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M.S. Rehabilitation Counseling and Case Management

The Master of Science Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling and Case Management is a forty-nine (49) semester hour program within the Department of Behavioral Sciences and is fully accredited by the nationally recognized Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE).

The mission of the Rehabilitation Counseling and Case Management program is to prepare students to be ethical, multiculturally competent, conscientious, and qualified rehabilitation counselors and professionals who will increaseand enhance the employment, advocacy, social, educational, and independent living opportunities
of individuals of all disability types.

Our mission will be accomplished by several implementation and programmatic objectives, goals, and activities. Implementation objectives are prerequisites for program objectives. The implementation objectives for the Rehabilitation Counseling and Case Management program are as follows:

  1. To provide a quality curriculum representative of the skills and competencies needed to serve consumers with disabilities in a variety of settings and capacities;
  2. To provide academic and experiential opportunities in accordance to standards established by Fort Valley State University, departments, and appropriate accrediting and certifying agencies;
  3. To provide opportunities for students to be interactive with individuals with various types of disabilities;
  4. To make our program accessible to persons from diverse backgrounds;
  5. To make the Rehabilitation Counseling and Case Management Program more visible at local, state, national, and international levels; and
  6. To provide quality clinical counseling skills development and ethical training for students.

The goal of the Rehabilitation Counselor is to assist persons with disabilities to achieve, to the fullest capacity, vocational, social, psychological and economic independence, and improved quality of life. The vigor of Rehabilitation Counseling is one of both autonomy and empowerment in which persons with disabilities exercise the utmost control over their lives.

The graduate training model utilized within the Rehabilitation Counselor Training Program will assist students to acquire a thorough understanding of the medical and psychosocial impact of disability on all areas of the consumer’s life, including vocational and independent living, as well as provide the student with a solid skill and knowledge base in counseling theories and techniques, case management models and procedures, service coordination, career exploration, job development, job placement, and assistive technology.

Further, students will become familiar with the historical components and the various legislative and philosophical underpinnings of the Vocational Rehabilitation System. Graduates of the Rehabilitation Counseling and Case Management program are eligible to sit for the national certifying exam in order to obtain the Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) credential. Eligibility also exists to pursue state licensure as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). For additional information about rehabilitation certification, visit the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification at www.crccertification.com.

All face-to-face classes are held at the Fort Valley State University Warner Robins Center, 151 Osigian Blvd., Suite A, Warner Robins, Georgia. the M.S. in Rehabilitation Counseling and Case Management Program is available as a fully online degree. Beginning in 2012, the Rehabilitation Counseling and Case Management program will be accepting new students for summer and fall semesters only. There is a fully on-campus and a fully online program which admits students each year in the fall and summer. Assessment of program outcomes indicates that 56% of students have graduated within the three year period of 2011-2013. 91% the students have been retained in the RCCM program during the 2011-2013 time period. 48 new students have enrolled in the RCCM program between 2011-2013.

  • Admission Requirements:

    Applicants must possess an undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited institution (in a related field to meet pre-requisites) and meet the following:

    1. Completed Graduate Studies Application, paid application fee,
      Submit two transcripts showing cumulative GPA of at least 2.70 from a regionally accredited institution,
      Submit a personal and professional essay,
      Complete a phone or face-to-face interview,
      Submit a resume containing prior work experience, education, community service and other relevant experience,
      Submit three reference letters.
      GRE scores may be used in the consideration for admission.

    Graduate Assistantships
    Awards are subject to availability, and selection criteria will
    be applied. Application forms are available in 320 Hubbard Education in Fort Valley or via email to gilbertj@fvsu.edu.

    1. Students’ writing and reading proficiency will be assessed in Graduate Studies Orientation, and students in need of greater proficiency will be retested before they reach 18 hours.

    The Rehabilitation Counseling Program’s Curriculum consists of

    • FVSU 0500 -Graduate Studies Orientation – 0 hrs;
    • RCCM 6001 -Comprehensive Review-0 hrs;
    • RCCM 5403 -Introduction to Rehabilitation -3 hrs;
    • RCCM 5413 -Introduction to Case Management -3 hrs;
    • CPSY 5533 -Fundamentals of Statistics and Measurement -3 hrs;
    • CPSY 5623 -Counseling Theories and Process -3 hrs;
    • RCCM 5452 -Rehabilitation Assessment -3 hrs;
    • RCCM 5423 -Medical Case Management -3 hrs;
    • CPSY 5633 -Group Theory and Process -3 hrs;
    • CPSY 5543 -Fundamentals of Research -3 hrs;
    • RCCM 5433 -Psychological Case Management -3 hrs;
    • RCCM 5463 -Vocational Rehabilitation -3 hrs;
    • CPSY 5733 -Psychological Evaluation -3 hrs;
    • RCCM 5441 -Rehabilitation Practicum -1 hr;
    • RCCM 5473 -Introduction to Rehabilitation Technology -3 hrs;
    • RCCM 5633 -Design and Analysis of Rehabilitation Research -3 hrs;
    • RCCM 5706 -Rehabilitation Internship -6 hrs; and
    • Elective* -3 hrs.

