Department of Rehabilitation, Social Work and Addictions

Main Office
Chilton Hall, Room 218

Mailing address:
1155 Union Circle #311456
Denton, TX 76203-5017
940-565-2488

Linda Holloway, Chair

The Department of Rehabilitation, Social Work and Addictions (DRSWA) was founded as the Center for Rehabilitation Studies in 1967 to provide professional degrees and continuing education in vocational rehabilitation services. The social work program joined the department in 1995. The mission of the department is to enhance equity in the lives of individuals and strengthen communities by preparing professionals in evidence-based practice and engaging in collaborative research that informs the field, impacts policy, and translates knowledge to practice. This mission is accomplished through three functional components: the Academic and Research component, the Continuing Education and Technical Assistance component, and the Rehabilitation Services Laboratories.

DRSWA is also the home of the UNT Workplace Inclusion and Sustainable Employment program (UNTWISE) and the Consortium for Distance Education in Rehabilitation (CDER). CDER’s distance education program offers a complete online Master of Science degree with a major in rehabilitation counseling through UNT as part of a two school consortium involving a partnership with San Diego State University.

The University of North Texas Workplace Inclusion and Sustainable Employment (UNTWISE) program delivers information, continuing education and technical assistance in areas that affect the employment and inclusion of individuals with disabilities. Utilizing a variety of delivery systems, from face-to-face training to distance-learning technologies, UNTWISE keeps vocational rehabilitation practitioners and managers abreast of the latest trends, best practices and research. The program has a track-record of success that it is proud to acknowledge including the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) Commissioner’s Award for Excellence in Education and Training.

The UNT Wellness and Employment Learning Lab (UNT WELL) provides a hands-on laboratory experience for students to engage in activities designed to enhance the health and well-being of individuals with disabilities and chronic illness. One such project is JobFIT, a Meadows funded program that assists individuals with psychiatric disabilities in finding gainful employment. The lab also hosts a variety of summer youth programs to assist high school students in transitioning to work. UNT WELL is a part of the Disability and Well-being Consortium, a collaboration that consists of DRSWA and the Department of Kinesiology, Health Promotion and Recreation to assist individuals with disabilities and chronic illness progress toward optional health and well-being.

DRSWA offers course work and degree programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Rehabilitation

Career Opportunities

National commitments to improve opportunities and services for people with disabilities have affected the rehabilitation and education professions. Trends toward deinstitutionalization, community inclusion and empowerment of people with mental, emotional and physical disabilities, especially returning veterans, have led to a vast increase in the number of individuals requiring rehabilitation services within their local communities. Highly trained professionals are needed to provide services to these individuals in a wide variety of public and private settings.

Rehabilitation counseling is one of the largest professional specialties serving people with disabilities. Individuals working in this profession are employed in such settings as state and private rehabilitation agencies, community rehabilitation programs, supported employment programs, pre- and post-secondary schools, medical and psychiatric hospitals, correctional facilities, the veteran’s administration, community job sites, alcohol and drug treatment centers, community mental health centers, governmental agencies, rehabilitation programs in business and industry, and independent practice.

Students completing a Master of Science degree with a major in rehabilitation counseling from UNT’s Department of Rehabilitation, Social Work and Addictions may select from a regional and national supply of job openings.

Research

The Department of Rehabilitation, Social Work and Addictions conducts applied research and program evaluation projects within the department’s own rehabilitation laboratories, as well as in rehabilitation field site locations in the Dallas–Fort Worth region and the surrounding five-state region. The department’s current research programs focus on employment and disability substance abuse prevention, wellness, service delivery within the state vocational rehabilitation system, models of supported employment and community integration, ethnic/cultural populations, applications of quantitative EEG and brainwave biofeedback (neurofeedback) techniques for treatment of mental and physical disorders and addictions, and community rehabilitation programs. Research projects conducted by DRSWA contribute to the improvement of the department’s client services, educational programs and the body of knowledge in the fields of vocational rehabilitation, social work and addictions.

DRSWA has administered and participated in numerous projects externally funded through such sources as the U.S. Department of Education Rehabilitation Services Administration, the Texas Council on Developmental Disabilities, the Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services, the Meadows Foundation, US Aid/Higher Education Development, and the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse.

Admission Requirements

Admission to the master’s degree program with a major in rehabilitation counseling is contingent upon admission to the Toulouse Graduate School. Criteria for admission are detailed in the Admission section of this catalog and include a competitive score on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), if required. For standardized admission test requirements, contact the department’s web site (www.unt.edu/rswa) or the Toulouse Graduate School. Applications to the graduate program in rehabilitation counseling are reviewed throughout the year, but students are encouraged to enter the program in the fall term/semester.

All applications should include the following:

DRSWA graduate program application;
two letters of recommendation, one from a former instructor and the other from an employer;
evidence of a work history with the equivalent of one year of full-time employment;
a personal interview with DRSWA graduate faculty members; and
record of GRE scores (if required) on file with the graduate school or documentation of two years of full time paid work experience in a rehabilitation setting.

Complete applications are reviewed by the DRSWA graduate faculty, who make recommendations for acceptance of applicants to the program. Acceptance or denial is determined by composite rather than a single criterion. Students are notified by letter of the faculty’s recommendation on their application.

Degree Program

The department offers a graduate program leading to the following degree:

Master of Science with a major in rehabilitation counseling

Social Work