Associate Professor Nerlich, Graduate Program Director, 516-463-6492

The Advanced Certificate in Rehabilitation Counseling is intended for practitioners and professionals with a master’s or doctoral degree in a related field that emphasizes rehabilitation, counseling, disability, therapy, health, employment, wellness, or human development who wish to fulfill the requirements to qualify for examination and credentialing as a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC). This includes, but is not limited to, mental health counseling, psychology, social work, special education, occupational therapy, and school counseling. To earn the advanced certificate, students will be required to complete a minimum of 12 semester hours, with additional course work and/or fieldwork if needed, under advisement. Depending on the student’s needs, a program of study will be developed to position them for eligibility to take the CRC exam. Needed courses will be determined through a transcript review by the Commission on Rehabilitation Counseling Certification (CRCC) prior to admission.

Hofstra University currently has registered master’s programs in Rehabilitation Counseling  and Rehabilitation Counseling in Mental Health . These programs, however, are intended for students who have either no or minimal academic training in the field. In contrast, the Advanced Certificate in Rehabilitation Counseling serves a need for those who already hold a master’s or doctoral degree in a related field, but need to remediate content deficiencies to meet the requirements set forth in Category 3 by CRCC. To qualify for credentialing in this category, students must demonstrate applicable, unique coursework in each of seven (7) curricular areas and applicable fieldwork or supervised acceptable employment. Students enrolled in this program are not eligible for any current Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) grant funding available through the program.

On average, students complete this program in one and one-half academic years.