2009-2010 Graduate Studies Bulletin (Archived Copy) [Archived Catalog]
Rehabilitation Counseling, M.R.C.
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Graduates are specialized professionals who assist persons with physical, mental, developmental, cognitive, addictions-based and other disabilities, as well as other forms of disadvantagement. They help these individuals deal with personal, interpersonal, and societal problems; plan careers; and find and maintain appropriate employment. The counseling process involves communication, goal setting, and facilitating personal growth or beneficial change through advocacy, psychological, vocational, social, and behavioral interventions. The counselors work with individuals, organizations, and advocacy groups that address environmental and social barriers that create obstacles for persons with disabilities. In effect, they build bridges between persons with disabilities, their families, communities, and work places. They also collaborate with physicians, psychologists, therapists, and others in assisting rehabilitants in pursuing their vocational and independent-living goals. Because employment is a major problem for persons with disabilities, rehabilitation counselors work closely with employers and representatives of the business community to identify job opportunities and to make work environments more accommodating.
Major employers of rehabilitation counselors in South Carolina include The South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation Department, the South Carolina Department of Mental Health, and the South Carolina Commission for the Blind as well as a variety of addictions treatment agencies. Rehabilitation counselors also serve as consultants to insurance companies, industry, and educational institutions. Recently, rehabilitation counselors have begun to coordinate and arrange for rehabilitation and transition services for children with disabilities who are in school. Also, geriatric services are now being provided to older persons who are experiencing changing lifestyles and health problems. Increasingly, industrially disabled workers are receiving rehabilitation counseling services through private rehabilitation companies and employers’ in-house disability management and employee assistance programs. Persons who have severe disabilities that limit opportunities for full-time competitive employment may also be assisted through independent-living service programs and supported employment arrangements developed and provided by rehabilitation counselors.
The rehabilitation counseling program is based in the School of Medicine’s Department of Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Science. The program is accredited by the Council on Rehabilitation Education. Program graduates are eligible to take state professional counselor licensure exams and a national certification exam administered by the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification.
The 48 credit hour curriculum includes classroom study, clinical skills development activities, and field experience. Major content areas include individual and group counseling theory and practice, medical and psychological aspects of disabilities, assessment techniques, vocational and career issues, case management, and cultural competency. Interdisciplinary team functioning is emphasized, as well as a holistic view of individuals with disabilities. Counseling activities are learned within a social-systems framework that considers individuals in the context of their families and communities. Thirty-six of the hours consist of classroom-based course work directed at knowledge and skill development. Six of these credit hours of study consist of elective courses selected on the basis of student interest and relevance to career objectives.
Full scholarships may be available to qualifying students through the Rehabilitation Services Administration. These scholarships prepare rehabilitation counselors to assume employment in the State/Federal rehabilitation system serving in area of identified need. These scholarships require a payback of time spent in employment in the State.Federal vocational rehabilitation system or identified vendors.
The last semester of training consists of a full-time internship. Internships can be served in a variety of state agencies, community programs, and private organizations. In some instances, out-of-state internships can be arranged. These activities are intended to facilitate the development and enhancement of the spectrum of counseling activities within the context of real practice settings, assuring adequate competency to fulfill appropriate professional roles upon graduation.
Applicants to the program must have earned a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution. GRE scores, MAT scores, references, academic background and performance, work and volunteer experience, and personal interview findings are all considered in the admissions process. Applicants are also required to submit a letter of intent. The letter should address the reason for pursuing a career in rehabilitation counseling, relevant experience, and plans for completing the program requirements, if accepted. Relevant experience refers to both volunteer and paid work experience involving the provision of services to persons with disabilities or other forms of disadvantage.
For additional information, contact Drs. Linda Leech or Kerry Lachance at: Rehabilitation Counseling Program, School of Medicine, Department of Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Science, University of South Carolina, Clinical Education Building/Medical Park 15, Suite B20, 3555 Harden Street Extension, Columbia, SC 29203. You may also call 803-434-4296, fax 803-434-4231, or e-mail linda.leech@uscmed.sc.edu. Extensive information about the Rehabilitation Counseling Master’s Program and available scholarships is available from the School of Medicine Web site at www.med.sc.edu. Please note that completed applications for fall admission to the rehabilitation counseling program will be processed beginning March 1 each year. The process will continue until the available slots are filled or until July 1, whichever occurs first. Thus, there is no guarantee that applications received after March 1 will be considered. Because of the sequential curriculum structure, students are only admitted for the fall semester. Applications are received at any time and decisions regarding admission or scholarship awards are made each semester. |