Newsletter of the Graduate Programs in Rehabilitation
The University of Iowa - Spring Semester 2001
Program Web Page: http://www.uiowa.edu/~rehab

The Mission of the Graduate Programs in Rehabilitation (GPR) at the University of Iowa is to prepare qualified rehabilitation counseling professionals who will assist persons with disabilities and other individuals who have barriers in meeting their functional needs in the areas of employment independent living, and personal or economic development. The Graduate Programs in Rehabilitation prepare these professionals to provide quality rehabilitation counseling services within an interdisciplinary and community-based context, serve as change agents and advocates for their clients, and sources of specialized knowledge and consultants for professionals, employers and others in the communities that they serve.

FROM THE COORDINATOR'S DESK

Several very positive developments have raised the energy and spirit to new levels for all of us associated with the Program since our last newsletter. I will highlight a few of these and you will find details on them throughout the newsletter. Probably the most public and nationally prominent change is that our Program moved from 6th to 3rd place in the annual U.S. News & World Report national rankings of graduate programs! This places us within the top 10 programs for the 3rd year in a row. While rankings points are always close and can go up and down easily as a result, we are convinced that this is still an exceptional tribute to the quality of our community effort and support: students, alumnae, faculty, clinical sites, Advisory Board, and UI College of Education administration. Thanks for all your contributions! If that was not excitement enough, 3 of our doctoral students competed in the UI IM league basketball tourney and won 2nd place – our new motto should be “work hard, play hard”!

We also welcomed a class of promising new doctoral and Master’s students to our community and at the same time graduated a talented group of professionals at both the doctoral (3 graduates) and Master’s level (7 graduates). All of the graduates have assumed their new professional roles in excellent rehabilitation settings and are beginning to make contributions to our profession. Our students are quite fortunate since the demand for program graduates is very high and graduates have many exciting choices. You will read about them and our current students, and I think you will be surprised about their interests and contributions. Along with the changing student group, this Fall Semester has been the first “official” semester for Dr. John Wadsworth as a tenure-track Assistant Professor (after working with us as both a Visiting and Adjunct faculty member in the last several years). Both the students and I are very thankful for his expertise and enthusiastic involvement with our Program. We are looking forward to his future research and teaching successes.

Our linkages to the community are very important to us. One way in which we stay involved is to support high quality continuing education for the rehabilitation community that allows us to stay in contact with rehab professionals while providing useful service. We have had two excellent colloquia and one supervisors’ training for our clinical supervisors. Last spring, Dr. Jason Andrew, former Administrator of the Nebraska VR agency, and current Department Chair of the University of Arkansas rehabilitation counselor education program, presented a colloquium about factor in state VR counselors’ job satisfaction. He was also recognized as the Year 2000 Alumnus of the Year. At the same event we recognized first year Master’s student, Janet VanderMeulen as the 2000 Leonard Miller Scholar. This fall we collaborated with the Iowa Case Management Association, DVRS, Employers’ Mutual Insurance, and the Iowa Association of Rehabilitation Professionals in the Private Sector to offer a very well attended presentation about the current status of disability and care management by John Lui in Des Moines. This was followed the next day by a similar on-campus colloquium and ICN broadcast around the state by Mr. Lui. He is a former Chair of the Commission on Disability Management Services Certification, and is current NRA President Elect-Elect. Videotapes are available of the Andrew and Lui colloquia and you can borrow one by requesting it at (319) 335-5275.

Finally, we are looking forward to provide guidance to the future well-being of the Program through having completed a new Strategic Plan for the Program and the Division this Fall. Our Advisory Board has been very active this year. It reviewed and discussed the updated plan at its November meeting and approved it at that time. This is an excellent blueprint for our Program’s activities and will shape many exciting developments in the future. One example of which we are very proud is the process we are in of creating a new Ph.D./J.D. program. This is a further result of our ongoing collaboration with Professors Peter Blanck and Len Sandler, Co-Directors of the Center for Law, Health Policy, and Disability. We hope to have that information clarified to share with you in our next newsletter. If you would like to view the Mission of the Program and our Strategic Plan, you may do so at our Web Site:http://www.uiowa.edu/~rehab/strategy.htm We would welcome your comments on these items or any other topic. You can reach me by e-mail at vilia-tarvydas@uiowa.edu, or our very able Advisory Board lead Co-Chair, Dr. Marvin Tooman at (515)281-4233 or mtooman@dia.state.ia.us.

One last request that is most important to our future…We have built a wonderful program. Please encourage qualified people you think would make good rehabilitation counselors to apply. (“If you build it, they will come”… with a little help from our friends.) Deadline for Master’s applications is April 1 and doctoral applications is January 1. We look forward to hearing from you. Happy 2001!

