Rehabilitation Services

Rehabilitation Services Links:

• Penn State Rehabilitation Services
• List of Rehabilitation-Related Professions
• Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services U.S. Department of Education
• American Physical Therapy Association

Only a B.S. in Rehabilitation Services is offered at PSU. However, Penn State University offers M.Ed. and M.S. degrees in Rehabilitation Counseling. In a 1998 nationwide survey of the 91 accredited master's programs in rehabilitation counseling, Penn State was ranked fourth.

At Penn State University, the rehabilitation counseling program prepares students to work as rehabilitation counselors, providing services to people with disabilities. Recognizing the complexities of personal, social, and vocational barriers that people with disabilities encounter, the program provides a solid foundation of existing knowledge and a strong focus on practice to assist in eliminating these barriers. As such, students develop competence with regard to rehabilitation principles, knowledge, and skills necessary to satisfactorily perform the duties required of rehabilitation counselors.

Over the past five years, 100% of the graduates of this program have found employment as rehabilitation counselors. Graduates leave prepared to work as rehabilitation counselors in public and private agencies in a wide variety of settings with a wide variety of clientele, such as persons with physical disabilities, mental retardation, psychiatric disabilities, and alcohol/chemical addiction. The rehabilitation counselor provides and coordinates services to assist people with disabilities to achieve the fullest physical, mental, social, and economic productivity and community integration.

Rehabilitation Counseling is distinguished from psychology and social work in that attention is paid to vocational placement and independent living as a key part of the helping process.

Last modified: 07/11/06 | Contact Webmaster