STUDENT HANDBOOK
M. S. in Rehabilitation Counseling
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
School of Health Related Professions
Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Professions
School of Health Related Professions
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction: 3
Degree Description: 3
Mission Statement: 4
Consistency with the Mission of UMDNJ: 4
Consistency with the Mission of the School of Health Related Professions: 5
M.S. Program in Rehabilitation Counseling Objectives: 6
Statement of Philosophy and Expectations of Students: 7
Accreditation: 9
Admission Requirements, Application Procedures, and Selection Criteria: 9
Accommodations: 11
Course Times and Locations: 11
The Curriculum: 11
Number of Credits Required: 12
Requirements for Graduation: M.S. in Rehabilitation Counseling 12
Suggested Course Sequence for Part-time Students: 13
Suggested Course Sequence for Full-time Students: 14
Course Descriptions: 15
Practicum and Internship Requirements: 15
Professional Liability Insurance: 15
Ethical Standards: 16
Orientation and Advisement: 16
Transferring Credit: 17
SHRP Handbook and SHRP Policies: 17
Department Policies Regarding Academic Standing and Retention: 18
Academic Decision and Grade Review Process: 20
Non-Matriculated Students: 20
Certificate Programs: 21
Scholarships, Financial Assistance, and Graduate Assistantships: 22
RSA Grant: 23
Communication with Students: 23
University Library Facilities: 24
Computer Facilities, E-mail Accounts and Computer Competence: 24
Student Services: 25
Professional Identity and Affiliation: 25
Employment Opportunities in Rehabilitation Counseling: 26
Credentials: 26
Endorsement: 27
Web Site: 28
Other Degree Programs: 28
Questions about the M.S. in Rehabilitation Counseling: 29
General Questions about the Degree and about the Scotch Plains Campus: 29
Questions about the Stratford Campus: 29
Travel Directions: 29
Appendix A: Description of Courses 30
Introduction:
This Handbook is designed for current and prospective students in the Master of Science (M.S.) degree program in Rehabilitation Counseling. The intention of the Handbook is to make information available to all interested individuals. This includes information on our mission, application procedures, course descriptions and graduation requirements. The Handbook is a supplement to the catalog of the School of Health Related Professions (SHRP) of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ). If you have questions about the degree or need additional information, contact Dr. Janice Oursler, Program Director, at (908) 889-2462 or by e-mail at .
Note: This Handbook is informational only and does not constitute a contract between UMDNJ and any student. It may be changed by UMDNJ without prior notice to students. Any rules, regulations, policies, procedures or other representations made herein may be interpreted and applied by UMDNJ to promote fairness and academic excellence, based on the circumstances of each individual student.
Degree Description:
The M.S. degree in Rehabilitation Counseling is offered by the Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Professions. Our mission is to educate individuals to be proficient providers of counseling services with a specialization in rehabilitation counseling to empower people with disabilities to pursue career and related goals in the community with success and satisfaction. UMDNJ as a leader in health professions education is ideally suited to provide this program.
The M.S. in Rehabilitation Counseling is accredited by the Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE). CORE describes a Rehabilitation Counselor as a counselor who possesses the specialized knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to collaborate in a professional counseling relationship with people who have disabilities to achieve their personal, social, psychological, and career goals. This is a 51 credit degree.
The Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Professions also offers a M.S. degree in Psychiatric Rehabilitation. This 36 credit degree, available only on-line, focuses on the study of Leadership. This degree is designed for individuals interested in careers in supervision and management, research or teaching in the field of psychiatric rehabilitation. This is not a counseling degree and thus does not seek CORE accreditation. For additional information about the Leadership Track, contact Dr. Carlos Pratt, Program Director, at (908) 889-2461 or by e-mail at .
The M.S. in Rehabilitation Counseling is designed to enhance the career advancement of experienced people already working in the field of rehabilitation as well as prepare people to enter the field. Highly qualified personnel are needed to provide counseling services in community settings to persons with disabilities, including psychiatric, physical and developmental disabilities. Professionals with graduate degrees in rehabilitation counseling are in high demand in New Jersey and the surrounding region as well as nationally. Employment settings include community-based agencies, state and federal government agencies, the insurance industry, and private practice.
