Funding Available for Graduate Education in Rehabilitation Counseling

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Faculty and students in the rehabilitation counseling program.

The University of Arkansas offers traineeships to master's students who want to pursue a degree in rehabilitation counseling. The funding from the U.S. Department of Education is available to students who want to study in one of three concentrations: general rehabilitation, addictions and psychiatric disabilities.

The traineeships each cover tuition and fees and include a stipend each semester, including summer, that can be used to offset expenses such as books and parking.

The rehabilitation counseling program in the College of Education and Health Professions is a 48-hour master's degree program designed to prepare students to work with individuals with disabilities. Disabilities can range from physical conditions and chronic illnesses to substance use disorders to psychiatric disabilities and everything between. This program creates the opportunity for students to become Certified Rehabilitation Counselors by offering coursework in areas such as medical and psychological aspects of disability, research, case management, and job development and placement. 

There is a 60-hour option that allows students to complete coursework required to sit for the National Counselor Examination. This program can also help to prepare students to obtain certifications or licensure in addiction counseling as well.

Students interesting in pursuing a Master of Science in rehabilitation counseling can contact these faculty members in each concentration of counselor education: general rehabilitation, Brent Thomas Williams, associate professor, at 479-575-4758 or btwilli@uark.edu; addictions, Stephanie Lusk, associate professor, at 479-575-4817 or sluskhe@uark.edu; and psychiatric disabilities, Lynn Koch, professor, at 479-575-5824 or lckoch@uark.edu or Kristin Higgins, associate professor, at 479-790-9521 or kkhiggi@uark.edu.

The college's rehabilitation counseling program was ranked No. 13 by U.S. News & World Report in 2015, the last time those programs were ranked by the publication. The program recently merged with counselor education as required by the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs. The merger of the doctoral degree programs was official last fall and the master's degree merger will be effective this fall.