Rehabilitation Counseling Program

(Masters Degree Program)

Clinical Experience

All students must have direct observation and practical experience with persons experiencing disability to obtain the masters degree. Students who have limited educational and work experience with persons with disabilities must obtain direct field experience during the first semester in the program. This is accomplished by enrollment in either an observation experience and/or RE 801 (Found. of Rehab Counseling) which requires direct contact with clients.

The internship is a full-time, 15-week experience at the end of the program. The internship provides students with practical application of on-campus course work in a wide variety of rehabilitation settings. This experience helps students acquire competency and confidence in applying theoretical knowledge to diverse kinds of client behaviors and problems. Students should also obtain at least a "B" grade in RE 855 to consider enrolling in the Internship Field Experience. Field experience may be obtained in three different ways:

1. Observation
The primary purpose of this experience is to provide the student with minimal to no background in rehabilitation services the opportunity to see the practical application of rehabilitation policy, client services, and philosophy. By placing the student in a real work situation the student develops an understanding of the competencies and skills necessary in applying formal classroom experience to diverse kinds of client behaviors and problems. Generally, a student will observe during a rehabilitation counselor's regular working hours, 8 hours a day for an agreed number of days per week to accumulate from 40-120 hours of field experience. Specifics on the objectives and responsibilities are outlined in the Guidelines for the Observation Field Experience which may be obtained from the Director of Rehabilitation Programs. Permission of one's academic advisor is required to enroll in the observation.

2. Practicum
The practicum experience is designed to provide opportunities for the student to focus on the application of counseling techniques which the student has been developing in on-campus classroom situations. This opportunity to try out, under close supervision, various methods of working with clients is an important factor in learning to be an effective rehabilitation counselor.

Students are expected to obtain 100 clock hours of supervised experience. Forty hours should be in direct contact with clients/consumers. Students will receive a minimum of one hour per week of individual supervision and a minimum of one and one-half hours per week of group supervision with other students. Each student should have the opportunity to obtain interviewing and counseling experience. It is desirable for the student counselor to work with a small number of clientsfor several contacts over a period of time. The practicum supervisor will review with the student both video and audio-tapes of interviews/counseling sessions and will also directly observe the student's performance during the on-campus meetings of the practicum class. A copy of the Practicum Experience Guidelines may be obtained from the Director of Rehabilitation Programs or your academic advisor.

3. Internship
The purpose of this full-time field experience is to provide the student with an opportunity for practical application of one's graduate training from the formal classroom. Students may enroll in the internship field xperience during the last semester in the program. In order to understand the scope of services and the problems in service delivery students are expected to meet the requirements by working full-time in only one field setting. Each prospective intern should discuss and arrange the field experience with his or her faculty advisor at least two months prior to the beginning date of the internship. Supervision of the internship experience must be provided by a certified rehabilitation counselor (CRC).

Interns are expected to obtain a minimum of 600 clock hours of field experience for 9 hours of graduate credit. Students should obtain 240 urs of the 600 required hours in direct contact with clients/consumers. The hours to meet the field experience requirement should not include travel time to and from the intern's office. Travel time as part of direct service is acceptable. The intern will work during an agency's regular working hours, 40 hours per week for 15 weeks. In addition, students must have completed Practicum with at least a "B" grade. Exceptions to this format must be submitted in writing and will be considered by the faculty teaching full-time in the rehabilitation counseling program.

Details of this clinical experience are explained more fully in the Field Experience Guidelines which may be obtained from your advisor or the Director of Rehabilitation Programs.

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