N.J. Admin. Code § 13:34-21.2

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 19, October 7, 2024

Section 13:34-21.2 - Rehabilitation counselor: application and educational requirements

(a) An applicant for licensure as a rehabilitation counselor shall submit the following to the Committee:

1. A completed application form, which contains information concerning the applicant's educational and experiential background;

2. The application fee set forth in 13:34-26.1;

3. An official transcript(s) indicating that the applicant has obtained a master's degree in a planned educational program designed to prepare students for the professional practice of rehabilitation counseling from a regionally accredited institution of higher education. The degree and official transcript shall clearly indicate coursework in the following areas:

i. Introduction to rehabilitation counseling that includes: an overview of the history and philosophy of the counseling profession, including legislation and public policies that affect individuals with disabilities; rehabilitation counseling scope of practice; codes of ethics and ethical decision-making; and societal issues and trends affecting the counseling profession;

ii. Counseling theories and practice that include the study of the major theories of counseling and personality, key concepts, the therapeutic process and applications in providing counseling services;

iii. Psychosocial aspects of disability that examine medical, psychosocial, functional and environmental aspects of disabilities with an emphasis on psychiatric, developmental, cognitive and substance abuse disabilities and includes techniques to facilitate adjustment and coping with disabilities for both individuals and families;

iv. Medical aspects of disability that examine medical, functional, environmental and psychosocial aspects of disabilities, including appropriate intervention resources, such as assistive technology and which focuses on the impact of physical and sensory disabilities on the individual, family and environment;

v. Evaluation and assessment that provides a comprehensive overview of the theories, principles, procedures and practices of appraisal of individuals that includes: discussion of data and information gathering; reliability, validity and other psychometric statistics; factors influencing appraisals; administering and interpreting tests and measurements to assess abilities, interests and identify career options that could be useful in the counseling relationship;

vi. Community counseling and resources that focus on the development of skills and provides information about systems resources to guide individuals successfully through the rehabilitation counseling process from referral to case closure and includes methods and practices for effective case management, case recording and documentation and interdisciplinary consultation in both public and private settings;

vii. Research methods that provide an overview of basic statistics and types of research studies; research implementation and report development; program evaluation, including needs assessment, outcomes assessment, consumer satisfaction measures, research publication and ethical and legal considerations in research;

viii. Group methods that focus on group leadership styles and techniques, group dynamics and group process and different types of groups for different purposes;

ix. Social and cultural diversity issues that focus on the development of the awareness, knowledge and skills needed to provide counseling services to clients from diverse backgrounds, including increasing self-knowledge of one's own personal cultural background, as well as developing a broad understanding of societal changes, trends and concerns and learning counseling skills to provide services in an environment of diversity;

x. Career development theory that focuses on theories of career and lifestyle development, including information about identifying career options, occupational and educational information and career decision making and planning;

xi. Career counseling and consultation that focuses on career development, advancement, getting and keeping employment, including approaches to working both with individuals seeking employment and with employers; and

xii. Practicum and internship that are designed for students to learn and practice advanced counseling skills in the context of establishing and maintaining helping relationships. A minimum of 100 hours of supervised field-based experience in an approved agency is required for the practicum, and 600 hours for the internship. Students shall attend weekly group and/or individual supervision to increase client and helper self-understanding and development, as well as increase expertise in the facilitation of change;

4. A supervisor's certification documenting that the applicant has met the supervision requirements for both the practicum and internship in rehabilitation counseling; and

5. A Certification and Authorization Form for a Criminal History Background Check.

(b) In order to be eligible for licensure, an applicant shall submit an official transcript(s) clearly indicating that the applicant has obtained a master's degree from a rehabilitation counseling degree program accredited, at the time of the applicant's graduation, by the Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE) or its successor.

N.J. Admin. Code § 13:34-21.2

Amended by 49 N.J.R. 655(a), effective 4/3/2017