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Rehabilitation Counseling

The University of Hawai`i offers a distance program leading to a Master of Science in Kinesiology & Rehabilitation Science degree with a specialization in Rehabilitation Counseling. It is the only such program in the Pacific Basin and the nation accredited by the Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE) that serves predominantly Asians and Pacific Islanders. Graduates are eligible to take the Certified Rehabilitation Counselor examination.

Mission & Objectives

The mission of the University of Hawai‘i Rehabilitation Counselor Education program is to provide graduate level training that is designed to provide students with the essential knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to assist individuals with disabilities to achieve an increased sense of empowerment, responsibility and maximum independence.
Consistent with its mission, the objectives of the program are to:

  1. increase the supply of qualified rehabilitation counselors for employment in a variety of public, non-profit and private employment settings, and
  2. increase the diversity of personnel in vocational rehabilitation to include individuals with disabilities and persons from culturally different backgrounds.

Goals:

  1. Establishing and maintaining a comprehensive recruitment plan to attract qualified applicants from culturally diverse groups, including individuals with disabilities in particular
  2. Training competent rehabilitation practitioners who adhere to the Code of Ethics for Rehabilitation Counselors
  3. Providing access to potential applicants through distance education modalities
  4. Building collaborative partnerships with the Hawai’i State Vocational Rehabilitation Agency, the State Workforce Development Division, Community Rehabilitation Programs, the Hawai’i Centers for Independent Living, private rehabilitation organizations and other community-based programs providing services to individuals with disabilities, including returning veterans.
  5. Updating the curriculum to ensure it reflects standards of the profession, and
  6. Implementing a systematic evaluation of the Rehabilitation Counselor Education program outcomes.

Careers

Graduates from the program work in a variety of public, non-profit, and private employment settings. These settings may include state and federal vocational rehabilitation agencies, private psychiatric and physical rehabilitation hospitals, mental health and substance abuse programs, independent living, residential facilities, and hospital-based physical rehabilitation units.

Contact Information

Brenda Y. Cartwright, EdD, CRC, NCC, MHC, LPC
Associate Professor
Coordinator, Rehabilitation Counselor Education Program
1337 Lower Campus Rd, PE/A 217
Honolulu, HI 96822
Phone: (808) 956-4386
Fax: (808) 956-7976
Email: bcartwri@hawaii.edu