Campus Directory

University of South Florida · College of Behavioral & Community Sciences · Rehabilitation & Mental Health Counseling

Our Mission...

Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling is an interdisciplinary field and, as such, draws from many related areas. For example, included in this interdisciplinary program is information drawn from psychology, education, behavioral sciences, biological sciences, philosophy, engineering, and law. As an interdisciplinary field, Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling attracts faculty members from a full range of disciplines and related programs as they enhance diversity of thought and add richness to the academic and research needs of the department.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Department of Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling is to promote quality services for individuals with differences in abilities and to help the state meet its human service needs in the areas of rehabilitation and mental health through teaching, research and service.

Goals

  1. To enhance and maintain graduate student enrollment and graduation rates.
  2. To enhance and maintain the diversity of graduate students from underrepresented groups.
  3. To enhance and maintain community engagement by expanding, as appropriate (e.g., 10%), the number of approved community agencies in the service area for student field training experiences.
  4. To enhance and maintain collaboration with the Department of Mechanical Engineering.
  5. To establish and maintain research collaboration with departments within the College of Behavioral and Community Sciences.
  6. To contribute to the body of knowledge in the field of rehabilitation and mental health counseling and related disciplines.
  7. To maintain national accreditation through the Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE) annually.

Objectives

  1. To provide students with a sound knowledge of the basic philosophical tenets and relevant historical foundations of rehabilitation and mental health counseling, and to prepare master's level rehabilitation and mental health counselors who adhere to ethical principals, including the belief in human dignity and the right of all individuals to fully participate in society.
  2. To prepare master's level rehabilitation and mental health counselors to be critical consumers of information and to encourage participation in and contributions to the expansion of knowledge in the fields of rehabilitation and mental health counseling.
  3. To encourage the professional growth and development of master's level rehabilitation and mental health counselors through the promotion of on-going involvement in the rehabilitation community at the local, state, and national levels, and to promote advocacy on behalf of people with differences in abilities.