Rehabilitation Counseling

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Consistent with Maryville’s mission, the Master of Arts in Rehabilitation Counseling program, provides a quality professional education that serves the community.  This is a 48 credit hour program fully accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs.

Rehabilitation Counseling Mission

This program is designed to educate an individual to become a professional counselor to work with persons with disabilities, such as physical, psychological, substance abuse, developmental, behavioral and cognitive. A rehabilitation counselor is committed to assist the individual to achieve equal access, inclusion in society, meaningful work and independent living with quality of life. The rehabilitation counselor believes that individuals with disability represent a major resource for the betterment of society.

Program Learning Outcomes

• Develop a worldview which promotes one’s professional identity, highlights reflective practice, adherence to ethical standards, and is able to work in a variety of settings serving a diverse population. [professional identity]
• Demonstrate clinical competence through the acquisition of knowledge, effective practice, demonstration of skills and professional disposition. [clinical competence]
• Demonstrate cultural competence through counselor awareness of their own values and biases, understanding of the worldviews of culturally different clients, developing and implementing appropriate intervention strategies in working with culturally different clients as an ongoing professional practice. [cultural competence]
• Demonstrate professional, social and emotional development that foster respect for diversity and the dignity of all. [professional behavior]

Through coursework, practicum and internship placements, the graduate student will integrate the critical knowledge and clinical skills necessary for professional practice. The Master of Arts in Rehabilitation Counseling program provides the educational preparation for Missouri licensing as a Professional Counselor (LPC) and national certification as a Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC). Additional coursework for concentrations in marriage and family therapy, substance abuse and music therapy are also available. Please contact the Director of Rehabilitation Counseling for eligibility and requirements of this program: 314.529.9443.

Application for admission

For specifics on admission requirements refer to the Master of Arts in Rehabilitation Counseling section under Graduate Admission Requirements .

Health and Other Special Requirements

The following requirements must be met prior to participating in required clinicals:

• Physical Examination
• Documentation of Immunization or Titer Immunity
  • Measles/Rubeola, Mumps, Rubella (MMR)
  • Tetanus, Diphtheria and acellular Pertusis (Tdap)
  • Polio series completed
  • Varicella titer or Varicella vaccinations
  • Hepatitis B Vaccine Series or Declination
  • Annual Flu Vaccine
  • TB-Tuberculin PPD test (documented 2-step initially, then annual)
• Health insurance (copy of card required annually)
• CPR Certification-American Heart Association Basic Life Support for the Health Care Provider required
• Urine Drug Screen (from the Maryville authorized lab)
• Criminal Record Background checks from Maryville University’s authorized agency and signed release to clinical sites (possible checks include: state criminal checks, disqualification lists, sex offender lists, social security number, address and alias)
• Fitting for a respiratory isolation device (i.e. N95 Mask) may be required by some clinical sites
• A few hospitals in Missouri now require nicotine screenings for all new employees.  Therefore it is anticipated that students may be excluded from some clinical sites based upon their use of nicotine

Early Access

Baccalaureate students who meet the requisite grade point average and coursework may be eligible for the bridge/early access program to the M.A. in Rehabilitation Counseling at Maryville.  Eligible students can complete up to four graduate Rehabilitation Counseling courses as an undergraduate and those courses would fulfill requirements for the Rehabilitation Counseling graduate degree. The graduate Rehabilitation Counseling program is nationally accredited by the Council on Rehabilitation Education and provides the educational preparation for Missouri Licensing as a Professional Counselor and national certification as a Rehabilitation Counselor. Additional coursework is available for specialization in marriage and family therapy, and substance abuse. July 1, 2017 the Rehabilitation Counseling program will become a fully accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Program. Please contact the director of Rehabilitation Counseling at 314.529.9437 or 314.529.9625  for eligibility and requirements of this program.

See Major in Psychology with Concentration in Rehabilitation. The major in Psychology with a concentration in Rehabilitation may provide early access to the graduate program in Rehabilitation Counseling. Enrollment in the designated REHB courses in the concentration does not constitute formal acceptance into that master’s program. These courses will constitute a waiver of six credits in that program if the student matriculates into that graduate program.  Please see a description of the Psychology major with a concentration in Rehabilitation within the College of Arts and Sciences. This program also offers early access to the graduate program in Rehabilitation Counseling.

Return to: Myrtle E. and Earl E. Walker College of Health Professions