FIRST YEAR STUDENTS AND FACULTY

We are pleased to have Quincy R. Smiling and Noel Estrada Hernandez join the doctoral program this year. Quincy joined the program this fall semester. He is from Sumter, South Carolina. He received a Master's degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from Bowling Green State University in 1998 and a bachelors degree in Therapeutic Recreation from Benedict College in 1997. Prior to coming to Iowa, he worked as a vocational rehabilitation counselor for two years in Sumter. He enjoys lifting weights, playing basketball, and hunting. Noel joined the doctoral program this spring semester. Noel is from Quebradillas, Puerto Rico. He received his MS in Rehabilitation Counseling from The University of Puerto Rico in May 2000. He worked for the Vocational Rehabilitation Administration in Puerto Rico prior to joining the program. Noel enjoys listening to music, playing basketball and watching movies. Welcome Quincy and Noel! We are also delighted to have Cheryle Gingerich, Scott Hamann, Holly Hartsock, Beth Jacobsen, Michelle Ray-Michalec, Donna Runge, Jennifer Schmitz, Holly Smigel, Lynne Stamus, Brooke Werner and Nan Aalberg join our master’s program. Welcome aboard!

John S. Wadsworth, Ph.D.

John Wadsworth Ph.D., CRC, LMHC has joined the faculty in the Rehabilitation Counselor Education Program as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Wadsworth is a graduate of the University of Iowa and has multiple publications and presentations in the area of normal and abnormal aging of persons with developmental disabilities. Dr. Wadsworth has taught a variety of graduate level courses in the Rehabilitation Program sequence including Micro-Counseling, Introduction to Rehabilitation, Job Development, Placement, Follow Up and Case Management, Assessment and Practicum. He is particularly interested in involving students in research activities. John is a foster parent and his hobbies include backpacking and restoring old Jeeps. Dr. Wadsworth brings to the Rehabilitation Program an extensive research and publication history. In the past year, Dr. Wadsworth has presented at the 16th Parent Educators Conference with colleagues from University Hospital School on the topic of Aging issues for adults with Down Syndrome and worked with Doctoral graduate student Phillip Lewis who presented at the 21st International Conference of the National Institute for People with Disabilities on the topic of Emotional coping skills for incarcerated persons who have a diagnosis of mental retardation.

STUDENT NEWS

Hard-fought the Hard Way by George Sauerberg

Three doctoral students in the rehabilitation counselor education program formed the nucleus of a basketball team that reached the intramural championship game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Oct. 13.

Six-foot-five James Bethea, 6-foot Quincy Smiling and 6-1 Phillip Lewis were joined by 6-5 medical student Chris Van Hofwegen and coached by fellow rehab doctoral student Robinson Vasquez-Ramos. Four-man teams competed in the 3-on-3 tournament, playing half-court, eight-minute games. After a first-round bye, 4 the Hard Way won two games to advance to the final four. The seminfinals and final were played before about 7,000 fans at the arena as part of Game Night 2000, which concluded with a midnight varsity men's basketball scrimmage.

4 the Hard Way's name refers to old-school, physical basketball, setting a lot of picks. All four are former college athletes. Bethea played basketball at Mount Olive in North Carolina, Smiling at Benedict College in South Carolina and Van Hofwegen at Northwestern College in Iowa. Lewis played football at the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

4 the Hard Way won their semifinal, 14-12. But in the championship game, a team named Sexual Chocolate enjoyed the sweet taste of a 14-8 victory.

Smiling and Van Hofwegen each hit for 6 points in the semifinal. The winning basket came when Bethea passed to Van Hofwegen, who made a short jump shot. In the final, though, Sexual Chocolate's quickness and shooting accuracy were decisive.

"We gave a valiant effort," Bethea said. "We've got to do a little bit more running than sitting on the couch."

"We wanted to win, and we forgot good technique," Vazquez-Ramos said.

Lewis said, "We hustled and had fun."

Bethea said that with the big crowd and supportive fans, "it was a nice experience to represent the College of Education, specifically the Rehabilitation Counselor Education Program, in the semifinal and the championship game."

"I really had a fun time playing with the guys," Van Hofwegen said, "getting to know them a little bit."

All the games were played with intensity, and 4 the Hard Way were disappointed they didn't win the title and the right to play the team of Iowa head coach Steve Alford, assistant

coach Brian Jones and former Hawkeye and NBA player Brad Lohaus. Against that trio, Sexual Chocolate had a meltdown and lost, 20-14.

4 the Hard Way very well could team up again next year. "Definitely," Smiling said. "We're going to win it next year."

