Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling (GRAD)

Division of Clinical Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling

Master of Science in Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling

The Division of Clinical Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling (CRMH) in the Department of Health Sciences offers a unique and challenging 60+ credit master of science degree in clinical rehabilitation counseling.

Graduates are eligible for national professional certification to become a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) or National Certified Counselor (NCC) and meet educational requirements for state license to practice in many states.  Rehabilitation counselors use client centered approaches to prepare individuals with disabilities in attaining optimal function, including psychological, social, and vocational function in the context of their personal goals, abilities, and perception of quality of life.  Rehabilitation counseling involves eliminating attitudinal and environmental barriers through use of counseling technology, advocacy, and support.

Mission of the Division

The mission of the Division of Clinical Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling (the “division”) is to serve the people of North Carolina by educating clinical rehabilitation counselors (“CRCs”) and clinical mental health counselors (“CMHCs”) with the knowledge and expertise to serve the state’s citizens with mental, behavioral, or neurodevelopmental disorders with an emphasis on those citizens who have psychiatric and/or developmental disabilities. The mission is based on the fundamental belief in the dignity and worth of all people, and in the rights of people with disabilities to live self-determined lives in inclusive communities of their choice. The CRCs and CMHCs will use the counseling relationship and their skills to work collaboratively with individuals to: (i) maximize functional capacity, productive and independent living skills, and quality of life; (ii) provide access to culturally sensitive and evidence-based counseling practices; and (iii) manage personalized services to support the unique needs and preferences of each individual, their family, and community. Fundamental to this effort is a focus on the whole person—their psychological, vocational, spiritual, and physical aspects—as well as family, social, work, and community relationships. Furthermore, the division is dedicated to inclusive practices, appreciating diversity, reducing health disparities, and serving marginalized and under-represented communities.

The division seeks to educate CRCs and CMHCs who possess the knowledge, skills and personal and professional qualities required to forge new models of community practice that address the diverse needs of 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 serve as 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 professions of clinical rehabilitation counseling and mental health 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 division is to contribute actively and substantively to this tradition. 

Mission of the M.S. in Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling Program

The mission of the Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling master’s program at UNC is to develop  professional counselors who have the knowledge, skills, and dispositions  necessary to provide state-of-the-art services to culturally diverse individuals with physical, psychiatric, developmental, and/or intellectual disabilities in diverse settings (e.g., public vocational rehabilitation, high school and/or college, disability management, private-for-profit rehabilitation, assisted living facilities). The curriculum provides extensive training in evidence-based practices and service delivery models aimed at optimizing consumers’ functioning in major life areas (i.e., physical, vocational, educational, developmental, psychosocial, independent living). Counselors trained at UNC will serve individuals of transition age and beyond through developmentally appropriate and culturally responsive work. Graduates combine clinical rehabilitation counseling expertise with skills in individual, professional and systemic advocacy, leadership, consultation, and collaboration to assess consumer needs, goals, potential, resources, and barriers to empower and fully promote consumers’ quality of life, community inclusion, and personal fulfillment.

Objectives of the M.S. in Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling Program

Graduates of the CRC Master’s Program will:

1. Learn and effectively apply current best practices in rehabilitation counseling within the continuum of care using a community-inclusion model.
2. Accurately assess the rehabilitation counseling needs of people with disabilities and work in partnership with consumers, families, and affiliated agencies to provide the most appropriate rehabilitation services and supports needed.
3. Acquire specific knowledge and skills to address the counseling and case management needs of people with disabilities with an emphasis on strategies and techniques for serving people with psychiatric and/or developmental disabilities; this includes assessing the impact of crisis and trauma, the impacts of biological and neurological mechanisms, and the effects of co-occurring disabilities.
4. Demonstrate multicultural and social justice counseling competencies, including cultural humility practices.
5. Work collaboratively with professionals as members of an interdisciplinary treatment team, family members, community providers, employers, and agency policy and decision makers to achieve optimal rehabilitation outcomes for people with disabilities.
6. Engage in a process of lifelong learning, collaboration, collegiality, and ethical relationships as part of ongoing professional development as CRCs.
7. Have the necessary leadership, business and management, and public policy skills to assume leadership roles; and
8. Promote and support consumer empowerment and self-advocacy, with a focus on inclusion and removal of environmental, attitudinal, and individual barriers for individuals with disabilities.

