Degree Offered
- Master of Science
Nature of the Program
The clinical rehabilitation and mental health counseling program offers a curriculum at the master’s degree level. All students complete coursework in core counseling knowledge and skill development as well as knowledge associated with disability, mental health, addiction, and rehabilitation issues. The opportunities for working as a professional counselor are numerous and include working in allied health settings, state-federal systems of vocational rehabilitation, Veterans' Affairs, and delivering counseling services in mental health and/or substance use disorder treatment programs.
The program is available for both full- and part-time students in a hybrid modality that uses asynchronistic online courses coupled with two immersion weeks on campus for counseling skill development. The program is fully accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) for the specializations of Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling and Clinical Mental Health Counseling until 2023 and is a WVU Program of Excellence. In the last ranking by U.S. News & World Report the program was ranked 37th.
For additional information, please email elisabeth.simpson@mail.wvu.edu, or refer to our program's website.
Faculty
Professor
- Margaret K. Glenn - Ed.D., CRC (The George Washington University)
Addictions, vocational rehabilitation, complementary and alternative healthcare practices, service dogs
Associate professor
- George Mamboleo - Ph.D. (University of Arizona)
Rehabilitation counseling, employment and health outcomes, accessibility and accommodations issues, international rehabilitation
Teaching Assistant Professor
- Elisabeth Simpson - Ph.D., CRC, NCC Counselor Education and Suupervision (Duquesne University)
Employment legislation, assistive technology, social justice, and ethics.
Teaching Instructor
- Regina Burgess - M.S., CRC, LPC (West Virginia University)
Admissions
Application
Applications for admission to the clinical rehabilitation and mental health counseling program must be made to the WVU Office of Admissions. In addition to the admission requirements of the university and the College of Applied Human Sciences, the program has the following admission requirements.
- A baccalaureate degree with coursework in appropriate areas
- A minimum undergraduate grade point average of 2.8 based on a 4.0 system (students with a lower grade point average and otherwise exceptional credentials may be admitted provisionally)
- Three letters of reference (can be submitted within the WVU electronic application system)
- Completion of the WVU Graduate School Application
- Completion of the program's supplemental application found on the program's website with a personal statement
Admission
Admission to the program is a two-step procedure.
Step 1 involves a review of credentials presented in the application materials including references, program application (relevant major; general quality of application), and UGPA. In addition to your interest, aptitude, and career goals related to counseling, the personal statement and recommendation letters should include your perspectives, respect for, and/or skills pertaining to cultural differences. The initial screening decision is based upon this information. Successful applicants are then invited to participate in department interviews.
Step 2 is the department interview which considers personal style relevant to working as a counselor, communication skills, capacity for empathic understanding and communication, ability to articulate professional goals, goals congruent with department focus, and knowledge and understanding of rehabilitation counseling as well as an assessment of applicants’ capacity to complete the rehabilitation counseling curriculum successfully.
The application deadline for receiving completed materials is February 15 for fall admission and October 1 for spring admission.
Admission Requirements 2024-2025
The Admission Requirements above will be the same for the 2024-2025 Academic Year.
Major Code: 5528
Major Requirements
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 is required in all graduate coursework and for the major. | ||
A minimum grade of C- is required in all major coursework. * | ||
COUN 501 | Counseling Theory and Techniques 1 | 3 |
COUN 505 | Theory and Practice of Human Appraisal | 3 |
COUN 606 | Counseling Theory and Techniques 2 | 3 |
COUN 609 | Group Counseling Theory and Techniques | 3 |
COUN 634 | Cultural Issues | 3 |
COUN 640 | Addictions Counseling | 3 |
COUN 645 | Couples and Family Counseling | 3 |
COUN 664 | Ethical Issues in Counseling | 3 |
COUN 665 | Diagnosis and Treatment Planning | 3 |
COUN 668 | Crisis Trauma Grief Counseling | 3 |
REHB 600 | Introduction to Rehabilitation Services | 3 |
REHB 610 | Medical Aspects of Rehabilitation | 3 |
REHB 612 | Disability Across the Lifespan | 3 |
REHB 620 | Career Development and Job Placement | 3 |
REHB 624 | Rehabilitation Client Services | 3 |
REHB 672 | Counseling Practicum | 3 |
REHB 675 | Clinical Practice | 12 |
REHB 680 | Seminar | 3 |
Total Hours | 63 |
- *
Language from syllabus regarding remediation for C- grades
Major Learning Outcomes
Clinical Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling
The objectives of our program are linked to our mission statement. They are to provide:
- Educational experiences for every student that facilitates the development of knowledge, skills and beliefs necessary to practice as qualified clinical rehabilitation and mental health counselors in a wide variety of circumstances.
- Learning opportunities to support students’ ability to implement culturally responsive and ethically sound clinical rehabilitation and mental health counseling practices.
- Clinical training environments that are focused on real world expectations and standards of clinical practice.