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Didactic/Experiential Coursework:

CRMH 806: Applied Counseling Skills 
This course blends didactic and laboratory instruction in order to bridge the gap between counseling theory and the application of counseling principles. Students will be presented counseling techniques and skills necessary to function as a professional rehabilitation counselor in the didactic portion of the course. The laboratory experience is designed to enhance interviewing skills and case conceptualization abilities that will prepare the student for practicum experience. Students will be expected to responsibly use video recording equipment for taping simulated situations, which will then be reviewed with the course instructor and the class.

Prerequisite for this course is successful completion of CRMH 702: Theories of Counseling and CRMH 712: Diagnosis & Assessment of Mental Disorders in Counseling with passing grades of “P” or better; failure to do so will prevent students from proceeding in the program. Students must complete CRMH 806 with at least a grade of “P” in order to enroll in CRMH 802: Practicum.

CRMH 714: Principles of Group Counseling in Clinical Rehabilitation and Mental Health
This course helps students learn strategies and techniques for developing and implementing groups in counseling. Attention is given to group counseling with persons with disabilities, specifically those with developmental and psychiatric disabilities. As part of the course, students will have the opportunity to learn about group process and procedures by leading the class through group activity as well as observing outside groups in various agencies and leading an outside group.

CRMH 714: Principles of Group Counseling is a prerequisite for enrolling in CMHC 810-Internship in Clinical Mental Health Counseling or CMHC 811-Internship in Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling. Students must complete CRMH 714 with at least a grade of “P” in order to enroll in Internship.

Clinical Coursework:

Students are required to complete clinical courses uninterrupted as scheduled. Once clinical experiences have begun, students must continue uninterrupted on schedule in sequence, until the full course of activities is completed.In the case of personal hardship, which may preclude a student from continuing the clinical experience, a written request to withdraw from the experience must be submitted to faculty. If faculty agree to grant the student request, a letter must also be sent by the student to the site supervisor. If the student’s request is approved by faculty, the student must repeat the clinical sequence the next time it is offered.

Students are required to supply their own micro cassette tape recorder and tapes to be used during their practicum/internship experience.

CRMH 802: Practicum 

Practicum provides students with the opportunity to apply counseling theory and skills learned in prerequisite courses to a real world, clinical setting, as well as giving students the opportunity to participate in other related rehabilitation activities at the facility. In addition, students are taught to utilize sound clinical judgment by applying ethical decision-making principles. Practicum facilitates development of basic counseling skills and prepares students for more advanced practice in their internship experience. The following topics will be covered in the didactic portion of practicum class: crisis intervention; assessing lethality; scope of practice and ethical standards for CRCs and CMHCs; professionalization; review of HIPAA guidelines; an introduction to potential practicum sites, and practicum guidelines.

In order to successfully complete practicum, students must reach a level of competency in counseling as determined by the faculty supervisor and site supervisor and have had sufficient counseling experience so that supervisors feel comfortable recommending students to advance to more independent counseling practice in Internship. The practicum experience consists of eight hours per week at the practicum site for 16 weeks, with a minimum of 120 hours of clinical practicum experience. Students are expected to complete the full uninterrupted 16 weeks of practicum. At least 40 hours of this time must be spent in direct client service as defined in the practicum manual. Due to the developmental nature of practicum, eight hours per week is regularly expected to meet the practicum hour requirement (in certain instances students may be encouraged to participate in educational experiences that may contribute to their clinical development at the site).

The faculty supervisor will determine whether more than eight hours in a given week will be counted toward fulfilling the practicum hour requirement. Failure to obtain 40 hours of direct client service or failure to attain a minimum of 120 hours may result in students needing to extend practicum until the full complement of direct client service hours is obtained. Each student must receive one hour a week of individual supervision on site from a faculty approved site supervisor. The designated site supervisor must have at least a master’s degree in the student’s specialty-area of counseling  or in another counseling-related field. Students are also required to attend a didactic seminar as well as meet once per week with faculty on campus for individual and/or group supervision. Only faculty pre-approved practicum sites may be utilized. All practicum placements must be within an hour of traveling time from campus unless pre-approved by the faculty.

Practicum is a prerequisite to entering the internship. Students must complete practicum with at least a grade of “P” in order to enroll in internship.

CRMH 810 Internship in Clinical Mental Health Counseling OR CRMH 811 Internship in Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling

Internship is a full-time clinical experience consisting of 40 hours per week for 16 weeks at a faculty approved site consistent with the students chosen specialty track – either developmental or psychiatric disability. Internship is designed to provide opportunities for students to refine their counseling skills and to prepare students for successful entry level employment as a master’s level counselor. During internship, in addition to further counseling experiences, students will also participate in service delivery across the continuum of care including inpatient, outpatient settings, as well as case management, community re-entry, vocational placement, and administrative activities. Students are required to complete the full 16 weeks, uninterrupted, and to have a minimum of 600 hours of applied experience in an agency pre-approved by the rehabilitation-counseling faculty. At least 240 hours in internship must consist of direct service to consumers. Failure to attain direct client service hours or failure to attain the minimum internship hours may necessitate extension of the internship experience beyond the 16 weeks, and potentially postpone graduation from the program.  Students are required to have at least one hour per week of supervision on site by a designated site supervisor. The designated site supervisor must have at least a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling (CRC required) for CRC 810, in clinical mental health counseling (LMHC required) for CMHC 810 or in another credentialed counseling-related field.  Students are expected to attend a scheduled seminar and participate in group supervision on campus with counseling faculty. All internship placements must be within an hour of traveling time from campus unless pre-approved by the faculty.

Students must complete all the requirements for Internship with a “P” or better in order to qualify for graduation from their program. Students who fail to reach a satisfactory level of competence in the estimation of the faculty and/or site supervisor will, depending on the seriousness of the deficit, extend internship, repeat internship, or in the most severe cases, be dismissed from the program. Students should adhere to their course syllabus for a complete listing of all requirements.