Mission Statement:
The mission of the M.S. program in Rehabilitation Counseling is to educate individuals to be socially responsible professionals who will work competently, creatively and collaboratively in community settings in the field of counseling with a specialization in rehabilitation so that people with disabilities are empowered to pursue career and other related goals with success and satisfaction. We also seek to address New Jersey’s ongoing needs to prepare counselors with specialized expertise in providing counseling in community settings for people with disabilities of all types, including psychiatric, physical and developmental. The increased availability of counselors with this expertise is expected to benefit persons with disabilities as well as their families and their communities by providing community-based counseling services that will enable persons with disabilities to enhance their quality of life within the community including their ability to live independently, get and keep employment, gain an education, and form social relationships and networks. The mission of the M.S. program in Rehabilitation Counseling is consistent with that of UMDNJ and SHRP.
Consistency with the Mission of UMDNJ:
UMDNJ is New Jersey's state wide system of health sciences education. The mission of UMDNJ is to meet the needs of our diverse constituencies and improve the health and quality of life of the citizens of New Jersey and society at large. UMDNJ seeks to enhance the health of all New Jerseyans through broad-based programs covering every aspect of the health sciences. UMDNJ has demonstrated a long-standing commitment to the advancement of the health sciences, through teaching, research, and healing. This is accomplished through UMDNJ’s network of campuses around the state as well as its comprehensive network of health care services including community-based health services in New Jersey. This degree program complements the University's mission to improve the quality of life of citizens of New Jersey and society at large by preparing future professionals with expertise in counseling persons with disabilities in community settings, which would be expected to improve the quality of life of such persons. In this effort, the mission of the M.S. in Rehabilitation Counseling is consistent with that of UMDNJ.
UMDNJ has traditionally responded to existing academic, health personnel, and service delivery needs in the State of New Jersey. This degree was designed to address existing gaps in the counseling field as related to providing counseling services to individuals residing in the community who have disabilities. There has been a long-standing shortage in New Jersey of highly qualified counselors with expertise in this area to meet the needs of individuals with disabilities. UMDNJ is the only university in New Jersey offering such a program to address the counseling needs of person with disabilities in community settings.
The M.S. in Rehabilitation Counseling is offered at two campuses, one in Scotch Plains serving students in Northern and Central New Jersey and the other in Stratford serving students in Southern New Jersey. This is expected to assist in meeting needs for qualified rehabilitation counseling professionals throughout New Jersey by permitting students to take courses at a campus near home or work. Additionally, the availability of this degree helps address the shortage by preparing counseling professionals to practice in a variety of community-based settings.
Consistent with UMDNJ's overall mission, the M.S. program in Rehabilitation Counseling expands educational opportunities for New Jerseyans and seeks to improve the quality of life of New Jerseyans who have disabilities, including psychiatric, physical and developmental disabilities, through preparation of professional personnel who will provide high quality counseling services. This degree program is also available to students from regions surrounding New Jersey who are interested in preparing for a career in this field.
Consistency with the Mission of the School of Health Related Professions:
Consistent with the mission of the School of Health Related professions (SHRP), the mission of this degree program involves educating socially responsible counseling professionals with a specialization in rehabilitation who will work competently, creatively and collaboratively in a dynamic, community-based health care environment. Additionally, the philosophy of SHRP views education, quality health care, practice, and research as a community effort.
Specific contributions to the mission and goals of SHRP include:
1. Providing students with quality educational experiences and diverse practical experience through a variety of affiliations: The M.S. in Rehabilitation Counseling is accredited by the Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE), an indictor of quality. The Department regularly conducts self-study activities to evaluate the quality of the M.S. program in Rehabilitation Counseling and implement improvements as needed. Student clinical education takes place at a variety of sites in the community including community-based agencies, state and federal government agencies, and other facilities throughout the state and surrounding areas. Considerations in establishing affiliations include developing affiliations with agencies that are sites conducive to modeling, demonstration, and training in order to introduce students to community-based counseling approaches and rehabilitation issues that affect service delivery, to promote personal growth and professional development of the student as part of the clinical experience, and to offer students opportunities to provide services to culturally diverse populations. Signed affiliations agreements are maintained with all agencies where clinical education takes place.