    *An elective may be taken during any semester. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following courses:

    • CPSY 5643 -Family Counseling & Guidance -3 hrs
    • CPSY 5663 -Cross Cultural Counseling -3 hrs
  • Graduation Requirements

    Each graduate must have an academic grade-point average (computed overall graduate work attempted) of at least 3.00 (B average). In addition, all candidates for graduation must take and pass the Final Written Comprehensive Examination.

  • Support Services

    The Hubbard Education Building computer laboratory is available to enrolled students, as is the Warner Robins Center computer lab. Library facilities are available in the Hubbard Education Building, Warner Robins Center and the main library.

  • Scholarships

    A limited number of graduate assistantships are offered to qualifying students by the College of Graduate Studies and Extended Education. There are other University level financial assistantships available to qualifying students.

  • Online

    This program is available as a fully online program. For more information, go to http://online.fvsu.edu/ or call: (478) 825-6338.

  • Practicum

    For a student to be eligible for the Rehabilitation Practicum, students must have taken and satisfactorily completed several prerequisites. With permission, however, some courses may be taken concurrently with the Rehabilitation Practicum. To be eligible for the Rehabilitation Practicum, the courses to take and complete are as follows:

    • RCCM 5403 -Introduction to Rehabilitation -3 hrs,
    • RCCM 5413 -Introduction to Case Management -3 hrs,
    • RCCM 5423 -Medical Case Management -3 hrs, and
    • CPSY 5623 -Counseling Theories and Process -3 hrs.
  • Internship

    To be eligible for RCCM 5706 Rehabilitation Internship, the student must have taken and satisfactorily completed at least 75% of his/her coursework, including the practicum. This percentage coincides with the criterion used by the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC) eligibility requirements for students to take the Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) exam under Category G. Thus, the internship is generally taken towards the end of a student’s academic training.

    The internship is designed to give the student practice in the delivery of services to individuals with disabilities. The student is required to complete six-hundred (600) clock hours of clinical experience as a student counselor or human service provider in an appropriate agency. In addition, the student must provide service to consumers with disabilities under the supervision of a qualified professional who has been designated as the agency field instructor. Two copies of the field instruction application should be completed and returned to the Field Instruction Coordinator for approval. The application for internship should be made one term prior to the term in which the student anticipates participating in the internship. Late applications may be considered for the following semester.

  • Clubs and Organizations

    Students are strongly encouraged to become members of the Graduate Student Association and the Graduate and Professional Student Council. In addition, students are strongly encourage to become members of professional rehabilitation organizations such as the National Rehabilitation Association (NRA), National Rehabilitation Counseling Association (NRCA), National Association of Multicultural Rehabilitation Concerns (NAMRC), American Rehabilitation Counseling Association (ARCA), the Association for Persons in Supported Employment (APSE): The Network on Employment, National Commission on Rehabilitation Education (NCRE), National Association for Independent Living (NAIL), Vocational Evaluation and Work Adjustment Association (VEWAA), and the International Association of Rehabilitation Professionals (IARP).

  • Career Opportunities

    Rehabilitation Counselors enjoy increasing employment opportunities in a wide variety of settings, including mental health facilities, group homes, rehabilitation centers, substance abuse treatment centers, independent living centers, correctional facilities, hospitals, high schools, as transitional rehabilitation counselors, universities, as well as private vocational rehabilitation and public vocational rehabilitation programs. For further information concerning career opportunities in the rehabilitation profession, please visit Rehab Careers. To learn more about the outlook of the rehabilitation counseling field, please visit Bureau of Labor Statistics.

  • Research

    Students may wish to pursue their own research initiatives under guidance of faculty. However, faculty members and students may, collaboratively, work on research projects. Some of the faculty research interests include international rehabilitation research, veterans with disabilities, employment outcomes of ethnic minorities with disabilities, multiculturalism, spirituality and rehabilitation, and attitudes toward individuals with disabilities.

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RCCM_BrochureNov2011.pdf161.93 KB
 
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