Additional Counselor Education, Higher Education, and Educational Psychology Bulletin Information
Rehabilitation Counseling Graduate Program (CEEP)
Offered through the Department of Counselor Education, Higher Education, and Educational Psychology
in the College of Education
A253 Education Building
Phone: 320.308.3131
Fax: 320.308.4082
Department Web site:http://www.stcloudstate.edu/ceep
Department Chairperson: Dr. Steve Hoover
Department Secretary:
Graduate Coordinator: Dr. Brad Kuhlman
Graduate Faculty: Downing, Hoover, Hotz, Jensen, Lepkowski, Kuhlman, Macari, Mayhew, Murphy, Parault, T. Peterson, Renn, Wilson
Accreditation specific to the program
- Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE)
The Profession
Rehabilitation counselors help people deal with the personal, social, and vocational effects of disabilities. They counsel people with disabilities resulting from birth defects, illness or disease, accidents, or the stress of daily life. They evaluate the strengths and limitations of individuals, provide personal and vocational counseling, and arrange for medical care, independent living, vocational training and job placement. The scope of problems in the rehabilitation field is expanding and the number of individuals with disabilities is increasing. Opportunities in recent years have been excellent in all areas of rehabilitation counseling.
Degrees and Plans Offered
- Master of Science: Rehabilitation Counseling, Plan A (Thesis and Written Comprehensive Exam) at 49 credits
- Master of Science: Rehabilitation Counseling, Plan B (Written Comprehensive Exam) at 48 credits
Mission Statement
The mission of the Master of Science in Rehabilitation Counseling is to educate students in the areas of rehabilitation counseling and psychological services, and to help them develop the professional understanding, knowledge, attitude, and skills needed to assist individuals and groups with disabilities in achieving their maximum level of independence and functioning. The program is specifically designed to encourage students to join and participate in appropriate professional activities and to develop enthusiasm for work in this field. With course work, interaction with professional staff, and direct experience, students will be provided the opportunity to:
- Reinforce knowledge, understanding, and a professional attitude;
- Attain the knowledge and skills to counsel diverse populations effectively;
- Gain an understanding of the research process;
- Master the principles of program design, implementation and evaluation;
- Develop self-understanding and preparation for doctoral-level training or certification.
Employers
- Possible areas of employment are: State/federal rehabilitation programs, state services for the blind and visually impaired; comprehensive rehabilitation centers, sheltered workshops, chemical dependency treatment centers, private rehabilitation, worker's compensation programs, employee assistance programs and pain management centers.
Admission Deadlines Specific to the Program
- Fall semester — March 1 for spring interview to be admitted for fall.
- Fall semester — June 15 for summer interview to be admitted for fall if program openings remain.
- Spring semester — Students are typically not admitted for spring semester.
Admission Requirements Specific to the Program
- To be considered for admission, the applicant must complete the general graduate school admission procedure.
- Complete a personal data form obtained from the Department of Counselor Education, Higher Education, and Educational Psychology.
- Successfully complete a personal interview with representatives of the profession, advanced students in the program and the counseling faculty.
- Careful attention will be given to previous work experience, academic background, scholarship, emotional maturity, multicultural experiences, interpersonal skills and commitment to the counseling profession.
- The interview is most heavily weighted in the admission process.
- Admission is competitive and selection is based on an evaluation of all factors.
- For the specific interview dates and an appointment, contact the departmenal secretary. If attendance at an interview is totally impractical, the program coordinator may designate an alternate method.
- Admission decisions are generally not made throughout the year. The majority of decisions are made following spring interviews.
Length of Program — Measured by Semesters
- Part-time student: eight semesters taking six credits per semester.
- Full-time student: four semesters taking 12 credits per semester.
- Evening classes are available.
- This program may be completed in four semesters and one summer of full-time study by starting classes in fall semester.
Part-time Students — Program Requirements
It is department policy to assist part-time students to complete the counseling program while continuing concurrent employment. Some daytime hours on campus are required for practicum and internship.
Following admission to graduate study, all part-time students must complete a minimum of nine graduate credits per year of course work, approved by their adviser, in order to maintain accepted status in the counseling program. Students must complete the pre-practicum core courses early in the program of studies.
Graduate Assistantship Overview
- The number of graduate assistantship positions vary each year, and are available both fall and spring semesters.
- Graduate assistants work 10 or 20 hours per week in a university program or with a faculty member on administration, course work or research projects.
- Graduate assistantships require full-time student status.
- An application must be submitted to the department chairperson. It is recommended that applicants for department graduate assistantships meet the March 1 deadline.
- In addition, all applicants for department assistantships are required to contact the Office of Scholarship and Financial Aid to determine eligibility and apply for a federal work-study assistantship.
Required Orientation Program
All new students (both part-time and full-time) must attend the fall semester orientation meeting held early in fall semester. (See the department secretary for details.)
Advisement
Each new student will be assigned an adviser shortly after they are admitted. Part-time students will need to plan their schedules with their advisers. New full-time students have their first semester planned by the program. Information on a full-time course schedule will be sent to you.
Not all advisers are immediately available for conferences, particularly if the student is admitted during summer session. In these cases, any counseling faculty member can assist you.
Double Emphasis
A student may wish to complete a double emphasis to facilitate greater employability. The second emphasis must be completed with a minimum of 10 semester credits which are not included in the first emphasis program. A separate 600-hour internship must be completed for each emphasis.
The Pre-practicum Core Courses
All counseling emphases include a common core of course work prerequisite to the supervised counseling practicum experience.
