About Us

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill offers a unique and challenging 64 credit master's degree in Rehabilitation Counseling with concentrations in working with persons with developmental and psychiatric disabilities.  The program is fully accredited by the Council On Rehabilitation Education (CORE).  Graduates of the program are eligible for national professional certification as Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) and can receive their North Carolina state credentials for Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC).  Please view our Student Handbook for more detailed information about our program. 

Mission Statement

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 developmental disabilities and/or psychiatric 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 the State and nation. The mission of the University’s Division of Rehabilitation Counseling and Psychology is to contribute actively and substantively to this tradition.

Objectives       

1. Practice effectively within a community model using current best practices;
2. Assess the client’s overall rehabilitation needs and preferences and work together with the client to develop and implement appropriate counseling and service and support plans;
3. Have specific knowledge and skills to address the counseling and case management needs of individuals with disabilities with emphasis on the needs of persons with mental illness and developmental disabilities;
4. Work collaboratively with interdisciplinary teams, family members, community members and decision and policy makers;
5. Engage in a process of lifelong learning, collaboration and collegiality;
6. Assume leadership roles in practice and the profession with the necessary leadership, business and management and public policy skills;
7. Empower clients as self advocates.