The UH Mānoa College of Education Rehabilitation Counseling Program in the Department of Kinesiology and Rehabilitation Science (KRS) was awarded a five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) in 2009. The purpose of the project, Strengthening Rehabilitation Counselor Education in a Global Networked Environment, is to increase the number of qualified vocational rehabilitation counselors for employment in state agencies and their partners to provide vocational supported employment and independent living services to individuals with disabilities.

“There are many needs in our community for rehabilitation counselors in public and private rehabilitation agencies and especially with the Veteran’s Administration to serve returning soldiers who have post-traumatic stress disorders, traumatic brain injury, and other service related disabilities,” Assistant Professor and Interim Program Director Kathryn Yamamoto explained.

The rehabilitation counseling program is geared toward graduate students who are interested in becoming practitioners and administrators in the field of rehabilitation. The program consists of general counseling theory and foundation rehabilitation courses as well as clinical experiences in the student’s community. It is a 48-credit distance education program that leads to a Master of Science degree with a specialization in rehabilitation counseling.

The application deadline for the rehabilitation counselor education program is March 1, 2013. For more information regarding the program and/or the RSA scholarship, please contact Dr. Yamamoto at kky@hawaii.edu or visit the KRS Rehabilitation Counseling website.