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Hi everyone,

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Thanks very much for your interest in applying to the rehabilitation counseling program at SDSU.

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I’m Mark Tucker, Coordinator of SDSU’s Rehabilitation Counseling Program.

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If you are applying to SDSU’s campus-based rehabilitation counseling program,

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during the application process you will be prompted to indicate whether you are applying

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to the generalist track or the psychiatric rehabilitation track,

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which is sometimes referred to as the clinical track.

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Although both tracks lead to a master of science degree in rehabilitation counseling,

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the university regards the two tracks as different majors.

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Your decision has significant implications, for your application and your program of study,

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so we’re providing information about the two program tracks with the hope that doing so will help you to decide between the two options.

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We will also provide additional information and suggestions that might be useful to you.

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It might be best to start with a summary of the most significant similarities and differences between the tracks.

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The primary focus of rehabilitation counseling, regardless of program track or specialization,

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is that rehabilitation counselors work with individuals with disabilities around goals related to employment,

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education, training, and independent living.

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Both program tracks will include a major emphasis upon employment of individuals with disabilities,

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as employment and disability are central to the profession of rehabilitation counseling.

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Both program tracks lead to eligibility to take the national certifying exam for rehabilitation counselors,

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the Certified Rehabilitation Counselor, or CRC, exam.

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In fact, we use the CRC exam as our program’s comprehensive exam.

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In lieu of completing a master’s thesis students can take and pass the CRC exam

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and become certified as rehabilitation counselors once they graduate.

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The main distinctions between the two tracks are the focal populations, and license-eligibility.

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The generalist track as you might imagine, incorporates a broad focus upon individuals with a wide variety of disabilities;

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for example, cognitive disabilities, orthopedic disabilities, psychiatric disabilities, and sensory disabilities.

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The psychiatric rehabilitation track also addresses disabilities generally to an extent,

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but has a more intensive focus upon psychiatric disabilities.

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While both tracks lead to eligibility to take the CRC exam and become nationally certified;

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the psychiatric rehabilitation track is designed to permit graduates to pursue licensure

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in California as a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, or LPCC.

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The generalist track is not designed with intensive psychiatric rehabilitation training and LPCC eligibility as goals.

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Here I would like to briefly share some of the history of the LPCC license in California

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and the interaction between licensure and rehabilitation counseling.

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For most of the history of rehabilitation counseling in California, rehabilitation counselors had no license options.

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California was the last state in the union to offer a path to licensure for rehabilitation counselors.

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Applications for licensure became available in mid-2011.

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The rehabilitation counseling profession existed in the state for many decades prior to licensure,

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and as a result, to this day, most rehabilitation counseling positions do not require a license,

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although there are some settings where a license could be advantageous,

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particularly in psychiatric rehabilitation settings; I’ll share more information about that shortly.

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Briefly, license requirements are similar to requirements for LCSWs and MFTs.

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A sixty semester-unit master’s or doctoral degree is required that includes content in 13 core areas,

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along with supervised counseling practicum.

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After graduating those pursing the license must complete 3,000 hours of clinical mental health counseling experience

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under the  supervision of an approved supervisor.

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Those pursuing the license must also pass the California LPCC Law and Ethics Exam

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and the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination to be licensed in the state of California.

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Licensing requirements do vary from state to state as do regulations related to recognition of licenses across state lines.

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The two program tracks share fifteen of the twenty courses, so 75% of the coursework in the different tracks is the same.

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This fact underscores the idea that the two track are more similar than different,

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and are united by a focus upon employment and independent living for people with disabilities.

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Here are the courses that are shared by the two tracks:

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ARP 645:  Assessment in Rehabilitation

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ARP 646: Career Development

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ARP 660: Theory and Process of Counseling in Rehabilitation

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ARP 684: Rehabilitation Foundations

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ARP 685A and ARP 685B: Medical and Psychological Aspects of Disability

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ARP 687: Job Development for Individuals with Disabilities

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ED 690: Methods of Inquiry

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ARP 615: Seminar in Multicultural Dimensions in Rehabilitation Counseling

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ARP 648: Group Dynamics in Rehabilitation

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ARP 708: Human Development and Disability

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ARP 755: Governance and Policy in Disability Systems

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ARP 744: Beginning Practicum

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ARP 744: Intermediate Practicum

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ARP 745: Internship

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Here is where the coursework differs between the two program tracks.

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The General track offers courses in rehabilitation technology, program development,

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and grant writing, along with two electives that can be applied toward one of two specializations –

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a specialization in cognitive disabilities or a specialization in rehabilitation technology –

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or the electives can be used to take other courses agreed upon by the student and their advisor.

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The psychiatric rehabilitation track has courses focused upon psychiatric disabilities,

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including psychiatric rehabilitation and co-occurring disorders, principles of psychiatric rehabilitation,

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trauma, substance abuse, and psychopharmacology.

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Let’s talk about common employment settings for rehabilitation counselors

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with attention to the distinctions between the program tracks.

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The settings discussed are those that are common or somewhat common for graduates of our program.

