Course of Study
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The Western Oregon University program is accredited by the Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE) through 2016. This distinction attests that the program meets standards required of all certified rehabilitation counselor education programs throughout the United States.
(RCDHHA) Summer Certificate program
Rehabilitation Counseling with Deaf and Hard of Hearing Adults
WOU offers the RCDHHA, four-week intensive training each summer to professionals working in the field of rehabilitation and students studying rehabilitation. This program is an orientation to those who are new to working with individuals who are Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing or Deaf-Blind in rehabilitation settings. Newly admitted RCD students attend this training the summer before the beginning of the first fall term of the RCE program. This 9 credit program includes TPD 584 Introduction to Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Studies, RC 590 Professional Issues: Rehabilitation Counseling with Deaf clients, as well as an American Sign Language intensive course. These courses meet the elective requirements in the RCE Plan of Study. Students in the RC cohort are encouraged to apply for this intensive training. For more information click here.
Class schedule and course sequencing
Generally, classes during the first fall, winter and spring term, as well as the second fall, are held two full days per week with a few evening, half-day, or all day classes. Each term is 10 to 11 weeks long. (The first summer term is required for RCD students and is explained above.) The second summer term requires attendance of all RCE students three days a week for six-weeks. Winter and spring terms of year two generally require students attend two on-campus internship classes per term. Internship requires full time participation (32-35 hours per week). Year two students take 9 credit hours of RC 610 Internship both winter and spring terms. All classes listed below are 3 credits unless otherwise specified.
CAUTION: Due to the intensity of full-time graduate coursework and assignments, students are asked NOT to work more than 20 hours per week their first year of study. Internship (winter and spring terms of year 2) requires 32-35 hours a week to successfully complete 600 clock hours including 240 direct client contact hours.
- The program emphasizes five major academic components:
- individual and group counseling theory and technique;
- influence of career acquisition and personal independence on the daily lives of persons with disabilities;
- social and psychological impact of disability on an individual and family;
- federal, state and private service delivery systems for persons with disabilities; and
- self-awareness on the part of counselors-in-training.
- The program offers two tracks:
- Rehabilitation Counseling (RC) option. Graduates of this option provide counseling and consultative services to the general population of persons who have disabilities.
- Rehabilitation Counseling for the Deaf (RCD) option is one of three deafness specialty programs in the United States. Graduates plan to seek employment as counselors or consultants for culturally Deaf people, deafened individuals, and persons who are hard-of-hearing.
Both the RC and RCD cohorts share core classes, but students specializing in deafness are assigned to specifically focused practicum and internship experiences coupled with additional requirements. All RCD students must demonstrate proficiency in American Sign Language.
Training for the RC cohort begins fall term and requires a minimum of seven terms of study. The RCD cohort is required to attend the Rehabilitation Counseling with Deaf and Hard of Hearing Adults (RCDHHA) certificate program the summer prior to the first fall term. Most students finish their course of study in June of their second year.
