USF 1999-2000 Undergraduate Catalog - Page 103

Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling (REF)

Course Descriptions

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 Distribution, 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. The GRE must be taken by all applicants 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.

The mission of Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling is to help individuals with physical, mental, and psychiatric disabilities return to full, rewarding, and productive lives. 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.

USF 1999-2000 Undergraduate Catalog - Page 111

Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling Faculty

Please send questions or comments to:
Karen M. Hall - webCat@ugs.usf.edu
Effective Date: Semester I, 1999