University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey
Program Evaluation
and Self-Study Report:
M.S. in Rehabilitation Counseling
Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation
and Counseling Professions
School of Health Related Professions
University of Medicine and Dentistry
of New Jersey
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Program Overview and Background: 3
Overview of Degree and Curriculum: 6
Appropriateness of Program’s Mission and Objectives: 7
Content and Design of Academic Curriculum: 8
Graduate Achievements: 13
Recruitment and Retention of Students: 15
Program Recognition, Support and Resources: 18
Overall Faculty Strength: 20
Summary of Self-Study Results: 22
Appendix A: Student Survey: Summary of Results 24
Appendix B: Graduate Survey: Summary of Results 34
Appendix C: Employer Survey: Summary of Results 45
Appendix D: Report of Alumni Focus Groups 50
Appendix E: Clinical Supervisor Survey: Summary of Results 58
Appendix F: Rehabilitation Counseling Advisory Committee Members 63
47
UNIVERSITY OF MEDICINE & DENTISTRY OF NEW JERSEY
SCHOOL OF HEALTH RELATED PROFESSIONS
Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Professions
M.S. in Rehabilitation Counseling
Program Overview and Background:
The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) is New Jersey’s public university of the health sciences. It is the largest such institution in the nation with more than 5400 students in eight schools on five campuses. Founded in 1970 by an act of the State Legislature as the College of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, UMDNJ was created to consolidate and unify all of the State’s public programs in medical and dental education. Status as a freestanding university was granted in 1981 in recognition of UMDNJ’s growth and development as a statewide system for health care.
In 1978, the School of Health Related Professions (SHRP), then called the School of Allied Health Professions, became a separate entity within the University offering 11 certificate programs on the Newark Campus. SHRP applied in 1987 to the New Jersey Board of Higher Education to seek degree-granting authority and gained approval for the first bachelor’s degree program in 1988. Today, SHRP is composed of 33 academic programs housed in nine departments. Degrees are offered at all levels including undergraduate with both the associate and bachelor degree and graduate including master’s and doctoral degree programs. Many programs, particularly on the undergraduate level, are in partnership with other colleges and universities.
The Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Professions started in 1992 with the associate degree program in partnership with one community college. In the early days of the Department, there was one full time faculty, Dr. Ken Gill, now Department Chair, and four part-time faculty. The Department has grown to offer degrees at all levels, that is, the associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees. Currently, the Department has over 30 full time faculty. The name of the Department was changed in Fall, 2007 from the previous name of Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Behavioral Health Care to the current name of Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Professions, which more accurately reflects the Department’s mission.
In addition to academic programs, Department operates or has a major role in a number of projects demonstrating best practices in psychiatric rehabilitation. These projects include:
· The Integrated Employment Institute: Provides education, training, and technical assistance to mental health providers on best practices in employment services for people with severe and persistent mental illness.
· The Center for the Study and Promotion of Recovery: Conducts research on the study of recovery from serious mental illnesses, and provides workshops to promote wellness and recovery.
· UMDNJ - State Hospitals Evidence Based Practices Initiatives: The Department is a partner in the UMDNJ clinical affiliation with New Jersey’s state hospitals, implementing psychiatric rehabilitation services.
The Rehabilitation Counseling program started in July, 1999, with an initial class of 23 students, all employees of one of New Jersey’s two state vocational rehabilitation agencies. The program was started in response to the need for qualified professional rehabilitation counselors in New Jersey. There had been no program in rehabilitation counseling in New Jersey from 1985, when a private university closed its program, to the start of our program. The establishment of the program was consistent with the UMDNJ mission of seeking 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.
Rehabilitation counseling was a track within the M.S. in Psychiatric Rehabilitation until March, 2002, when the M.S. in Rehabilitation Counseling was approved as a separate degree. The program graduated its first class in May, 2002.
The program received accreditation from the Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE) as a Candidate for Accreditation effective September, 2001. After meeting the requirement concerning program graduates, the program received full accreditation status for an eight-year term effective September, 2004.
Periodic program review and evaluation is required by the School of Health Related Professions (SHRP) Bylaws Section 3.1. The findings of such review and evaluation are reported to the Department Chair and to the SHRP Dean. Program evaluation to assess and review major elements and overall effectiveness of the program in relation to its mission and objectives is also an accreditation requirement. This report is intended to address these requirements.
Per Department policy, the Program Director plans and implements program review and evaluation efforts. Planning and data collection began in Spring, 2007 and was completed in Spring, 2008. The major approaches used to gather data for this self-study were as follows:
· Survey of current students: This survey focused on students’ overall experience in the program including their experiences with university services such as the library, bookstore, information technology services, administrative services, orientation, advisement, and tutoring or counseling services. This survey was distributed to all current students at both campuses in class in Spring, 2007. Students were also asked to comment on areas of program strength, areas for improvement, and changes they had noted over the past year in terms of areas that had improved and areas that were not as good.
