Faculty members in the College of Education and Health Professions counselor education program, Kristin Higgins and Julie Hill, received a nearly $1 million U.S. Department of Education grant to train 25 graduate students pursuing a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling.
Higgins, head of the college’s Department of Counseling, Leadership, and Research Methods, is the principal investigator on the grant. Hill is the co-principal investigator.
The 25 graduate students are specializing in psychiatric rehabilitation, which helps people with mental health conditions become more independent in managing various aspects of their lives, such as maintaining a household, developing meaningful relationships, and handling finances.
Approximately 1 in 5 adults in Arkansas has a mental health condition, and 1 in 20 experience a serious mental illness, said Julie Hill, who teaches classes focused on psychiatric rehabilitation in the college’s Department of Counseling, Leadership, and Research Methods.
“This grant is helping us produce well-prepared psychiatric rehabilitation counselors who can address the growing mental health needs in communities across the state,” Hill said.
The college offers a unique curriculum that emphasizes recovery-oriented and evidence-based approaches to psychiatric rehabilitation. Students are learning from experienced and nationally recognized faculty members who are dedicated to improving mental health outcomes through education, research and clinical practice.
Students in the program are gaining research skills in evaluating how psychiatric symptoms and cognitive impairments impact daily functioning. They are also learning how to develop interventions that address the challenges people with psychiatric disabilities face in various aspects of life.
Brooke Weber, a current grant recipient in the program, has always known she wanted to pursue a career supporting individuals with disabilities thanks to the personal connections she had with family and friends who have disabilities. When it came time to choose a major, she explored several paths, including special education, occupational therapy, and working with older adults in assisted living.
“While each appealed to me in different ways, none felt like the perfect fit,” she said. “That changed during my undergraduate studies at the University of Arkansas when I enrolled in “The Helping Relationship,” a course that introduced me to the foundations of counseling.”
Learning basic counseling skills “sparked something” in Weber, inspiring her to apply to the counseling graduate program. Hill shared more with her about specializing in rehabilitation counseling, and Weber realized it was the exact career path she had been searching for.
“As a future rehabilitation counselor, I will be able to bring together all of the subjects that have excited me as a student, health and medical aspects, counseling techniques, and most importantly, helping people with disabilities achieve their life goals,” she said. “The psych rehabilitation grant has allowed me to focus on my studies and pursue the unique and vast opportunities that are available to students in this program. I highly recommend that undergraduate students interested in fields related to mental health, psychology, human development, disability rights, or medical aspects should look into this program.”
Weber wishes she had known about the career path and program sooner. “It has opened doors for me that I didn’t know existed, and I know this program will continue to do the same for others,” she said.
Ultimately, this grant will expand the reach of the counselor education program, while making a lasting impact on psychiatric rehabilitation services in Arkansas. By preparing a new generation of skilled rehabilitation counselors, the grant will support individuals living with mental illness in leading more independent, fulfilling lives.