Vazquez-Ramos may return as coach, too, unless Indiana University hires him for the job formerly held by some guy named Bob Knight.

Truly D.I.V.E.R.S.E. by James Bethea

The Different Intelligent Very Enthusiastic Researchers Striving for Excellence research (DRT) team consists of six students and one faculty member/mentor. The Rehabilitation Counseling student members are: James Bethea, Yolanda Edwards, and Robinson Vasquez-Ramos. The remaining student members: Gregg Curtis, Hun-Bing Sheu, and Eunju Yoon, are in the Counselor Education Program. Dr. Tarrell Portman, the group’s founder and mentor, is an Assistant Professor in the School Counseling Program.

The objectives of the DRT are to: (1) promote and instill in its graduate students members, basic knowledge, skills, and attitudes about the research process using a collaborative environment, (2) create a unique team experience in which the graduate student members learn how to use research tools to contribute to the body of knowledge, and (3) contribute to personal development and professional identity of graduate student members who has committed to the research process in academia.

The formation of the group has yielded many enriching opportunities for its members. They recently presented at the North Central Association of Counselor Education and Supervision Annual Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana on October 19-20, 2000. The presentation titled: “Enhancing research training for counseling students: A research team approach”, received rave reviews from participants which primarily consisted of faculty from other institutions. The team also presented at the Graduate Student Research Conference at the University of Iowa’s College of Education, on November 15, 2000. The group is currently in the process of conducting a study of graduate students’ research self-efficacy. The goal is to present the findings at the 2002 American Counseling Association’s (ACA) Annual Conference.

All of the members are extremely proud and fortunate to be a part of the team. The rewards of being involved with such a team are tremendous. Learning from others, the sharing of ideas, and teamwork, are only a few benefits associated with being involved with this research team. Most importantly the sharing of different cultures has been reported to be very instrumental in the on-going professional and personal development of the team members. The members are from five major racial and ethnic groups: African-American, Caucasian, Latino, Asian, and Native American. This makes the D.I.V.E.R.S.E research team a truly Diverse research team!

STUDENT UPDATES
The summer/fall brought forth some exciting changes for some of our students.

Second year doc student James Bethea and his wife Martina are the proud parents of their newborn son, Alaye` Diallo Bethea. Congratulations James and Martina!

This past May, Phillip Lewis attended and gave a poster presentation at the Young Adult Institute conference, which was held in Manhattan, New York. The primary focus of this conference was on developmental disabilities in the new millennium. His presentation was titled: "Teaching Coping Skills to Inmates with Diagnoses of Mental Retardation". The abstract articulated an exploratory review of coping skills commonly utilized by persons who are incarcerated (i.e., reading, creative games, socialization) which may be difficult for persons with diagnoses of mental retardation to initiate. Phillip indicated the experience was very beneficial as well as enlightening.

Bill Asenjo, a post-comprehensive examination doctoral candidate, received Grand Prize at the 15th International Conference on Human Functioning sponsored by the Bio-Medical Synergistics Education Institute and the University of Kansas School of Medicine. In September, Bill received a cash award for his paper "Attitudes Toward Alternative Medical Treatments for People with Disabilities." It was based on his dissertation research. Dr. Vilia Tarvydas, Bill's advisor and dissertation committee chair, attended the award presentation held in Wichita, Kansas. In May, Bill received 3rd place prize and $250 in the student paper competition awarded at NRCA's conference held in Plymouth, Massachusetts. In September, SUCCEED magazine published an essay Bill wrote about starting college and his PhD journey following his 6 brain tumor surgeries in 1985—a longer version of his story will appear in an anthology, "Fortitude: True Stories of True Grit”, to be published in December. Bill's profile of a brain tumor survivor will appear in the November issue of Whole Life Times magazine. His article about African Americans, meditation and heart disease appeared on HalfthePlanet (website for people with disabilities) in July. Bill is also a regular contributor to the local New Pioneer Co-op newsletter, Catalyst. Bill also works as a vocational consultant for Crawford Healthcare Management.

Our second year master's students have a variety of interests and talents. Brandis McFarland is from Cedar Rapids, IA and is specializing in psychiatric rehab. She graduated from Luther College and obtained her bachelor's degree in psychology and biology before coming here. Some of her interests are running, traveling, reading, writing and spending time with nature.

Elisabeth Klug is from Coggon, IA and is specializing in psychiatric rehab. She graduated from Coe College where she studied music (piano performance), psychology and philosophy. Music is a great love of Elisabeth's life, and along with playing the piano she enjoys dabbling in violin, cello and harpsichord. She’s especially interested in working with survivors of trauma, such as those with PTSD. She’s currently employed by the University of Iowa Fine Arts Council as the Thieves' Market Coordinator and by Von Maur as a pianist.