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There are certainly opportunities for graduates to chart their own paths or pursue opportunities that are unique or less common.

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Graduates of both program tracks can use the degree to pursue employment as counselors

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in state/federal vocational rehabilitation agencies such as the Department of Rehabilitation in California;

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there are over eighty of these state vocational rehabilitation agencies across the nation.

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Graduates can also pursue federal positions as rehabilitation counselors with the Department of Veterans Affairs,

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Veterans Benefits Administration.

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Graduates also work in disability support programs in postsecondary education institutions,

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in developmental disabilities services agencies such as the Regional Center system in California,

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in private rehabilitation settings conducting case management or forensic rehabilitation work,

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and in community-based rehabilitation programs.

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The psychiatric rehabilitation track offers exposure at a greater level of depth

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to psychiatric rehabilitation principles which may be useful in settings such as assertive community treatment programs,

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crisis houses, and substance use rehabilitation settings.

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Those with the license may also pursue mental health counselor positions with the Department of Veterans Affairs

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under the Veterans Health Administration, and may compete for other positions requiring licensure;

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typically these positions are not rehabilitation counselor positions

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but may have titles such as licensed mental health counselor.

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Occasionally our program has applicants whose interests lie in psychotherapy.

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They wish to pursue a career focused upon therapeutic mental health counseling

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where they engage in talk therapy to help individuals to address a broad range of emotional difficulties

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or symptoms of mental illness.

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If you have a primary interest in being a psychotherapist and are considering applying to the rehabilitation counseling program,

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I would suggest that our program is not the right program for you.

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Psychotherapy is not a focus of our program.

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The full-time faculty do not backgrounds as psychotherapists

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and our clinical experiences are not designed to help individuals become psychotherapists.

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SDSU does have other degree programs that emphasize therapeutic counseling

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and I would encourage you to consider applying to those programs if you have an interest in psychotherapy.

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Rehabilitation counselors are trained in brief counseling interventions focused upon practical problem-solving

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related to employment, education or training, and independent living and our coursework

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and clinical experiences are grounded in that type of practice.

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To further underscore this point, the rehabilitation counseling program is currently accredited by CACREP –

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the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs.

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The general track is accredited under the Rehabilitation Counseling specialty area

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and the psychiatric rehabilitation track is accredited dually under the Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling

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and Clinical Mental Health Counseling specialty areas.

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During the next accreditation cycle the rehabilitation counseling program

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does not intend to maintain the Clinical Mental Health Counseling specialty area.

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We intend to apply under the Rehabilitation Counseling specialty area for the generalist track

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and the Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling specialty area for the psychiatric rehabilitation track.

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Here I will share some additional details about the program tracks.

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First, we do have a distance program in rehabilitation counseling that is only open to individuals living outside San Diego County.

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The distance program does not offer the psychiatric rehabilitation track

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or any of the certificate options mentioned in this presentation or on the program’s web site;

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the generalist track option is the only track available in the distance program.

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With respect to admissions, we admit roughly equal numbers of students to each track of the campus-based program.

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The psychiatric rehabilitation track has, during the past few years, received more applications,

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so admission to the psychiatric rehabilitation track is typically more competitive.

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The rehabilitation counseling program does have stipend funding that we offer to students.

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The amount of funding and the number of students we can support varies over time.

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Presently I would estimate that we have funding to provide stipend support to approximately 40% of the students

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enrolled in the program.

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Currently we have stipend funding to offer to students in both tracks,

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but have more stipend spots in the generalist track.

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However, as I mentioned previously, funding amounts and the number of available spots

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are subject to change over time.

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In closing I’d like to make some suggestions with respect to deciding upon a program track:

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First, I’d encourage you to carefully consider your choice of program track

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and any specializations that you might choose to pursue.

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I’d recommend trying to align your choices with your long-range career plans.

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Which employment settings appeal most to you?

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The types of work you wish to be doing and the populations that you wish to serve

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could inform your decision about program tracks and specializations.

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I would also encourage you to review rehabilitation counselor position announcements –

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current announcements as well as those that have been issued in the past.

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Doing so should give you a sense of the requirements and desired qualifications

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associated with the opportunities to practice that appeal most to you.

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The rehabilitation counseling program faculty may be able to share examples of position announcements with you upon request.

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You might also consider meeting with or interviewing rehabilitation counselors

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practicing in settings that are of interest to you as they may be able to offer suggestions related to program track and specializations.

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I would also suggest that you review the 2021 salary report for certified rehabilitation counselors

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authored by the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification,

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which can be found at the URL on the presentation slide.

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Finally, I would suggest that you consult with a variety of sources related to rehabilitation counseling and licensure;

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there are a wide range of opinions related to rehabilitation counseling and licensure,

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which underscores the importance of gathering information from several sources of information that you consider trustworthy.

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The rehabilitation counseling faculty can offer suggestions and information that may help to inform your decision

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and may also be able to connect you with professionals in the field who can share their perspectives.

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Thank you very much for viewing this presentation.

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I hope the information is helpful to you as you consider applying to the rehabilitation counseling program.