Fort Valley State University

The Master of Science Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling and Case Management is a forty-eight (48) semester hour program within the Department of Counseling Psychology and is fully accredited by the nationally recognized Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE). The mission of the Rehabilitation Counselor program is to prepare professional rehabilitation counselors with the necessary knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to work effectively with persons who have physical, mental, or emotional disabilities. 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 the rehabilitation profession, visit www.rehabjobs.org.

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 three standards.

1. Standardized Test Scores of 44 or 395 above on the MAT and a score of 800 or above on the GRE,
2. Cumulative GPA of at least 2.50 from a regionally accredited institution, and
3. applicants must pass the Regents Test or completion of ENGL 0054 or completion of the English Fundamentals Examination and Reading Examination. If any standard is not met, the student may be considered for Provisional Admission.

The Rehabilitation Counseling and Case Management program requires a minimum of forty-eight (48) semester hours. The content courses are:

• 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 -2 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
• 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. Library facilities are available both 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 assistance available to qualifying students.

Internships

To be eligible for RCCM 5706 Rehabilitation Internship, the student must have taken and satisfactorily completed the following courses with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better with no outstanding “incomplete” grades:

• RCCM 5403 -Introduction to Rehabilitation -3 hrs
• RCCM 5413 -Introduction to Case Management -3 hrs
• RCCM 5423 -Medical Case Management -3 hrs
• RCCM 5441 -Rehabilitation Practicum -1 hr
• CPSY 5623 -Counseling Theories and Process -3 hrs

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), American Rehabilitation Counseling Association (ARCA), 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 the rehabilitation profession, please visit www.rehabjobs.org .

Research

Dothel W. Edwards, Jr., Coordinator/Assistant Professor - Ethics in Rehabilitation and Multicultural Issues among Adults with Developmental Disabilities, Life Care Planning, Forensic Rehabilitation