Division of Rehabilitation Counseling and Psychology

CHARLES P. BERNACCHIO, Director

Clinical Professor

Donna Falvo, Medical and Psychosocial Aspects of Chronic Illness and Disabilities; Aging and Disability

Associate Professor

Eileen J. Burker (22) Behavioral Medicine/Health Psychology; Religiosity, Spirituality and Quality of Life Associated with Heart and Lung Transplantation; Psychological Aspects of Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation

Assistant Research Professors

Charles P. Bernacchio, Psychiatric Rehabilitation Practice, Supported Employment, Aging with a Disability, Universal Design for Learning, Clinical Supervision and Transition of Youth with Disabilities

Kelly A. Kazukauskas, Developmental Disability Practice, Disability and Sexuality, Rehabilitation Counselor Competency and Training, Aging and Mental Health Issues in Persons with Developmental Disability

The Division of Rehabilitation Counseling and Psychology (DRCP) of the Department of Allied Health Sciences offers a two-year graduate program leading to the master of science degree.

The graduate courses offered in rehabilitation counseling and psychology (RCP) present and discuss theoretical constructs and their application to clinical practice; study the bio-psychosocial complexity of disability within rehabilitation contexts; examine professional role and identity within ethical guidelines of practice; stimulate critical, analytical and creative thought; and prepare students for professional rehabilitation counseling practice including specialty settings for people with developmental and/or psychiatric disabilities.

Mission

The mission of the Division of Rehabilitation Counseling and Psychology is to serve the people of North Carolina by educating rehabilitation counselors with the knowledge and expertise to provide services to our citizens with disabilities with an emphasis on those with psychiatric and/or developmental disabilities. The mission is based on the fundamental belief in the dignity and worth of all people and the rights of people with disabilities to live self-determined lives in inclusive communities of their choice. The Division of Rehabilitation Counseling and Psychology seeks to educate rehabilitation counselors who use the counseling relationship and skills to work collaboratively with individuals to maximize functional capacity, productive and independent living skills and quality of life, and to provide access to and manage personalized services to support the unique needs and preferences of each individual, his or her family, and community. Fundamental to this is a focus on the whole person—psychological, vocational, spiritual and physical aspects—as well as family, social, work and community relationships. The division seeks to educate rehabilitation counselors who possess the knowledge, critical thinking abilities, commitment to independent learning and scholarship, vision and courage required to forge new models of community practice to address the diverse needs of the individuals with disabilities now and in the future.

In carrying out this mission the faculty of the division has the obligation to acquire, discover, preserve, synthesize and transmit knowledge, to be models of professional leadership and to create a culture of educational excellence that will nurture students' intellectual and ethical development. Students have the responsibility to fully engage in an educational process of research, free inquiry and personal responsibility and to become foremost practitioners, scholars, researchers and leaders in the profession of rehabilitation counseling.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is recognized nationally and internationally as a leading center of scholarship, research and creative work with a mission to serve the people of North Carolina and the nation. The mission of the University's Division of Rehabilitation Counseling and Psychology is to contribute actively and substantively to this tradition.

Objectives

Graduates of the Rehabilitation Counseling Psychology Program will

Effectively apply current best practices in rehabilitation counseling within a community-inclusion model
Accurately assess the rehabilitation preferences and needs of people with disabilities and work in partnership with consumers to provide the appropriate rehabilitation counseling, services and supports needed
Acquire specific knowledge and skills to address the counseling and case management needs of people with disabilities, with particular emphasis on strategies and techniques for serving people with psychiatric and developmental disabilities
Work collaboratively with professionals, family members, community providers, employers, and agency policy and decision makers to achieve optimal rehabilitation outcomes for people with disabilities
Engage in a process of lifelong learning, collaboration and collegiality as part of ongoing professional development as rehabilitation counselors
Have the necessary leadership, business and management and public policy skills to assume leadership roles in the practice and the profession of rehabilitation counseling and
Promote and support consumer empowerment and self-advocacy of people with disabilities

Students must successfully complete 64 semester hours of required course work, submit and defend an approved master's thesis, paper or project, and complete an approved practicum and internship.

Requirements for Admission

• A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university

• A grade point average of B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) or better in the area of the major

• Submission of Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores (any two areas of Quantitative, Verbal, or Writing scores @ 50th percentile);

• Three letters of recommendation

• Completion of application supplement for RCP within graduate school application

• Pre-admission interview with DRCP faculty

Courses for Graduates

700 [200] INTRODUCTION TO REHABILITATION COUNSELING AND PSYCHOLOGY (3). This course will cover topics germane to the history and philosophy of rehabilitation. Students will obtain an overview of the field, its consumers, and methods of service delivery. Fall. Bernacchio.

702 [202] THEORIES OF COUNSELING APPLIED TO REHABILITATION (3). An introduction to the traditional theories of individual and family counseling. Emphasis on application of theories to persons with disabilities, ethics and multicultural awareness. Fall. Kazukauskas.

704 [204] MEDICAL ASPECTS OF REHABILITATION (3). Functional, psychological, vocational, familial, social and sexual aspects of medical disabilities. Includes the human body system and medical terminology. Focus on assistive technology and functional capacity. Spring. Falvo.

706 [206] TESTS AND MEASUREMENT IN REHABILITATION COUNSELING PSYCHOLOGY (3). This course is an overview of the selection, administration and interpretation of major assessment tools. Emphasis is on persons with mental illness or developmental disabilities. Fall. Kazukaukas.

708 [208] COMMUNITY INTEGRATION FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES: WORK, HOME AND LEISURE (3). This course will cover career development and counseling with emphasis on community integration in vocational and leisure pursuits of persons with disabilities, particularly those with mental illness and developmental disabilities. Spring. Bernacchio.

710 [210] DEVELOPMENTAL COUNSELING THROUGH THE LIFE SPAN (3). Developmental theories and counseling through the life span will be covered with overall themes of positive development, resiliency and healthy life transitions of persons with disabilities. Fall. Kazukauskas

712 [212] FUNDAMENTALS OF REHABILITATION COUNSELING AND PSYCHOLOGY: DIAGNOSIS AND PRACTICE IN PEOPLE WITH MENTAL ILLNESS AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES (3). Prerequisites, RPSY 700 and 702. An introduction to diagnosing clients with mental illness and developmental disabilities. Focus is on best practice treatment and the vocational, social and familial implications of living with a DSM disorder. Fall. Burker.

714 [214] PRINCIPLES OF GROUP COUNSELING IN REHABILITATION PSYCHOLOGY AND COUNSELING (3). Strategies and techniques in developing and implementing groups in counseling. Attention to group counseling with persons with disabilities, specifically those with mental illness and developmental disabilities. Spring. Burker.

718 Co-Occurring Disorders in Rehabilitation Counseling AND Psychology (3). Introduces occurrence of both psychiatric conditions and substance abuse prevalence examining history including traditional recovery models, contradictory practices, bio-physiological effects and shift from separate to parallel to integrated treatment approaches. Spring. Staff.

800 [300] REHABILITATION COUNSELING AND PSYCHOLOGY RESEARCH AND PROGRAM EVALUATION (3). Prerequisites, RPSY 700 and 702. Research methods, evidence-based practice, and ethical, legal and cultural issues related to research and evaluation. Covers basic statistics, library research for rehabilitation related information, proposal development and grant writing. Spring. Burker.

801 Rehabilitation Counseling and Psychology Pre-Practicum (2). Orientation to the clinical portion of the rehabilitation counseling curriculum. Includes training in assessing lethality, identifying and reporting abuse, counselor safety, rehabilitation counseling ethics and HIPAA review. Summer. Falvo.

802 [302] REHABILITATION COUNSELING AND PSYCHOLOGY PRACTICUM (5). Prerequisites, all rehabilitation counseling and psychology first-year didactic courses. Direct experience with clients/patients in varied service delivery settings. Fall. Staff.

806 [306] APPLIED COUNSELING SKILLS IN REHABILITATION COUNSELING AND PSYCHOLOGY (5). Designed to teach foundational counseling skills that will enable students to begin counseling. Focus on counseling individuals with mental illness and developmental disabilities. Includes ethics and multicultural awareness. Spring. Burker.

808 [308] EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP IN REHABILITATION COUNSELING AND PSYCHOLOGY (3). Examines leadership in RCP practice within complex political, economic and service environments, emphasizing supervision, team coordination, public policy and funding. Emphasis on North Carolina service delivery systems. Fall. Falvo.

810 [310] INTERNSHIP IN REHABILITATION COUNSELING AND PSYCHOLOGY (12). Prerequisites, all rehabilitation counseling and psychology didactic courses including RPSY 992, 802. Direct experience with clients/patients in either developmental disability or mental illness settings. Parts 1 and 2. Summer. Falvo.

814 [314] INTRODUCTION TO REHABILITATION COUNSELING AND PSYCHOLOGY WITH PEOPLE WITH MENTAL ILLNESS AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES (3). Historical perspective, description, diagnoses, classification, etiology, patterns of functioning, current best practices with focus on RCP service delivery and community support; day-in-the-life component included. Fall. Bernacchio/Kazukauskas.

816 [316] ADVANCED REHABILITATION COUNSELING AND PSYCHOLOGY PRACTICE WITH PEOPLE WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES (3). Prerequisites, RPSY 700, 702 and 814. Prepares students for RCP practice with persons with developmental disabilities; covers a wide range of intervention and coordination strategies focusing on achievement of a participatory, person-centered, independent and productive community life. Spring. Kazukauskas.

818 [318] ADVANCED REHABILITATION COUNSELING AND PSYCHOLOGY PRACTICE WITH PEOPLE WITH MENTAL ILLNESS (3). Prerequisites, RPSY 700, 702 and 814. Prepares students for RCP practice with persons with mental illness; covers a wide range of intervention and coordination strategies focusing on support of recovery and achievement of a healthy, independent and productive life. Spring. Bernacchio.

890 [304] SPECIAL TOPICS IN REHABILITATION COUNSELING AND PSYCHOLOGY (1–3). Faculty-mentored independent study to pursue specific interests and topics. Fall, spring or summer. Staff.

992 [392] MASTER'S PAPER/PROJECT IN REHABILITATION COUNSELING AND PSYCHOLOGY (3–6). Individual work by a student (supervised by faculty) to explore an area of interest in a research paper, program development or a professional project. Fall, spring and summer. Staff.

993 [393] MASTER'S THESIS IN REHABILITATION COUNSELING AND PSYCHOLOGY (3–6). Individual research supervised by a faculty member in a special field of study. Fall, spring and summer. Staff.