M.S. In Professional and Rehabilitation Counseling

(Rehabilitation, Mental Health, and Drug and Alcohol Recovery)

Professional and Rehabilitation Counseling – 48-57 credit program designed for students interested in the practice of professional counseling in Rehabilitation Counseling, Mental Health Counseling, or Drug and Alcohol Recovery. Professional Counselors assist individuals with emotional, mental, social, and physical challenges in attaining their life goals. This program provides the necessary academic background for students interested in pursuing licensing and a variety of advanced certifications in professional and rehabilitation counseling.

Program Objectives

In keeping with this philosophy of learning, the program objectives are to provide students opportunities to:

  1. To facilitate development of a personal philosophy and a theoretical perspective for client treatment.
  2. To develop an appreciation for the mind-spirit-body relationship and each person's quest for personal meaning, interdependence, health, and wellness.
  3. Become knowledgeable in the major theories of counseling and how they apply to treatment of people with a variety of emotional and physical disabilities including drug and alcohol dependence.
  4. To understand the roles that prevention, support, consumer empowerment and interdependence play in psychological health.
  5. To integrate the role of multiculturalism, gender equity, and equal opportunity into one's personal theory of counseling.
  6. To integrate the importance of and application of ethics into one's philosophy and orientation to the provision of counseling services.
  7. Develop an understanding of the important role that family, environment, and contextual issues play in human development.
  8. Develop an articulated personal theory of counseling upon which they base their interventions.
  9. Learn in a supportive and nurturing learning environment;
  10. Gain exposure to clinical field experiences through closely supervised practica and internships at appropriate sites in the community.
  11. Become knowledgeable consumers of research in professional counseling and related areas and learn to apply current research to practice.
  12. Develop and articulate a strong sense of professional identity as ethical, multiculturally competent professional counselors.

Program Philosophy

The Professional and Rehabilitation Counseling programs at Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) is designed to prepare students for students for work in a variety of human service and community agencies assisting individuals with emotional, mental, social, physical disabilities and challenges. Employment opportunities exist in numerous settings including human service agencies, community mental health centers, alcohol and drug clinics, the state-federal vocational rehabilitation agencies, private rehabilitation agencies, rehabilitation hospitals, psychiatric hospitals, insurance companies, and correctional institutions. Students are taught theories and techniques of practice in individual and group counseling modalities. They also learn about the special problems and concerns of people with a wide variety of physical and mental challenges and disabilities along with other socially stigmatizing conditions.

The philosophy of the program is that a student must integrate theories and techniques as tools for enhancing one's effectiveness as an agent of intervention and change. The program does so by interweaving theory and practice throughout the duration of the training process via graduated practical experiences while studying theory. Thus, through the process of study and practice, the student has an opportunity to incorporate a wide array of learning gradually and comprehensively. The end product of such training is a Professional Counselor who is well-grounded in theory, and who has had the nurturing through an on-going training and supervisory process to use him- or herself effectively, professionally, and ethically as an agent of change at a variety of levels. The Professional and Rehabilitation Counseling program provides the academic background necessary for students to pursue professional licensing and a variety of advanced certifications in professional and Rehabilitation counseling.