Lisa Brown, U of I graduate, is glad to have found the Rehabilitation Counseling Program. She has experience working with cancer patients and a number of interests surrounding this group. She can be found riding her bike to class and enjoying the out of doors.

Jessica Delgado is from Luquillo, Puerto Rico, and is planning to specialize in psychiatric rehabilitation. She graduated with a BA in Psychology from Clarke College in Dubuque, IA. Jessica is interested in different cultures and speaks three languages. She likes spending time with nature and participating in sports. She’s also interested in Therapeutic Recreation.

Susan Dominy Michaelson is specializing in disability law. She’s interested in the growing population of aging individuals with disabilities. Her hobbies include one very spoiled African Grey parrot and volunteering at UIHC. She has applied to the PhD program in Rehab Counseling Education.

Lisa Vance has an extensive background in dance. Lisa plans on specializing in Brain Injury Rehabilitation.

Aileen Barnhouse has a background as a Psychiatric Nurse and is specializing in psychiatric rehabilitation. She brings a great deal of experience to the student groups.

Angie Lawson graduated from Clarke College and is from Manchester, IA. She is one of the first students to take on the Law and Disability specialization.

Zach Meder is a 1998 U of I graduate and a native to the area. He is specializing in Psychiatric Rehabilitation and has a variety of interests surrounding this area. He plans to continue on with his education after obtaining his MA.

2000 GRADUATES

The Graduate Programs in Rehabilitation are delighted to announce the graduation of two new Ph.D.’s and seven M. A. students in 2000:

DONE!

Dr. Gerry Murray

Graduation! Graduacion! Pi yeh! Sotsugyou! No matter the language--English, Spanish, Chinese, or Japanese --just to mention a few, graduation means a systematic progression culminating in a degree to signify the completion of a program. I graduated with my Ph.D. from the University of Iowa’s Rehabilitation Counselor Education Program on July 28, 2000. What a great ending to an even greater journey! And what a great program we have here at the University of Iowa (yes, I said that even before I graduated).

The title of my dissertation is “Rehabilitation counselor development: An examination of developmental differences and the working alliance during professional preparation”. There is an abstract on file with the program, and I will provide the program with the Dissertation Abstracts International (DAI) cite when it is available. In brief, I investigated the relationship between perceptions that counselors-in-training at the Practicum and Internship levels of clinical training have of their own development as a counselor when their perceptions of their working alliance with multiple levels of clinical supervisors are considered. Students from multiple 48-semester hour rehabilitation counseling programs participated in the study. Results indicated significant relationships that seemed to warrant further investigation, so Dr. Maki and I are conducting a literal replication of this study with multiple 60-semester hour programs in rehabilitation counseling. I am also in the process of preparing my dissertation for publication.

I am currently teaching as a Lecturer in the Graduate Programs in Rehabilitation at the University of Iowa for the Fall, 2000 and Spring, 2001 terms. This Fall I am teaching Medical Aspects of Disability and in the Spring I will teach Rehabilitation Client Assessment. I remain in public practice as a rehabilitation counselor for the State of Iowa, Department of Education, in the Iowa City office. I am also in the market for a faculty position consistent with my teaching and research interests and, of course my family considerations.

It is indeed a pleasure to have completed this program, but it is an even greater pleasure to have been selected into this academic course of study in the first place. The clinical supervision model that we follow in our program here at Iowa believes that counselors do indeed change over time as they progress through this program, so when time permits I intend to write in more detail about those experiences here and what the subsequent changes have meant to me. In the meantime, being “done” feels great.

Dr. Tom Upton recently accepted a position as Assistant Professor at Southern Illinois University- Carbondale. He indicated being very excited about his new appointment thanks “to the supportive faculty at The University of Iowa”. Even more recently, Dr. Upton received confirmation that he’s been selected to give an oral presentation during the Australian Society of Rehabilitation Counselors’ Conference, being held May 30 - June 1 2001, at the Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort, Gold Coast, Australia. His presentation is titled: “Development and initial provision of intensive social skills and work readiness training for adults with traumatic brain injury”. Congratulations.....Mate!

Lori Carden is currently working for DVRS in Ft. Atkinson, IA

Jen Cira is currently working for DVRS in Cedar Rapids, IA

Lisa Hatz is working for DVRS in Baltimore, MD.

Dee Dee Malloy is currently working for the Iowa Dept. for the Blind

Phyllis McGowan is currently working for Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School

Kristin Olerich is currently working for DVRS in Iowa City, IA

Carrie Specht is currently working for DVRS in Davenport, IA

FACULTY HONORS AND ACTIVITIES

Dr. Vilia Tarvydas

.

