Counseling Major, (MS) - Mental Health Counseling Concentration
The focus of the mental health counseling concentration is the preparation of excellent counselor practitioners and scholars to serve in agencies that provide counseling to adolescents, children, adults and families (such as outpatient and inpatient mental health treatment centers, programs serving troubled youth and families, hospitals, counseling and related service programs in colleges and universities, drug and alcohol treatment programs, and private practices). Our graduates are self-aware counselors and scholars whose lifelong learning continually informs their service, practice, and development. Many also choose to continue their graduate studies at the doctoral level.
The mental health counseling concentration at the University of Tennessee is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). The program of study includes a minimum of 1000 hours of supervised practicum and internship counseling experiences in clinical settings. Each student’s plan of study is customized to support individual goals as well as to provide a common core of counselor preparation. Graduates will have completed the educational and graduate clinical preparation requirements for licensure as a professional counselor with mental health service provider designation (LPC-MHSP) in Tennessee. CACREP accreditation helps ensure the portability of the degree. For example, the counselor licensure requirements of many states match the CACREP standards for Mental Health Counseling Programs.
The faculty provides rigorous, experiential, practical education, aimed at maximizing the professional and personal-development of our graduates through this 60-credit hour, 2.5 year graduate program. It is important that our graduate students learn and develop in a challenging and supportive learning community.
The goal of the program is the preparation of future counselors as:
- Strong, effective, self-aware counselors
- Persons ready to develop deeply healing therapeutic relationships
- Professionals well-skilled in the full range of task areas needed from mental health counselors
- Scholars with a solid background of understanding and a personal and professional curiosity to guide their ongoing, life-long study of counseling, mental health, and human development
- Persons and professionals ready to thrive in and embrace the increasingly diverse world in which we all live and work.
Requirements
| |
Hours Credit |
| COUN 480 , COUN 535 , COUN 551 , COUN 554 , COUN 555 , COUN 525 , COUN 552 , COUN 561 , COUN 559 (9 hours across an academic or calendar year), COUN 556 , COUN 570 |
39 |
| SCHP 690 |
3 |
| EDPY 550 - Research course |
3 |
| Human development course, approved by advisement |
3 |
| Four electives or a thesis (COUN 500 for 6 hours and two electives) |
12 |
| Total hours required |
60 |
Counseling Major, (MS) - Psychosocial Rehabilitation Concentration
Psychosocial rehabilitation concentration is a 60-hour program of study and is intended for students who have career goals that include working with individuals with disabilities in hospital settings, proprietary rehabilitation, community rehabilitation programs, and other such settings. Students wishing to practice in mental health agencies or similar settings should consider the mental health counseling concentration. Students are required to complete the following courses in addition to those indicated under the rehabilitation counseling concentration requirements.
- COUN 525
- Elective (Approved by academic advisor)
- EDPY 510 or PSYC 512
- RHCO 549 (3 additional credit hours). The additional three hours of internship in the psychosocial track must be completed in a rehabilitation setting serving individuals with cognitive, emotional or psychiatric disorders.
Students in the 60-hour concentration are required to demonstrate satisfactory performance in a written comprehensive examination as a requirement for graduation. Contact Ms. Lisa Rimmell for details (865) 974-5285 or by email at lrimmell@utk.edu.
Most rehabilitation counseling courses are offered only one semester per year. Students admitted to the program must meet with an advisor each semester to plan their studies.
Counseling Major, (MS) - Rehabilitation Counseling Concentration
The purpose of the rehabilitation counseling concentration is to ensure that skilled personnel are available to serve the rehabilitation needs of individuals with disabilities assisted through vocational rehabilitation (VR), supported employment, and independent living programs.
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, graduate concentration in rehabilitation counseling is designed to prepare students for professional careers as clinicians in the field of rehabilitation counseling. The rehabilitation counseling concentration is service-oriented and includes practica and internship experiences. The program is fully accredited by the Council on Rehabilitation Education, Inc. (CORE).
Students may complete the 48 hour program in four academic semesters (two fall terms, one spring term, and one summer term). Students may be admitted to the program either full- or part-time. Full-time students admitted to the program follow a sequence of courses that facilitates degree completion in 16 months. The first (fall) and third (summer) semesters are didactic in nature, but the second semester adds an experiential component under RHCO 547 . The final (second fall) semester is experiential, with students working full-time to fulfill the 600-hour requirement of RHCO 549 . The internship is considered the culminating experience to the program and students must complete internship in the final term of study prior to graduation.
