Accreditation, Certification and Licensure
Program Accreditation
The Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling Program is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). CACREP is a specialized accrediting body recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. Hence, graduates are eligible to sit for the national qualifying examination to become a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC).
We are proud to announce that in August of 2023, the program was fully accredited for an eight-year term, through 2031!
Clinical Rehabilitation Counselor Certification
The Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC) was established in 1974. The primary purpose of certification is to establish professional standards where people with disabilities, related professionals, agency administrators, and the general public can evaluate the qualifications of people practicing rehabilitation counseling and to provide assurances that professionals engaged in rehabilitation counseling will meet acceptable standards of quality in practice.
Certification is the process where a profession gives recognition to an individual who has fulfilled certain requirements or standards, as pre-determined by that profession.
To be eligible to sit for the CRCC examination, applicants must meet all requirements in one of 3 categories. The category most relevant for students in our program at Scranton is Category 1.
Category 1: Student in or Graduate of a CACREP Accredited Program
The applicant can be a student enrolled in or be a graduate from a graduate a master’s-level rehabilitation counseling or clinical rehabilitation program accredited by CACREP. If graduation occurred prior to July 1, 2017, the program must have been accredited by CORE. In addition, the applicant must show evidence of the completion of an internship of 600 hours supervised by an on-site CRC or a faculty member who is a CRC.
Licensure
The program curriculum meets the educational requirements for licensure in Pennsylvania and many other states. Graduates who wish to obtain state licensure (Licensed Professional Counselor designation in Pennsylvania) will complete supervised clinical work post-graduation (3,000 hours in Pennsylvania).
Many of our students are able to use their graduate internship experience to find a site to complete their supervised hours after they graduate. In Pennsylvania, counselors must be licensed in order to accept insurance, but unlicensed counselors are often paid by clients or by an agency for counseling services prior to obtaining licensure.
View the Pennsylvania Licensure for Professional Counselors Code