Dr. Tarvydas received the University of Iowa’s 2000-2001 Collegiate Teaching Award and was named Distinguished Lecturer for the 2000 Fred Brown Memorial Lecture Series at Michigan State University. In November 5-6/26-27 2000, Dr. Tarvydas was invited to conduct ethics workshops at The University of Puerto Rico and New York University, respectively. Additionally, she was invited to give presentations at the National Institute of Disability Research, Researchers¹ Summer Symposium in Iowa City, IA, July 8, 2000, The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL, July 21, 2000, The Canadian Association of Rehabilitation Professionals, Vancouver, BC, Canada, May 13, 2000, and The Principle Insurance Corp. (Disability Management Division), Des Moines, IA, April 10, 2000. Dr. Tarvydas is the Principal Investigator for the CIC Seed Grant which was funded for the Big 3 distance education course. Her 2000 publications include:

Tarvydas, V.M., Leahy, M., Saunders, J., Theilsen, V., Murray, G., & Chan,
F. (Accepted with revisions). Beliefs about the ethics of practice among
certified rehabilitation counselors: A national survey. Journal of Applied
Rehabilitation Counseling.

Shaw, L. S., & Tarvydas, V. M. (Accepted with revisions). The design and
utilization of professional disclosure for rehabilitation counselors.
Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin.

Tarvydas, V.M., & Cottone, R.R. (2000). The Code of Ethics for
rehabilitation counselors: What we have and what we need. Rehabilitation
Counseling Bulletin, 43, 188-196.

Dr. Tarvydas is actively involved with a variety of professional organizations including:

Foundation for Rehabilitation Education and Research, 1999-2004.
Member, Foundation Board, 1999-2004
Member, Research Committee, 1999 to present
Commissioner, the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification
Task Force on Ethics Code Revision, 1999 to present
American Association of Counseling Boards
Delegate, State of Iowa Board of Behavioral Science Examiners, 2001.
Co-Chair, Standards Commission, American Counseling Association, 1977 to present.
Member, Interprofessional Committee, 2000 to present.
On With Life (Ankeny, IA) Board of Directors

Member, Strategic Planning Committee

Dr. Dennis R. Maki

Dr. Maki was invited to give a presentation titled: “Supervision in Rehabilitation: Models and Practices”, to supervisors and faculty at New York University in June 2000. He was also presented with the Distinguished Career Award for the Advancement of Rehabilitation Counseling by the The Alliance for Rehabilitation Counseling. The award was presented at the 2000 Alliance Professional Development Symposium, Plymouth, MA. His 2000 publications include:

Maki, D., & Rocklin, T. (2000). The teaching practicum. Rehabilitation Education, 14(2), 147-154.

Dr. Maki is actively involved with a variety of professional organizations including:

Vice President, Council for Rehabilitation Education, 1999-2000; 2000-2001.
Member, Executive Committee, 1999-2000; 2000-2001, University of Iowa
Chair, College of Education's Task Force on Assistive Technology, 2000.

Dr. Dennis Harper

Professor of Pediatric Psychology and Project Investigator for Telemedicine Services at University Hospital School, has been invited to deliver the 2001 Michael J. Ellis Distinguished Lecture on Disability Science and Practice at the University of Illinois. The lecture is scheduled for the week of April 23 - 27, 2001, as part of Disability Awareness Week. The Ellis Lecture was established in 1998 by Dr. Kenneth Viste, Jr. Dr. Viste is a University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign alumnus with a disability, a practicing neurologist, and a past president of the American Academy of Neurology.

NEWS FROM THE DIVISION OF COUNSELING, REHABILITATION AND STUDENT DEVELOPMENT: Dennis R. Maki, Ph.D., and Division Chair

Strategic Planning 2000-2005
Last year the College of Education's faculty and staff met and wrote a Strategic Plan which was approved by the Provost's Office. During the Fall and Spring Semesters this year each program in the Division developed a Mission Statement and Values with a Strategic Plan for 2000-2005 to achieve our Mission. Based on these Plans, the Division itself adopted a Strategic Plan. These plans provide the basis for planning for the next 5 years, especially for budgeting and the allocation of resources, as well as accountability through the performance indicators included in the Plans. I invite you to review and comment http://www.uiowa.edu/~rehab/strategy.htm the Division's Plan at http://coe164.education.uiowa.edu:8180/crsd/proginfo.html. We are particularly interested in your comments on the revised Mission Statement adopted at our January, 2001 Retreat and presented below:

The mission of the Division of Counseling, Rehabilitation and Student Development is to generate and disseminate knowledge, develop skills, and promote attitudes about effective professional practices that foster human development across the life span.

