CPS course until they have completed CPS 6010 with a grade of “B” or higher. Students will be allowed to retake CPS 6010 for this reason only once. CPS 6010 is offered only during fall term.
The following courses must be completed before the students may take their comprehensive examination: CPS 6010, CPS 6410, CPS 6450, CPS 7260, CPS 7300, CPS 7340, CPS 7450, CPS 7500, CPS 8100, CPS 8320, CPS 8380, CPS 8410, CPS 8460, CPS 8470 and EPRS 7900. Contact the Department of Counseling and Psychological Services (404/413-8010) for information on the comprehensive examination schedule.
For clinical rehabilitation counseling students to be eligible to begin the applied practice (CPS 7663), he or she must have successfully completed the following courses: CPS 6010, CPS 6410, CPS 6450, CPS 7260, CPS 7340, CPS 7450, CPS 7500, CPS 8100, CPS 8320, CPS 8410, and CPS 8470. Students may be required to take an approved advanced counseling skills course prior to or concurrently with their practicum (CPS 7663) and internship (CPS 7683), depending on course offering. Students must also attend a practicum internship workshop prior to starting internship. These workshop dates are announced on the CPS website during the first fall semester of the program. Students are approved to begin applied practice based on the number of hours and courses they have completed in their programs, and based on space available in applied practice sections. The department may delay students’ beginning their applied practice for one or more academic terms. Students must maintain a 3.00 cumulative GPA to participate in the practicum/internship sequence.
Evaluation of a student’s performance is continuous and involves consideration of the student’s academic performance as well as the student’s performance in laboratory, applied practice, and internship classes. A student may be dropped from a course and/or the program if the welfare of the student’s clientele or prospective clientele or the functioning of a school or agency is, in the judgment of the CPS faculty, in jeopardy as a result of the student’s behavior. Students in this program are expected to follow the latest version of the American Counseling Association (ACA) Code of Ethics, as well as the most recent version of The Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC) Code of Professional Ethics.
Departmental Endorsement Policy
The Department of Counseling and Psychological Services requires that program faculty endorsement be given only for the program for which the graduate students have been prepared.