Rehabilitation Counseling, MHS

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The Master of Health Sciences in Rehabilitation Counseling (MHS-RC) program is fully accredited by the Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE) and is a 60 credit hour graduate program with a strong counseling focus. The program prepares counselors to assume the full range of professional responsibilities required in community rehabilitation agencies and organizations – private as well as publicly funded and non-profit, and to contribute to scholarship and service in the local and national rehabilitation community.

The well-trained rehabilitation counselor is able to assist others in a professional and effective manner – assisting persons with disabilities to attain independence, income and a satisfying life. A career in rehabilitation counseling is extremely flexible, allowing graduates to select employment that best suits their personality, skills, and interests. Rehabilitation counselors find work in a variety of work settings, including: mental health facilities, group homes, vocational training centers, private health care agencies, acute care and rehabilitation hospitals, substance abuse facilities, state and federal rehabilitation agencies and school settings. Rehabilitation counselors engage in individual counseling, group counseling, evaluation/assessment, advocacy, and case management with people with disabilities. Rehabilitation counselors work with individuals with mental, physical, or emotional disabilities, to include developmental disabilities, mental illness, spinal cord injury, traumatic head injury, substance abuse, and various other disability groups.

The MHS-RC training model integrates behavioral science theory and knowledge with rehabilitation practitioner skills. Our philosophy is that the most effective counselors have a strong understanding of the theoretical and scientific bases of the professional concepts and techniques they apply. Rehabilitation counseling is a process intended to facilitate the vocational and personal development of people with disabilities. The disability may be physical, emotional, mental, or social. Within the rehabilitation process, services are utilized to enable individuals with disabilities to make the fullest use of their potential in choosing, planning for, and attaining a satisfying and effective life. In a very real sense, rehabilitation counselors are concerned with maximizing the abilities of people with disabilities, while assisting them to cope constructively with their disabilities.

Rehabilitation counseling is unique in integrating a diverse range of treatment approaches and utilizing community resources to meet an individual’s life needs. The process of rehabilitation counseling can include therapeutic counseling, psychological and vocational evaluation, vocational exploration and training, job development and placement, case management and follow-up. In addition to the skills of counseling and knowledge of human behavior common to the human services professions, rehabilitation counselors develop additional expertise in the process of rehabilitation, and knowledge of the medical and vocational aspects of disability.

Mission

The mission of the program for the Master of Health Sciences degree in Rehabilitation Counseling is to educate counselors who are committed to serving people with disabilities, are prepared to assume the full range of professional responsibilities required in a variety of rehabilitation settings, and are motivated to contribute to scholarship and service in the local and national rehabilitation community.

Program Objectives

To educate counselors who evidence sound knowledge of
1. the history, legislation, philosophy, and ethical practices in the field of rehabilitation counseling
2. the medical and psychosocial aspects of disabling conditions
3. the rehabilitation process and external factors that affect its outcome
4. current issues in rehabilitation
To educate counselors who possess strong skills in
1. individual, vocational, and group counseling
2. case management and job placement
3. individuals and systems advocacy
To educate counselors who have an understanding of testing, valuation, program development, program evaluation, and research
To foster professionalism among students and faculty and facilitate their involvement in professional organizations and activities
To foster an awareness of the needs of people with disabilities and the rehabilitation community, and it encourage meaningful involvement of faculty and students in addressing these needs
To offer and support opportunities for students and faculty to collaborate on research projects in the spirit of the scientist-practitioner model
To provide continuing education and consultation opportunities responsive to the needs of people with disabilities and the rehabilitation community

Certification

Graduates of the MHS program are prepared to meet all the requirements to sit for the Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) examination.

Licensure

Graduates are also eligible for licensure in Louisiana as a Licensed Rehabilitation Counselor (LRC) and Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). While enrolled in the program students are responsible for becoming informed about the course work and postgraduate supervised work experience requirements for Licensure.

Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) Grant

The LSUHSC Master of Health Sciences Rehabilitation Counseling Program has been awarded a long-term training grant from the federal Rehabilitation Services Administration to provide graduate-level training to full-time Rehabilitation Counseling students. Full-time students accepted to the program may choose to be a grant recipient and receive financial support throughout the graduate training.

Upon graduation, grant recipients are required to seek and retain employment in a qualified setting for a pre-determined period, two years for every one year the student received grant monies while in the program. Settings that qualify for post-graduate employment include state and federal vocational rehabilitation agencies, as well as community agencies that can demonstrate a service relationship with the state and/or federal rehabilitation agencies.

Admission Requirements

Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university *
Minimum Undergraduate GPA of 2.5 (in a 4.0 system)
Satisfactory Graduate Record Examination Score within the last 5 years
References from professors or employers familiar with your work and character

Professional work experience in the field of rehabilitation or other human services field will be given strong weight when considering an individual for admission.

Comprehensive Examination

MHS-RC students who have completed at least 75% of the program curriculum are required to take and pass the comprehensive examination prior to being placed on internship. If a student does not successfully pass comps, the student will be required to take comps the next regularly offered administration. If a student does not pass comps a second time, the student is subject to dismissal from the program. The comprehensive examination is administered twice per year.

There is no thesis requirement to complete the MHS-RC program.

Statement of Satisfactory Academic Progress

In order to achieve the status of satisfactory academic progress, the student must maintain the following minimum standards

Maintain a grade point average consistent with the scholastic standards of the School of Allied Health Professions.
Satisfactorily complete all courses required for graduation in not more than six calendar years.

Clinical Affiliates

The Department of Rehabilitation Counseling maintains clinical affiliations with a large number of facilities and agencies throughout Louisiana.

Curriculum

The MHS-RC curriculum is a 60 credit hour program beginning in the fall semester and spanning five semesters for full-time students. Part-time study may be available to a limited number of students. There are 3 major Rehabilitation components; Theoretical, Clinical, and Research and Assessment;

The Theoretical component provides students the basic skills and knowledge of the rehabilitation field, philosophy, and practice.

The Research component exposes students to scholarly activity through coursework and practical experience. Each MHS-RC student has the option to participate in research activity under the supervision of a faculty advisor which often leads to publications in professional journals or presentations at national conferences.

The Clinical component educates students in advanced counseling skills for special populations through specific coursework, two distinct clinical placements, and placement in the on-campus Rehabilitation Counseling Clinic (RCC). Practicum and Internship require students to meet specific guidelines related to direct client contact/counseling and individual and group supervision. The Practicum placement, typically in the fourth semester, requires students to complete 100 hours (40 hours direct services) on site under the direct supervision of a site supervisor and a doctoral faculty supervisor. The Internship placement, typically the last semester, requires students to complete 600 hours on site under the direct supervision of a site supervisor and a doctoral faculty supervisor. Students are required to engage in 240 clock hours of direct service to people with disabilities as part of the internship.

Rehabilitation Counseling Curriculum

Rehabilitation Counseling Clinic (RCC)

In addition to community placements, each student gains intensive experience working in the on-campus RCC. The LSUHSC RCC provides no-cost, short-term counseling services to persons in the Greater New Orleans and surrounding areas. The RCC services are provided by advanced graduate students (counselor trainees) under the immediate supervision of doctorate-level Departmental faculty. Counselor trainees are directly supervised through a one-way observational window during individual counseling sessions and are provided individual and group feedback related to the sessions.

LSUHSC PLAY THERAPY CLINIC

Mission and Purpose

The mission of the LSUHSC Play Therapy Clinic is to encourage the unique development and emotional growth of children through the process of play therapy, a dynamic interpersonal relationship between a child and a therapist trained in play therapy procedures. The play therapist provides the child with appropriately selected play materials and facilitates a safe relationship to express feelings, thoughts, experiences and behaviors through play, the child’s natural medium of communication. To fulfill its objectives, the center provides training, research, publications, counseling services and scholarships, and acts as a clearinghouse for literature in the field.