- CEEP 651. Counseling Theories, 3 credits
- CEEP 665. Measurement Techniques, 3 credits
- CEEP 667. Career Development, 3 credits
- CEEP 668. Counseling Procedures, 3 credits
Supervised Counseling Practicum
This off-campus experience follows the pre-practicum core courses and provides for the application of theories and techniques to counseling experience.
Candidacy
Admission to graduate study does not constitute candidacy for a degree. Rather, a student who has been admitted to graduate study is advanced to degree candidacy upon the recommendation of the counseling faculty. Advancement to degree candidacy requires that the candidate must have:
- Completed between 12 and 36 semester hours of graduate study at St. Cloud State University with a minimum grade point average of 3.0.
- Submitted to their adviser one completed program form signed by the student at the completion of the practicum.
- Clearly demonstrated the aptitude and ability to pursue graduate work and exhibited a commitment to counseling as a profession.
- Demonstrated potential for a successful career in the field of counseling.
Admission to degree candidacy is not an automatic process, but rather the advancement to candidacy is approved by all program faculty only after careful evaluation of all pertinent factors. Proposed program of study forms may be obtained from the departmental secretary, Room A253 of the Education Building.
Academic Review and Retention Policy
The faculty meet regularly to discuss the progress of students in the program. The following elements are reviewed: academic progress and promise; counseling skills acquisition and development; personality traits or personal issues that may be interfering with progress in the program; legal and ethical issues. In the event there is faculty concern about a student regarding any of these areas, a faculty member will meet with the student to discuss necessary remediation and steps to take toward improvement or to offer assistance to the student in finding a more suitable field of study. While there was preliminary evaluation of a prospective student's suitability for counseling at the time of admission, evaluation also occurs throughout a student's course of study. During the pre-practicum core, course evaluations are made by faculty as to whether students have developed the skills and personal characteristics necessary to proceed to practicum. During practicum, regular evaluations are made by faculty to determine whether the student is prepared to proceed to internship, whether the practicum experience needs to be repeated or other assistance is necessary to continue in the program. During the internship, regular assessments are made by the site supervisor documenting the pre-professional progress and readiness for recommendation for graduation and certification and/or licensure.
Supervised Counseling Internship
This experience follows the counseling practicum and is a final capstone experience which will provide counseling experience in a work setting. Rehabilitation counseling students must complete a 600-hour internship. The candidate must apply in writing to the internship coordinator by completing an internship placement request form before March 15 for all placements during the following academic year.
Final Comprehensive Evaluation (Plans A and B)
All students are required to complete a final written comprehensive examination.
To be eligible for evaluation, the candidate must complete the procedures outlined earlier in this bulletin under "Graduate Study Options and Requirements — Final evaluation procedures" during the final semester of study.
Deadline for application to take the comprehensive examination for each semester is the second Friday of that semester (sign up with the department secretary). Students will be notified of the fall and spring examination dates at the beginning of fall semester.
The Curriculum
The following program reflects the curriculum available at the time the bulletin was printed but does not necessarily represent the requirements at the time an applicant applies for a program. It should be noted that additions, deletions, or changes may have been approved through the curriculum process after the printing of this bulletin, and it is the responsibility of the applicant to check on changes that affect her/his program.
Master of Science — Counseling Psychology: Rehabilitation Counseling
The purpose of this program is that of educating students in the areas of rehabilitation and psychological services. Students develop the professional understanding, knowledge, attitude, and skill needed to assist individuals and groups with disabilities in achieving their maximum level of independence and functioning. The program provides a balance between technical rehabilitation knowledge and basic counseling competency and is accredited by the Council on Rehabilitation Counselor Education (CORE.)
The number of credits outlined below represents minimum requirements. The counseling psychology faculty may require additional credits to overcome individual deficits.
Plan A, 49 credits or Plan B, 48 credits
Research courses
Plan A, 12 credit minimum
- CEEP 675. Research Methods, 3 credits
- CEEP 678. Introduction to Graduate Statistics, 3 credits
- CEEP 699. Thesis, 6 credits
Plan B, 6 credit minimum
- CEEP 675. Research Methods, 3 credits
- CEEP 678. Introduction to Graduate Statistics, 3 credits
Pre-Practicum core courses
Plan A and B, 12 credit minimum
- CEEP 651. Counseling Theories, 3 credits
- CEEP 665. Measurement Techniques, 3 credits
- CEEP 667. Career Development, 3 credits
- CEEP 668. Counseling Procedures, 3 credits
Rehabilitation counseling courses
Plan A and B, 25 credit minimum
- CEEP 629. Vocational Evaluation and Placement, 3 credits
- PSY 640. Advanced Developmental Psychology, 3 credits
- CEEP 650. Introduction to Rehabilitation Process and Practice, 3 credits
- CEEP 652. Medical and Biological Factors in Counseling, 3 credits
- CEEP 653. Psycho-social and Cultural Factors in Counseling, 3 credits
- CEEP 669. Supervised Counseling Practicum, 4 credits
- CEEP 696. Supervised Internship in Counseling, 6 credits
Elective courses
Plan A, 0 credit minimum Plan B, 5 credit minimum
- Electives must be approved by the adviser.
Students with three or more years of full-time experience in vocational rehabilitation settings may substitute some courses with consent of their adviser. Recommendations by the rehabilitation counseling faculty will be given only for those courses in which the experienced student demonstrates the competencies encompassed in the courses for which substitution is requested.
