Rehabilitation Counselor Education Program
Mississippi State University
Mission & Objectives
Mission:
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
impairment.
In an effort to help disabled individuals adapt to their life circumstances,
which includes living in a society that marginalizes people who are "different",
the rehabilitation counseling program produces professionals 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- Participate in agency or community research activities, studies, and
projects.
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