2. Promoting and providing support for continuing professional development: The M.S. degree in Rehabilitation Counseling is designed for working rehabilitation professionals as well as for people interested in entering the field. A variety of options for study are offered to meet the needs of individuals throughout their careers. Options that promote continuing professional development include the availability of attending part-time or full-time, many evening classes, matriculated and non-matriculated enrollment, a three-semester schedule, and multiple locations. These are all intended to facilitate the ability to pursue educational and career goals simultaneously. Also, strong relationships with the counseling professional community are maintained including ongoing consultation and collaboration. Examples of such collaboration include representation on the Advisory Committee for the M.S. program in Rehabilitation Counseling; meetings of program faculty with community agency and government program administrators, supervisors and staff; faculty orientation and training for agency supervisors of student clinical experiences, and active involvement in professional organizations such as the New Jersey chapters of the American Counseling Association and the National Rehabilitation Association.
3. Providing educational, consultative, and other services:
Through both volunteer and faculty practice activities, the Department seeks to provide educational, consultative and other services to other units of the university as well as the community of counseling and rehabilitation service providers. Faculty and students also serve the community through participating in and improving services for underserved individuals with disabilities.
M.S. Program in Rehabilitation Counseling Objectives:
Objectives for the M.S. program in Rehabilitation Counseling include:
1. Preparing at the master’s degree level highly qualified counselors with a specialization in rehabilitation counseling who are prepared to work in a variety of community settings.
2. Increasing the supply of qualified professionals with special counseling expertise in the rehabilitation of persons with disabilities to provide community-based counseling services for New Jersey and the surrounding region. As the only university in New Jersey offering graduate counseling education with a specialization in rehabilitation counseling, we have designed this degree to address the long-standing shortage of master’s level counseling practitioners with this expertise to serve communities in New Jersey. This includes increasing the supply of qualified practitioners throughout the state by offering the degree regionally at two campuses.
3. Evaluating and improving curriculum and other program elements to assure Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE) standards continue to be met.
4. Increasing awareness of the M.S. program in Rehabilitation Counseling in the counseling community as well as in the larger New Jersey community and surrounding regions to recruit and enroll adequate numbers of students.
5. Developing certificate programs and/or courses to meet the needs of counseling professionals who wish to upgrade their qualifications and credentials in working with individuals with disabilities.
6. Providing a career ladder for individuals who have obtained a bachelor’s degree in rehabilitation and are interested in completing preparation as a counselor with a specialization in counseling individuals with disabilities.
7. Seeking funding including grants to assist students with tuition.
8. Expanding affiliations to provide students with a variety of community counseling practice opportunities.
9. Developing faculty practice with an emphasis on community service.
Statement of Philosophy and Expectations of Students:
The Rehabilitation Counseling faculty at UMDNJ affirms its commitment to rehabilitation counseling as a specialization within the field of counseling providing an effective process to assist individuals with disabilities to choose, get and keep roles they value in the community. Among the roles individuals are interested in attaining and maintaining are worker, student, independent community resident, and member of a social network. Through professional practice, the process of finding or renewing purpose and meaning in life is enhanced as individuals with disabilities gain or regain roles that they prefer and value in the community.
To accomplish the mission of the program and to prepare program graduates to work in a variety of settings including community agencies, government agencies, and other community based services, we seek to provide students with a broad knowledge of the counseling field including theory, research, ethical practices and decision-making, a well-developed set of interpersonal and counseling skills as applied to the helping relationship, and specialized knowledge of counseling individuals with disabilities in the community. The curriculum is designed to educate students in the knowledge base of the field including current research combined with supervised clinical experience in counseling to practice that knowledge base. It is recognized that an interaction between these elements is essential.