Diversity Day 2001
As is our custom, the first Wednesday of each February is set aside for our coming together as a community of faculty, students and staff to enhance our individual and collective multi-cultural competence. This year Dr. Jane Nicholson presented a very successful workshop entitled, Conflict Resolution and Diversity: Living, Learning, and Working Responsively. Dr. Jane Nicholson is a writer and conflict resolution/violence-prevention instructor. Nicholson is currently working on a volume of personal essays that deal with grief, recovery, and continuing. She is a certified conflict resolution instructor; she trained with Alternatives to Violence, a Quaker-authored method published by Grass Roots in Akron, Ohio.

Faculty Search
This year our Division is conducting a search for a new faculty member for the School Counseling Program. Last year our Division was fortunate to have hired John Wadsworth (Rehabilitation Counseling), as well as Sherry Watt and Betsy Palmer (Student Development). It is hoped that next year we will be given permission to search for an additional faculty member for the Rehabilitation Counseling program.

New Doctoral Program
The Ph.D. in Student Affairs Administration and Research (SAAR Ph.D.) is intended to provide in-depth preparation for individuals to serve in leadership positions in student affairs administration, graduate student affairs preparation programs, and/or research about college students and student affairs practice. The primary difference between the SAAR Ph.D. and the SDP Ph.D. is that, whereas the SDP Ph.D. is oriented toward counseling and helping relationships, the SAAR Ph.D. emphasizes administrative practice and college student and student affairs research.

Writing Consultant
We welcome to our division the assistance of Jory Brass a half-time graduate assistant. Jory has been hired as a "writer/educator in residence" and is available to help students work on papers and writing projects in a one-on-one setting.

CLINICAL SUPERVISION
John Wadsworth indicated that paid internships are very popular and there are many exciting practicum and internship opportunities. DVRS has offered 3-4 paid internships this year.

There’s also an increased interest in case management/disability management. Dr. Tarrell Portman is currently working on web based supervision for off-site internships.

FEATURED STUDENT (Each edition of the Rehab Review we will try to highlight different students who have distinguished themselves in ways that may not be so obvious “from the classroom”.) We are pleased to present doctoral candidate, Yolanda V. Edwards as our featured student. Yolanda is actively involved with many professional activities locally as well as nationally. She’s received national attention for her expertise in one of the hottest areas in our field, distance education. Yolanda is frequently invited to give presentations at the annual conferences of the professional associations in which she’s involved. Her most recent invitation comes by way of the National Council on Rehabilitation Education Annual Conference, February 22-25, 2001, Tuscon, Arizona. Her selected presentations for the 2001 NCRE conference include: (1) Rehabilitation Education Faculty Motivation Towards Distance Education, Presenter; (2) Passing the Baton: Taking Strides in the Mentoring Process, Co- presenter; (3) Challenges and Concerns Faced by Doctoral Candidates Seeking Academic Positions, Co-presenter. She previously presented at the North Central Association of Counselor Education and Supervision Annual Conference, Indianapolis, IN, October 2000, the Graduate Student Research Conference, Iowa City, IA, November 2000, and the American Counseling Association’s Annual Conference, Washington, D.C., March 2000. Yolanda played a vital role in the website development of the following classes: Intro to Rehab, Rehab Practicum I, Intro to Computers for Counselors, Intro to Group, Multiculturalism for Helping Professions, and Professional Challenges in Rehabilitation Counselor Education (Distance Learning Doctoral Course). Yolanda is currently President of the Society of Black and Professional Graduate Students, Coordinator of the Dental School’s Standardized Patient Program and a member of the D.I.V.E.R.S.E. Research Team. She has performed many teaching assistantships as well as being appointed adjunct instructor at Kirkwood Community College in 2000. She is a recipient of the Rehabilitation Services Administration Fellowship, The Graduate Opportunity Fellowship, and The Graduate Opportunity Fellowship Dissertation Award. Yolanda’s dissertation is titled: Faculty Motivation Towards Distance Education: A National Study of Rehabilitation Educators. She plans to graduate this academic year. The future seems very bright for this fine individual! She has contributed greatly to the quality of the University of Iowa’s Rehabilitation Counseling Program.

BIG THREE CONSORTIUM MEETING By James Bethea

On September 28-30th, 2000, an evolving tradition continued at the W.G. Kellogg Convention Center near East Lansing, Michigan. In fall of 1996, the rehabilitation education faculty and doctoral students began from The Pennsylvania State University, Michigan State University, and The University of Iowa began an annual conference designed to enhance professional development, further professional networking, and to develop cross-institutional research partnerships. Since its beginning, each year progressively more collective work has been achieved. Finally, all of the planning and preparation has yielded optimistic results as the web base course, “Professional Challenges in Rehabilitation Counselor Education” was offered to the doc students this fall.

