Rehabilitation Counselor Education Program
Mississippi State University
The mission
of the rehabilitation counseling master's degree program at Mississippi State
University is to equip prospective counselors with the knowledge and skills
necessary to deal effectively with a broad spectrum of issues surrounding the
medical, psychological, and vocational effects of chronic disability.
In an
effort to help disabled individuals adapt to their life circumstances, the
rehabilitation-counseling program produces counselors prepared to work in the
continually evolving and expanding field of vocational rehabilitation.
Objectives:
1. Program graduates
shall satisfactorily demonstrate the ability to practice the profession of
rehabilitation counseling in a legal and ethical manner and show
understanding of the history, philosophy, and structure of the
rehabilitation delivery systems in the United States.
Tasks include the ability to:
· Apply
ethical principles and standards;
· Apply
appropriate legal principles and utilize ethical decision-making skills in
resolving ethical dilemmas;
· Demonstrate knowledge of the history, philosophy, and legislation affecting rehabilitation and the scope of services of various service delivery systems; and
· Apply the principles of disability-related legislation including the rights of persons with disabilities to independence, inclusion, choice and self-determination, access, and respect for individual differences.
2. Program graduates shall satisfactorily practice
rehabilitation counseling with individuals and groups
Tasks include the ability to:
· Conduct
individual counseling sessions;
·
Develop and maintain a counseling relationship;
·
Establish individual goals and objectives of
counseling;
·
Assist an individual with crisis resolution;
·
Facilitate an individual's independent decision-making
and personal responsibility;
·
Conduct group counseling sessions on adjustment and/or
other vocational problems, when appropriate;
· Involve, when appropriate, the individual's family/ significant others in the counseling sessions; and
· Recommend strategies to resolve identified problems that impede the rehabilitation process.
3. Program graduates shall satisfactorily practice rehabilitation counseling in rehabilitation planning and case management.
Tasks include the ability to:
·
Determine the adequacy of existing information for
rehabilitation planning;
·
Integrate cultural, social, economic,
disability-related, and environmental factors in planning;
·
Plan a comprehensive individual assessment (e.g.,
personality, interest, interpersonal skills, intelligence, and related
functional capabilities, educational achievements, work experiences, vocational
aptitudes, personal and social adjustment, transferable skills, and employment
opportunities);
·
Identify available personal and public resources with
the informed choice of the individual to determine jointly, with the consumer,
an appropriate rehabilitation plan;
·
Facilitate with the individual the development of a
client-centered rehabilitation and/or independent living plan;
·
Establish working relationships with other service
providers involved with the individual and/or the family, or client's advocate,
including consumer involvement and choice;
·
Determine mutual responsibilities with other service
providers involved with the individual, family, or client's advocate, including
consumer involvement and choice;
·
Develop a knowledge base of community resources and
refer individuals to these resources when appropriate;
·
Assist individuals in identifying areas of personal
responsibility including potential fiscal resources to obtain needed services;
·
Serve as a consultant to other community agencies to
advocate for the integration of individuals with disabilities within the
community;
· Market the benefits and availability of rehabilitation services to potential consumers, employers, and the general public; and
· Identify and plan for the appropriate use of assistive technology including computer-related resources.
4. Program graduates shall satisfactorily practice rehabilitation counseling by using knowledge of vocational and career development.
Tasks include the ability to:
· Facilitate consumer involvement in determining vocational goals and capabilities related to the world of work;
· Utilize career/occupational materials and labor market information with the client to accomplish vocational planning;
· Explore client occupational alternatives and develop career plans;
· Understand career development theories and the importance of work to individuals;
· Identify the prerequisite experiences, relevant training, and functional capacities needed for client career goals selected; and
· Determine and resolve job adjustment problems through the provision of post employment services.
5. Program graduates shall satisfactorily practice rehabilitation counseling through the identification and utilization of assessment information.
Tasks include the ability to:
· Utilize existing or acquired information about the existence, onset, severity, progression, and expected duration of an individual's disability;
· Determine an individual's eligibility for rehabilitation services and/or programs including the need for services to prepare for, enter, engage in, or retain gainful employment;
· Evaluate the feasibility of an individual's rehabilitation or independent living objectives;
· Review assessment information to determine appropriate client services;
· Consult with professionals in other disciplines;
· Assess the unique strengths, resources, and experiences of an individual including career knowledge and interests;
· Interpret assessment/evaluation results to the individual and/or family member;
· Assess the individual's capabilities to make decisions;
· Determine an individual's vocational or independent living skills, aptitudes, interests, and preferences; and
· Assess an individual's need for rehabilitation engineering/assistive technology services throughout the rehabilitation process.
6. Program graduates shall satisfactorily practice rehabilitation counseling in job development, placement, and job retention.
Tasks include the ability to:
· Obtain and use labor market information;
· Identify and contact employers to develop job opportunities;
· Evaluate work activities through the use of job and task analyses;
· Modify and restructure jobs and use assistive devices, where appropriate;
· Consult with experts to increase the functioning of individuals;
· Educate prospective employers about the benefits of hiring persons with disabilities including providing technical assistance with regard to reasonable accommodations in conformance with disability-related legislation;
· Assist employers to identify, modify, and/or eliminate architectural, procedural, and/or attitudinal barriers;
· Review available data to determine potential person/job match;
· Teach appropriate job-seeking and job retention skills;
· Provide support services to facilitate job retention; and
· Establish follow-up and/or follow-along procedures to maximize an individual's independent functioning through employment services.
7. Program graduates shall satisfactorily practice rehabilitation counseling by using information from rehabilitation research.
Tasks include the ability to:
· Obtain and apply information from professional literature and research in rehabilitation counseling; and
·
Participate in agency or community research activities,
studies, and projects.