Courses

Numbered 700-999:

• Clinical Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling (CRMH)

MS in Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling Program

Requirements for Admission:

• A bachelor's degree transcript from an accredited college or university
• A pre-admission interview with the program faculty
• Eligibility to meet student requirements to participate in clinical training
• Minimum TOEFL or IELTS scores as required by the UNC Graduate School for any non-native English-speaking applicant.
• Three letters of reference
• Personal statement/statement of purpose
• Responses to five supplemental questions

We complete a holistic file review and consider academic success, experiences especially those relevant to working with people with disabilities, and how well a candidate's career interests and goals align with our program curriculum and clinical training opportunities. 

Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling, Master's Program (M.S.)

The Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling program is a 60+ credit master’s degree.

Graduates are eligible for national professional certification to become a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) or National Certified Counselor (NCC) and meet educational requirements for state license to practice counseling in many states (Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor or LCMHC in North Carolina).

Our clinical rehabilitation counseling program is ranked #13 in the country, according to U.S. News & World Report.

A clinical rehabilitation counselor is a highly trained professional who uses client-centered approaches to prepare individuals with disabilities to attain optimal function, including psychological, social, and vocational function in the context of their personal goals, abilities, and perception of quality of life. Rehabilitation counseling involves eliminating attitudinal and environmental barriers through the use of counseling technology, advocacy, and support.

Course Requirements

¹

Please note that if you are pursuing the dual subplan then your tracker will reflect an additional 1.5 credit hours.

²

Please note, if there is a discrepancy in credit hours, please contact your department program coordinator.

Milestones

The following list of milestones (non-course degree requirements) must be completed; view this list of standard milestone definitions for more information.

• Master's Committee
• Master's Oral Exam/Approved Exam Substitute
• Thesis Substitute
• Thesis/Substitute Defense
• Approved Master's Thesis
• Residence Credit
• Master's Exit Survey
• Master's Prospectus Meeting

Professor

Eileen J. Burker, Ph.D., C.R.C., Division Director, Quality of Life Associated with Heart and Lung Transplantation and Left Ventricular Device (LVAD) Surgery; Mental Health Aspects of Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation; Vocational Functioning in Individuals with Chronic Medical Conditions; Counseling Skills Development in Graduate Students in Counseling; Ethics in Counseling

Associate Professors

Dara Chan, Sc.D., C.R.C., Assistant Division Director, Admissions Chair, Career Counseling and Development for Adults with Developmental Disabilities; Community Participation and Integration of Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder; Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Measures; Spatial Analysis of Environmental Accessibility and Resource Use
Eniko Rak, Ph.D., C.R.C, Program Coordinator-Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling Program, Life Transitions and Quality of Life Outcomes; Impact of Health Literacy and Self-Management Competencies on Well-Being; Professional Identity Development in Students in Counseling Programs

Assistant Professor

Blaise Morrison, Ph.D., C.R.C, P.C., Psychosocial Adjustment Counseling for Families Affected by Chronic Illness and Disability; Family Therapy Interventions for Adjusting to Life After TBI, Stroke, and SCI; Caregiver/CarePartner QOL; Interdisciplinary Psychosocial Research; Community Participation and Employment Outcomes in Individuals with Acquired Brain Injury; Psychiatric Rehabilitation; Family Functioning After Disability Onset

Clinical Assistant Professors

Damaris Bates, PhD, LCMHCA, NCC, The Application of Critical Theories such as Disability Justice and Intersectionality to Enhance Counseling Praxis and Training Experiences; Foster Culturally and Disability-Affirming Spaces for QTBIPOC Clients with Disabilities; Cultivating a Social Justice-Based Counseling Training Curriculum
Terra Rose, Psy.D., L.P., LCMHC-QS, Assistant Practicum and Internship Coordinator, Supervision and Counseling Skill Development of Graduate Students; Evidence-Based Treatments for Individuals with Psychiatric Disabilities and Substance Use Disorders, Quality of Life Associated with Organ Failure and Transplant
Judy Schmidt, Ed.D., C.R.C., LCMHCA, Practicum and Internship Coordinator & Program Coordinator-Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program, Trauma Informed Care, Counselor Development and Training, Interprofessional Education and Practice in Counselor Training

Adjunct Faculty

Scarlett Anthony, Ph.D., Quality of Life Associated with Heart and Lung Transplantation and Left Ventricular (LVAD) Surgery; Behavioral and Lifestyle Risk Factors Among Cardiology Patients
W. Leigh Atherton, Ph.D., LCMHCS, LCAS, CRC, CCS, Substance Abuse, Dual Diagnosis and Motivational Interviewing
Brianne Tomaszweski, PhD, Specializing in Examining and Promoting Functional Outcomes for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities
Katie Tompkins, M.S., C.R.C., LCMHC, Co-Occurring Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and Psychiatric Disabilities, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy