Rehabilitation Counseling

Master's Program
Admissions	Deafness Focus
Financial Aid	Faculty
Course Descriptions	Students
Counselor Education Blog & News
*STATEMENT ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND EXPECTATIONS FOR ACCREDITED PROGRAMS* RSA Traineeship Information RSA Traineeships may be available in limited numbers to students in the Rehabilitation Counseling program through arrangement with the United States Department of Education, Rehabilitation Services Administration. These traineeships are intended for students who aspire to work in a state rehabilitation agency or a community rehabilitation agency which performs work with the state rehabilitation agency. The traineeships provide payment of Tennessee residential tuition, book costs, and usually small stipend awards and coverage of training related travel costs. For more information on the RSA traineeship, please see the RSA Traineeship Application, or contact Lisa Rimmell, Co-Coordinator of the Rehabilitation Counseling program by email or by phone at (865) 974-5285.

Curriculum
Overview	Course of Study

Accredited by the Council on Rehabilitation Education, Inc

Rehabilitation counseling is a process that facilitates the movement of a person with a disability toward optimal functioning in the three broad areas of living, learning and working, with particular regard for cultural and individual diversity. Clients/consumers of rehabilitation counselors and services usually range in age from late adolescence through adulthood and exhibit intellectual, emotional and/or physical impairments in functioning. Most clients experience substantial difficulty in obtaining or retaining employment and/or independence. Consequently, the usual goal of rehabilitation is the entry or return of the consumer to gainful employment, independence, and the fullest level of functioning in all areas of life. To live, learn and work at the highest possible level of independence is the goal of rehabilitation consumers and practitioners. In some situations, the objective of gainful employment may be a secondary consideration.

The Rehabilitation Counseling Program offers instruction via traditional residential delivery and distance delivery (for qualified applicants), as well as options for students interested in pursuing careers in Deafness Focus rehabilitation. Options are also available for students who wish to pursue coursework required for licensure as a professional counselor in the state of Tennessee. Descriptions of each of the program options follow:
General Rehabilitation Counseling – Residential Study
This option is intended for students who wish to work in general rehabilitation counseling positions in public, private-not-for-profit or proprietary rehabilitation settings. Students who are not employed at rehabilitation agencies or in closely related positions are required to complete degree requirements on campus at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, with exceptions made for specific individual circumstances. Individuals who are not employed in such positions and who wish to complete the program entirely via distance education must receive approval in advance from program faculty.

Deafness Focus Rehabilitation – Residential Study
The Deafness Focus is for students interested in pursing careers in rehabilitation counseling working with individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. Students pursue the same curriculum as those in the general rehabilitation counseling track but are required to complete Orientation to Deafness (Offered by the UT Center on Deafness) prior to entry into the program. Students must demonstrate American Sign Language (ASL) skills at an intermediate level or above on the Sign Language Proficiency Inventory (SLPI) prior to graduation. Finally, all external assignments for rehabilitation courses and all field experiences (Practicum and Internship) must be in an agency delivering services to individuals who are deaf or hard-of-hearing and/or relate directly to subject matter relevant to individuals who are deaf or hard-of-hearing.

Distance Education – General Rehabilitation or Deafness Focus
Distance Education is available for students who are employed as rehabilitation counselors or in closely related occupations but do not possess the Master's degree. Distance Education courses are delivered through the Saba Centra software system (see http://anywhere.tennessee.edu/de/tech/ for more information). The degree program requires two years of mixed full and part-time study, and cohorts are admitted during even-numbered calendar years with studies beginning in the fall of even-numbered calendar years. Students pursuing the degree through distance education will be required to come to the Knoxville campus for one week during the first summer of their studies for direct instruction in individual and group counseling skills.

Psychosocial Rehabilitation Option
Students pursuing coursework through residential study have the option of pursuing coursework required to participate in counselor certification and licensure in the state of Tennessee. (This option is not available to Distance Education students). Students who wish to pursue this option should be aware of the other requirements of counselor certification and licensure, and also be aware that these requirements vary from state to state. Currently, work toward licensure in the state of Tennessee includes 12 additional hours of specific coursework outside of the RC curriculum, an additional supervised internship, passing scores on the NBCC exam, and post-graduate supervised clinical experiences. Students interested in this option should also be aware that The UT Rehabilitation Counseling Program is not a preparatory program for mental health counseling. For more information on counselor certification go to: www.nbcc.org. For information regarding counselor licensure in the state of Tennessee see http://health.state.tn.us/Boards/PC_MFT&CPT/.

For more information, download the following files:

Program Manual

Distance Education Brochure

Disaboom.com

Updated 05/08/2012