Rehabilitation counselors help people deal with the consequences of crisis and traumatic situations that include chronic illnesses and disabilities. The ultimate goals of the rehabilitation counseling process typically include providing psychosocial adaptation services and coping skills to deal with the loss incurred by chronic illnesses and disabilities, as well as job training, and development and placement services. The PSU Rehabilitation Counseling Program is a specialty within the Counselor Education Department that focuses on people who face life-altering changes. This small, but highly regarded program was recently ranked 24th in the nation by US News and World Report. The program faculty are nationally and internationally known for their involvement in the rehabilitation community and their high quality research. They work closely with many of the local rehabilitation agencies and facilities to fill the critical shortage of well-trained rehabilitation counselors.
Offered as a graduate program, the Rehabilitation Counseling Program consists of 77 credit hours of coursework, including a practicum and internship experiences. A carefully designed sequence of courses that combine formal academic instruction (approximately 75 percent) and supervised clinical experiences leads to a master of science or master of arts degree. In its 21 years of existence, the program placed over 90 percent of its graduates in local and national rehabilitation agencies and facilities, serving people with physical, psychiatric, cognitive, life-threatening, and social-behavioral conditions.
The program is committed to serving a range of people with disabilities who represent diverse cultural, ethnic and linguistic backgrounds. In 2007, the program received the maximum eight-year accreditation from the national Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE).
