This course acquaints the student with the legislative, historical, and philosophical roots of rehabilitation counseling in America. Topics covered include federal and local mandates for rehabilitation of individuals with disability, progress of the profession in rehabilitation towards these mandates, the basic principles of counseling and the varied services as well as organizational structures to assist individuals with disability. A cross-disability and multicultural focus will be presented throughout the course; therefore, a broad base of disability categories will be presented and discussed including physical, emotional, cognitive, and sensory disabilities. The course will introduce the student to the professional expectations, values, and ethical standards of the profession of rehabilitation counseling. The history and current issues of the disability rights movement will be presented. Students will have an opportunity to explore their own thoughts, feelings and perceptions about issues related to the disability community. Awareness of everyday experiences that impact the quality of life for people with disabilities, along with an understanding of appropriate referrals to agencies/organizations is included.

This course is designed to provide an overview of medical terminology, major diseases, and associated etiologies, pathologies, and disabilities; delineate the diagnosis and prognosis of major injuries and disabling conditions; and outline the vocational implications. Upon successful completion of this course, the students will be able to read and understand medical reports; assess functional abilities and transferable skills required to develop a rehabilitation plan; communicate effectively with medical professionals and health care workers; and apply evidence-based practices in the dynamics of adjustment to disabilities and the psychosocial impact of disability leading to health and well-being of persons with disabilities and enhanced vocational rehabilitation outcomes.

Students in this course are provided with the opportunity to develop practical skills in career and vocational assessment as well as functional knowledge of how career assessment can assist in the exploration and understanding of the interrelationship among work, family, and life roles. They examine major sources of career and work information available on the internet as well as through printed material and computer-based guidance systems. Gaining practical career counseling experience, students administer, score, and interpret printed and computer-based assessments of career interests, beliefs, and values. Students learn how to integrate career development theory and assessment results with career clinical interventions. They also examine clinical and assessment issues, devoting attention to computer-based applications and multicultural implications.

As client advocates, counselors rely on knowledge of psychotropic medications to inform treatment. This course introduces a spectrum of psychotropic medications used in the management of mental, behavioral, and addictive disorders. Students explore medication classification, drug interaction, and side effects. In addition, students distinguish between medical and psychopathological conditions that present in similar ways to addictive disorders. As part of a professional learning community, students collaborate with peers in written scholarly dialogue to explore psychopharmacological intervention in the treatment of addiction and other psychopathologies that may coexist. Students analyze factors that increase the likelihood for a person, community, or group to be at risk for disorders and examine the cultural and contextual factors considered in the ethical treatment of clients. Across counseling specializations, this course builds foundational clinical knowledge of the intersection of counseling and psychotropic medical treatment.

Students in this course have the opportunity to increase their awareness, knowledge, skills, and advocacy related to working with clients from a multicultural perspective. Students foster self-understanding of their own cultural-identity development, biases, stereotypes, values, and strengths while gaining self-awareness of the effects of power, privilege, and marginalization within the counseling relationship. Further, students can gain knowledge of various issues within diversity. Students explore various theories of multicultural counseling and the role of social justice and advocacy in counseling.