Upon completion of the 48-hour program students are eligible to participate in the Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) examination, administered by the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC). Upon successful completion of this examination students earn the credential of Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC). Students are also required to demonstrate satisfactory performance through written comprehensive examination as a requirement for graduation.
Requirements
Rehabilitation Counseling Concentration is a 48-hour program of study. The following course sequence is recommended. All courses are three credit hours, except where indicated.
Fall 1
Spring 1
Summer 1
Fall 2
Students in the 48-hour concentration are required to demonstrate satisfactory performance in a written comprehensive examination as a requirement for graduation. Contact Ms. Lisa Rimmell for details (865) 974-5285 or by e-mail at lrimmell@utk.edu.
Most rehabilitation counseling courses are offered only one semester per year. Students admitted to the program must communicate with an advisor each semester to plan their studies.
Distance Education
The rehabilitation counseling program offers instruction in the 48-hour track through distance delivery. Students interested in pursuing this option should contact the program coordinator (see below).
The rehabilitation counseling concentration offers instruction in the 48-hour track through distance delivery. Students interested in pursuing this option should contact the program coordinator (see below).
Students without employment experience in vocational rehabilitation or closely related fields must pursue the degree through the traditional residential program, described above, and must have permission of the rehabilitation counseling faculty to participate in courses delivered through distance education.
The course of study for the distance education rehabilitation counseling master’s degree is described below:
Fall 1
Spring 1
Summer 1
Fall 2
Spring 2
Summer 2
Students are admitted to the distance education program in cohorts in even years, and each cohort must contain at least nine students. Students are required to come to campus for one week in the first summer of the program for individual and group counseling skills training (COUN 554 ; RHCO 545 ). Practicum and internship supervision will require mailing of audio or videotapes of counseling sessions to the university faculty practicum or internship supervisor. Contact Ms. Lisa Rimmell for details (865) 974-5285 or by email at lrimmell@utk.edu.
Deafness Rehabilitation Specialization
The deafness rehabilitation specialization is available to students whose career interests relate to working with individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. Students pursuing the deafness rehabilitation specialization will pursue the same 48-hour rehabilitation counseling curriculum as students in the general rehabilitation program but are required to complete the following additional requirements prior to receiving the master’s degree:
- Completion of the Orientation to Deafness (OTD) program from the University of Tennessee Center on Deafness. This is a five- week residential program conducted during summer sessions. Students who are interested in pursuing the deafness specialization must complete OTD prior to being admitted to the deafness rehabilitation specialization. An equivalent program at another institution may be substituted with approval of the Center on Deafness and Rehabilitation Counseling program faculty. For more information, please contact the Center on Deafness at (865)-974-0607.
- Demonstration of intermediate skill level in American Sign Language (ASL) on the Sign Language Proficiency Interview (SLPI) prior to graduation from the program.
- Practicum and Internship experiences must be completed in a rehabilitation setting working with individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing.
- All course assignments with elective subject matter (i.e., research papers, class presentations, etc.) must be related to issues relevant to persons who are deaf or hard of hearing.
The deafness rehabilitation specialization curriculum may be pursued by either residential or distance education students. The Distance Education cohort is limited to students who are already employed as rehabilitation counselors or in closely related positions (see above), and will begin their studies at the same time as general rehabilitation distance education students (see above).
Program Contact: Ms. Lisa Rimmell, M.S., CRC, Program Coordinator, pdunn4@utk.edu.
Counseling Major, (MS) - School Counseling Concentration
The school counseling concentration (48 hours) is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). Its purpose is to prepare graduates who will assume the major responsibilities of a counselor within elementary and secondary schools. Applicants for degrees in this field must present satisfactory evidence of academic ability and adequacy of personal characteristics and goals as determined by recommendations of employers, instructors, and colleagues, and by scores of the aptitude portion of the Graduate Record Examination. The concentration requires a 600-hour internship in a school site during the second year to prepare students for practice. Students enrolled complete a program that includes core courses, clinical courses, and electives. Those applicants who have not had teaching experience may be required to complete additional courses. Graduates will fulfill the license requirements for PreK-12 School Counseling in Tennessee and in most states of the United States although some states may have additional experience and testing requirements.
Requirements
* Individuals with teaching license can substitute an elective for this course.
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