Clinical Rehabilitation and Counseling, MHS

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The Master of Health Sciences in Clinical Rehabilitation and Counseling (MHS-RC) program is fully accredited by the Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE) and the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) 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 counseling organizations, private as well as publicly funded and non-profit, and to contribute to scholarship and service locally and nationally.

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 counseling is extremely flexible, allowing graduates to select employment that best suits their personality, skills, and interests. 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. Counselors engage in individual counseling, group counseling and family counseling, evaluation/assessment, advocacy, and case management with people with disabilities. Counselors work with individuals with physical, emotional disabilities, developmental, cognitive and/or other life situations to achieve their academic, personal, career, social and independent-living goals in the most integrated settings possible.

The MHS-CRC training model integrates behavioral science theory and knowledge with counseling 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. Counseling is a process intended to facilitate the vocational and personal development of people with disabilities. The disability may be physical, emotional, mental, developmental or social. Within the counseling 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, counselors are concerned with maximizing the abilities of people with disabilities, while assisting them to cope constructively with their disabilities.

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 counseling can include therapeutic counseling, intervention, prevention, 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, counselors develop additional expertise in the process of rehabilitation, and knowledge of the medical, psychosocial and vocational aspects of disability.

Mission

The mission of the program for the Master of Health Sciences degree in Clinical Rehabilitation and Counseling is to provide professional education and clinical experience to master’s level students who are committed to serving persons of all ages with various challenges related to physical, developmental, cognitive, and emotional disabilities or other life situations to achieve their academic, personal, career, social and independent-living goals in the most integrated settings possible. Professional preparation of master’s level students will focus on equipping students with knowledge and skills to improve the quality of life for persons with disabilities. Master’s level students will be prepared to assume the full range of professional responsibilities required in a variety of counseling settings and are motivated to contribute to scholarship and service locally and nationally. This mission is achieved through various academic, clinical, research and scholarly activities.

Program Objectives

The Master of Health Sciences degree in Clinical Rehabilitation and Counseling program seeks:

To educate counselors who demonstrate sound knowledge and strong skills in:
1. Foundations and orientation to the counseling profession;
2. Medical and psychosocial aspects of disability;
3. Counseling approaches and principles;
4. Counseling, prevention, and intervention;
5. Diversity, advocacy, and accommodation;
6. Assessment and diagnosis;
7. Human growth and development
8. Research and evaluation
9. Employment, career and vocational counseling;
10. Individual, group work and family counseling;
11. Case management and job placement
12. Individual and systems advocacy
To foster professionalism among students and faculty and facilitate their involvement in professional organizations and activities;
To foster an awareness of the needs and resources within our client communities, 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 counseling and rehabilitation professionals.

Certification

Graduates of the MHS program are prepared to meet all the requirements to sit for the Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) examination and National Counseling Examination for Licensure and Certification (NCE).

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 Clinical Rehabilitation and Counseling Program has been awarded a long-term training grant from the federal Rehabilitation Services Administration to provide graduate-level training to full-time Clinical Rehabilitation and 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 - federal vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies, as well as community agencies that are contracted to provide vocational services to current clients of the state-federal VR system.

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 (one must be from an academic source)
Personal Essay

*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-CRC 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-CRC 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 Clinical Rehabilitation and Counseling maintains clinical affiliations with a large number of facilities and agencies throughout Louisiana.

Curriculum

The MHS-CRC 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. The curriculum has three major components that complement each other and are integrated throughout the course of study. The following is a brief description of each components and its content. (a) The component of Theory and Conceptualization broadens and deepens students’ understanding and appreciation of the professional knowledge base, philosophy, values, and systems of counseling and rehabilitation. (b) The component of Research and Assessment teaches our students how to manage, interpret, and utilize data for purposes of individual assessment of clients, evaluation of interventions, or applying research findings to improve professional practice. (c) The component of Counseling, Case Management, and Advocacy provides students with both classroom and fieldwork opportunities to develop and practice a variety of skills to apply to a wide scope of challenges faced by the individuals, groups, and communities who are served by counseling and rehabilitation. Each of the two fieldwork requirements, Practicum and Internship, is a semester-long experience working with clients in an approved agency and receiving weekly individual supervision by a qualified site supervisor and weekly group supervision by a faculty member. The Practicum is a part-time placement in an agency for a minimum of 180 hours; Internship is a full-time immersion in another agency for a minimum of 600 hours.

Rehabilitation Counseling Clinic (RCC)

Mission

The mission of the Department of Clinical Rehabilitation and Counseling’s Rehabilitation Counseling Clinic (RCC) is to enhance the lives of persons with disabilities and their families by providing short-term clinical rehabilitation counseling services that further demonstrate the commitment of Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center (LSUHSC) to teaching, community service, and research.

Scope of Services

The clinic provides short-term, problem-solving oriented rehabilitation counseling services that include the following: a) vocational counseling for issues of career choice, career development, work adjustment, or career dissatisfaction; b) personal issues such as adjustment to disability, socialization, or values clarification; and c) wellness issues of health maintenance, stress management, and maximizing participation in allied health services.

LSUHSC CHILD AND FAMILY COUNSELING CLINIC

Mission

The mission of the LSUHSC Child & Family Counseling Clinic is to encourage the unique development and emotional growth of children, adolescents, and their families through the process of therapy. The Clinic provides testing/assessment, individual, group, and family therapy. To fulfill its objectives, the center provides professional training, research, publications, and counseling service.

Scope of Services

The LSUHSC Child & Family Counseling Clinic is an outpatient mental health clinic designed to provide mental health services to children, adolescents, and their families. It is affiliated with the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center and is housed in the School of Allied Health Professions in the Department of Clinical Rehabilitation and Counseling as a teaching, training and research facility.

The clinic provides testing/assessment, individual, group, and family therapy. In addition, the clinic provides consultation services to caregivers and professional training to students and post-graduates seeking to earn continuing education hours toward licensure and certification.