USF 2002-2003 Undergraduate Catalog - Pages 115 - 116

Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling (REF)

Course Descriptions - Faculty - Printable Degree Requirements

A five-year master's program is available to undergraduates where an M.A. degree in Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling and a bachelor's degree in another major (if desired) can be earned in a total program of 150 semester hours. Students admitted through the five-year program (REF) must have completed 90 semester hours of work, including required courses in the undergraduate major, and have satisfied General Education, CLAST, and Rule 6A-10.30 (Gordon Rule) requirements. Minimum admission requirements include a total Verbal-Quantitative score of at least 1000 on the GRE or a "B" average over the last 60 semester hours. All applicants must take the GRE whether or not they have a 3.0 grade-point average. A detailed description of the M.A. program in Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling may be found in the Graduate Catalog and on the internet at http://www.cas.usf.edu/rehab_counseling/index.html.

Undergraduates interested in the five-year program (REF) should contact the department during their sophomore year. They should concentrate on taking required courses in their undergraduate major, and should generally defer taking electives until admitted to the five-year program. Applications for the five-year program are available from the Department. GRE scores must be reported to USF before any application can be processed, and three letters of recommendation are required.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Department of Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling is to promote quality services for individuals with differences in abilities and to help the state meet its human service needs in the areas of rehabilitation and mental health through teaching, research and service.

Objectives

1. To provide students with a sound knowledge of the basic philosophical tenets and relevant historical foundations of rehabilitation and mental health counseling, and to prepare master’s level rehabilitation and mental health counselors who adhere to ethical principals, including the belief in human dignity and the right of all individuals to fully participate in society.

2. To prepare master’s level rehabilitation and mental health counselors to be critical consumers of information and to encourage participation in and contributions to the expansion of knowledge in the fields of rehabilitation and mental health counseling.

3. To encourage the professional growth and development of master’s level rehabilitation and mental health counselors through the promotion of on-going involvement in the rehabilitation community at the local, state, and national levels, and to promote advocacy on behalf of people with differences in abilities.

Rehabilitation Counselors work in a wide variety of settings, including public and private rehabilitation programs and facilities, mental health treatment settings, and substance abuse treatment settings. Some establish their own private rehabilitation or mental health counseling practices.

Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling have roots in both the national rehabilitation movement and professional counseling movement. Training, which includes experiential learning, emphasizes psychological, social, medical, and vocational aspects of disability; and also the development and refinement of personal adjustment and mental health counseling skills. Graduates with an M.A. degree from the USF Department of Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling are prepared for careers as both rehabilitation and mental health counselors. A special elective concentration in substance abuse is offered, and other study concentrations can be arranged on an individual basis.

The graduate program in Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling is fully accredited by the Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE), the national accrediting body for rehabilitation counselor training programs. Upon completion of the program, graduates are eligible to sit for the national certification examination of the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification. After passing this examination, the graduate is registered with the Commission as a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC). Within the 60 hour M.A. program, graduates are also able to meet Florida's educational standards for licensure as a Clinical Mental Health Counselor. The Department offers two, 15-semester hour, graduate certificate programs: (1) Addictions and Substance Abuse Counseling; and (2) Marriage and Family Therapy.

Please send questions or comments to:
Karen M. Hall - webCat@ugs.usf.edu
Effective Date: Semester I, 2002

http://www.ugs.usf.edu/catalogs/0203/rehab.htm