This year’s meeting was focused on the design of the Web Course, student feedback, and the selection of an advanced activity (under the four themes: Distance Education, Professionalism, Multiculturalism, and Professional Writing). Overall, the students felt very optimistic about the course indicating that this method was an exciting as well as interesting way to grow professionally and personally. However, one drawback, as indicated by the students was the amount of time that was devoted to this course as opposed to other doctoral level courses. This concern was presented to the faculty members and to the delight of the doc students, the faculty expeditiously responded with a revised version of assignments/responsibilities.

The advanced activity entailed students selecting one of the aforementioned themes and developing a project that could be published and/or implemented into a curriculum. Students were encouraged to work collaboratively across campuses with fellow classmates. However, they could work with students from the same campus or develop individual projects.

This meeting epitomized TEAMWORK as students and faculty diligently worked collaboratively to ensure the course would be a success! Stay tuned for further information as it relates to this very dynamic and unique development!

UIRCA NEWS

The UIRCA sponsored 1st year masters student, Cheryle Gingerich as she attended the 2000 Mental Health Conference in Cedar Rapids, in November. The conference was sponsored by Kirkwood Community College. Cheryle indicated the conference was very informative as she learned a great deal about mental illness.

Jack Hackett, a Rehabilitation Counselor and ethics expert, James Bethea, UIRCA president, and fellow UIRCA members, will coordinate a Rehabilitation Careers Day in April.

Updates and other information about UIRCA are available on their new website, which can be reached from the Division web address or directly at http://www.uiowa.edu/~rehab/Gradasso.html .

RCE PROGRAM ADVISORY BOARD MEETING

The RCE Program Advisory Board met on Friday, November 3, 2000 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in N201Lindquist Center. James Bethea and Phillip Lewis represented the doc students. Holly Smigel and Brooke Werner represented the master's students. However, all interested students are welcome to attend this meeting to meet our Advisory Board and share their ideas. These members of this board are prominent rehabilitation professionals, and along with the RCE Program faculty and students assist us in maintaining high standards that allow us to produce quality rehabilitation professionals. This board is actively involved in such activities as advising on curriculum, assisting in faculty recruitment, and strategic planning. Mr. Jack Hackett, co-chair of the advisory board, presented the following information regarding his involvement with the Rehabilitation Counseling Program:

I’d like to begin by commending each of you on your choice to pursue careers of service that will enhance the lives of persons with disabilities. It is a noble calling. I still remember my first day working as a rehabilitation counselor. My new supervisor, John Snyder, took me with him to a rural county in West Virginia. During our trip he shared with me that his work in rehabilitation had offered a variety of experiences, that he had found his career to be rewarding and fulfilling. He also said that he had experienced many emotions in his rehabilitation career but that he had never been bored. Our work is many things, and I can assure you that if you commit to your careers you will never be bored. Although I have witnessed many changes in our profession and in the practice of rehabilitation counseling, there is a core to our profession that has remained constant. That core is the primacy of the person with a disability. As a member of the advisory committee it has been exciting to see the changes and growth in the program. The “Big Three” Consortium and the affiliation with the Center on Law, Disability, and Health Policy offer exciting opportunities to improve the education experience for our students and expand the reach of the program. At the last meeting I spoke with the students about the possibility of organizing a Rehabilitation Careers Day to bring employers from different rehabilitation perspectives to campus. I look forward to this and to working on additional projects that will continue to preserve the program’s status as one of the best rehabilitation counseling programs.

Jack Hackett

News from the IA Board of Behavioral Examiners

The RCE Program community should know that Dr. Vilia Tarvydas sits on the IA Board of Behavioral Examiners as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC). She will provide current information about licensure that seems useful to our community in our newsletters. Please note that the transition period that allowed grandfathering based on employment experience or appropriate supervision in practice ended this last July (7/1/00). You will find a table summarizing some basic facts about licensure requirements attached to this newsletter. You should note that Master’s educated rehabilitation counselors are successful applicants for LMHC provided that they have taken appropriate courses, and have 2,000 hours of supervised post-graduate experience in a mental health setting. If you do not currently have those qualifications, you can proceed to take the appropriate courses and/or do the supervised practice post-graduately. If you wish to receive an application packet from the Board, you can view them on the new Board Web Site at: http://www.idph.state.ia.us/licensure or you can call (515) 281-4422 to request one. Below you will find several helpful updates on licensure:

Supervision. The Board that governs licensing for LMHC and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFT) considered the current supervision rule at its September meeting and decided to extend the current rule through the year 2003. For LMHCs this means that supervised practice may be taken under either an LMHC, a supervisor approved by the National Academy of Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselors, or “a person possessed essentially the same education, experience and training as that necessary to qualify for licensure as a mental health counselor. Those applying for approved supervisory status under this paragraph will be evaluated by the board on a case-by-case basis” (IA Code, Chapter 154D, Section 30.4(2)(d.2). The Board is seeking to transition to supervision by only individuals who hold the LMHC as soon as practical. However, in recognition of the lack of sufficient LMHCs in some areas of the state they have delayed this change. You should take advantage of this more liberal rule now – while it is still in force – if you intend to be licensed.