· Graduate Survey: A mail survey was sent to all program graduates in Fall, 2007. This survey focused on graduates’ perceptions of their preparation for employment in specific curriculum areas as compared to other practitioners in the discipline with similar education and experience, whether they would recommend the program to others, if they would choose the same profession if given the chance to start over, and their identification of areas of program strength and areas for improvement.
· Employer Survey: As part of the Graduate Survey, graduates were asked to give the Employer Survey to their current employer. The Employer Survey was accompanied by a return envelope so that the employer could mail the survey directly to the program. This Survey focused on employer perspectives about the knowledge and skills of the program graduate working in the agency, whether the employer would rehire this employee, program strengths and areas for improvement, and any other comments the employer would like to make.
· Alumni Focus Groups: Focuses groups were held on each campus. A letter was sent to program graduates in the Classes of 2002 to 2005 to invite them to participate in a focus group on the campus from which they had graduated. The focus group was moderated by a Department faculty member, who was experienced in leading such groups and who had not taught in the program. Groups were asked a predetermined set of questions. Responses were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed for themes.
· Clinical Supervisor Survey: This survey was conducted after the end of the Spring, 2008 internship course. The survey was distributed by mail for the Scotch Plains campus and by e-mail for the Stratford campus. This survey focused on student preparation for activities required in the practicum and internship as well as the relationship established between clinical supervisors and the program.
· Department Curriculum Committee review of syllabi for required courses for assessment in terms of meeting Department, SHRP, and accreditation standards.
· Review of course evaluations for each required course: Students complete course evaluations for each course at the end of the semester. Results of these evaluations are made available to faculty who taught the course and are reviewed by the Program Director and Department Chair. This is an ongoing process.
· Rehabilitation Counseling Advisory Committee Reviews: The program’s Advisory Committee was asked to review results of all surveys as well as review the program’s mission and objectives. Committee membership includes employers, graduates, current students, persons with disabilities, and family members. A list of the membership is at the end of this report.
Reports of the results from the Student Survey, Graduate Survey, Employer Survey, Alumni Focus Groups, and Clinical Supervisor Survey including the instruments used follow this report.
Overview of Degree and Curriculum:
The M.S. in Rehabilitation Counseling is offered at two UMDNJ campuses, the campus in Scotch Plains, which serves Northern and Central New Jersey and the New York City area, and the Stratford campus, which serves Southern New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania including the Philadelphia area. Completing the M.S. in Rehabilitation Counseling requires 51 credits. All courses have been approved by the Department’s Curriculum Committee and SHRP’s Committee on Course and Curriculum Review. The degree can be completed in two years on a full-time basis or three years on a part-time basis. This includes attendance in the summer semester as certain courses are offered only in this semester. The course of study includes:
27 credits - Counseling core
12 credits – Specialized counseling courses
9 credits - Counseling practice including practicum and internship
3 credits – Elective
Specific courses required to complete the degree are listed below. Each course is three credits unless otherwise noted.
Core Counseling Courses 27 Credits
PSRT 5102 Counseling Techniques I
PSRT 5323 Theories of Counseling and Personality
PSRT 5103 Human Growth and Development
PSRT 5242 Group Methods
PSRT 5313 Foundations of the Counseling Profession
PSRT 5315 Evaluation and Assessment
PSRT 5320 Social and Cultural Diversity Issues
PSRT 5201 Career Development Theory
PSRT 5030 Statistical and Research Methods
Specialized Courses in Counseling Individuals with Disabilities 12 Credits
PSRT 5310 Psychosocial Aspects of Disability
PSRT 5132 Medical Aspects of Disabilities
PSRT 5123 Community Counseling and Resources
PSRT 5403 Career Counseling and Consultation
Clinical Practice 9 Credits
PSRT 6011 Practicum in Counseling
PSRT 6012 Internship in Counseling (6 credits)
Elective 3 Credits
The elective is selected from graduate level courses in advanced practice. By advisement, students may take as an elective a graduate course from another department such as Interdisciplinary Studies. Examples of electives include the following:
PSRT 5101 Seminar in Principles and Practices of Psychiatric Rehabilitation
PSRT 5203 Counseling Techniques II
PSRT 5252 Addictions and Mental Illness
PSRT 5111 Program and Organizational Development
PSRT 4015 Wellness and Recovery
PSRT 4271 Role of Families in Rehabilitation
PSRT 5051 Seminar in Evidence-based and Emerging Practices
Appropriateness of Program’s Mission and Objectives:
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.
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.
Program mission and objectives are reviewed annually in the program’s Annual Report. Input from the Department Chair is obtained as part of the preparation of the Report. This Report is submitted to the SHRP Dean, who also reviews and comments on program mission and objectives.
As part of this self-study, program mission and objectives were reviewed by the Rehabilitation Counseling Advisory Committee, which includes agency representatives, current students, program graduates, persons with disabilities, and family members. A list of Advisory Committee members is at the end of this report. Advisory Committee members concurred that the mission and objectives are appropriate for the program. They commented that the objectives addressed a variety of areas including counselor preparation, addressing community needs, funding for students, career ladders for those already in the field, program affiliations, and community service.