Exam Dates. If you are ready to take the exam required for licensure, you should know that you may choose either the NCE or the NCMHCE examination. These exams will next be given on 4/21/2001; with application for exam dates (to be done through NBCC) on 3/7/2001.

The Iowa Department of Public Health, Bureau of Professional Licensure has a
new licensure website at http://www.idph.state.ia.us/licensure .This site allow access to the Bureau of Behavioral Science Examiners that licenses both Licensed Mental Health Counselors and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists. At that site you can gain current information about such matters as the laws and rules involved in these credentials, the activities of the Board, and how to lodge a complaint. In addition you can perform such functions as download the application forms and if you are licensed, you can do an address change through the site. Check out this valuable site!

CRCC NEWS

Continuing Education Home Study Program

CRCC has made a home study program available through its website titled Ethics for Rehabilitation Counselors. It contains material developed by Dr. Vilia Tarvydas, Dr. Dennis Maki, and others from the Ethics Committee.

This home study program awards up to 4.5 clock hours of continuing education to those who successful complete each of the nine modules. The modules are all written by past and present CRCC Commissioners and by leaders in the profession of rehabilitation counseling, many of who have served on CRCC’s Ethics Committee.

The program is available for downloading through CRCC’s website at http://www.crccertification.org for free. It may also be purchased from CRCC for a fee of $10.00 to offset print charges. A fee of $50.00 is due at the time the program is submitted for grading.

Visit CRCC’s website to download your free copy or contact Cindy Biggs at (847) 394-2104, extension 121, to purchase your copy of Ethics for Rehabilitation Counselors.

CRCC Updates the Code

The CRCC Ethics Committee has been actively engaged in a review and revision process for the CRCC Code of Professional Ethics for Rehabilitation Counselors (Code), which began with the appointment of a Taskforce in 1999. Dr. Tarvydas has served as member and consultant to this group.

The Taskforce was charged with reviewing and updating the Code in order to adopt core standards for counseling as a profession utilizing the ACA Code as the core document and supplementing it with additional standards that are specific to the practice of rehabilitation counseling.

The Taskforce has completed its charge and the Ethics Committee has reviewed the draft revisions. Our program doc students and other Big 3 doc students who are participating in the distance education seminar have reviewed issues pertinent to the updating of the Code and several have provided memoranda to CRCC with suggestions. In addition, they have participated in an on-line panel discussion with Dr. Linda Shaw of Florida State University who is chair of the CRCC Ethics Committee. Emphasis in areas such as accessibility, accommodations, and advocacy, which are all key to the profession of rehabilitation counseling, were considered by the Committee.

The draft is now available for review and comment on CRCC’s website at http://www.crccertification.org .We encourage your comments before the final document is set in place.

Phase out Date for Category D.4 Extended

Many rehabilitation counselors have opted to participate in a program of training to increase their level of education to that required for Certified Rehabilitation Counselors (CRC’s).

Category D.4 addresses the need for these rehabilitation counselors who already possess a master’s degree but lack the specific coursework at the master’s level or above in core content areas applicable to rehabilitation counseling.

Full-time work and families can make acquiring up to 18 credit hours of additional coursework challenging for rehabilitation counselors. In an effort to allow ample time in which to complete the required 18 credit hours of specific coursework to be considered as having met the educational criteria for Category D.4, CRCC has voted to extend the phase out date to December 16, 2004.

Those seeking CRC certification under Category D.4 must make application by December 15, 2004 and must meet all educational and work experience criteria by January 1, 2005 in order to be deemed eligible to sit for the last administration of the CRC examination under this Category.

For more information on the criteria for Category D.4 and for helpful course definitions that allow you to complete your own assessment as to whether the courses you wish to take will meet the certification criteria, visit CRCC’s website at http://www.crccertification.org. If you or someone you know can benefit from this status, please urge them to take advantage of this opportunity.

CRCC Reinstatement Process Instituted

A reinstatement process has been instituted for former CRCC’s who gained initial certification between April 1995 and April 2000 but whose certification has lapsed. Contact CRCC for more information about the criteria.

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