The Division of Clinical Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling was ranked #7 by U.S. News & World Report in the publication’s 2025 rankings of Rehabilitation Counseling programs in America. This is the third consecutive top 15 ranking for the program.

The program offers a unique and challenging 60+ credit master’s degree in Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling with concentrations in working with individuals with developmental and/or psychiatric disabilities.

Graduates of the program are eligible for the national professional certification as Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) and can receive their North Carolina state credential for Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC).

Graduates are employed in a variety of positions in mental health settings, on ACT teams, working with individuals with autism, developmental disabilities, and traumatic brain injuries, and helping individuals with disabilities find meaningful employment. Graduates have recently been admitted to PhD. programs in rehabilitation counselor education, counselor education, clinical psychology, school counseling and school psychology.  Last year 23 students graduated from the CRMH program.

What began as working with those who had experienced brain injury, stroke and/or spinal cord injury evolved into also supporting families who have been affected by intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Some commonly known forms of IDD include autism, cerebral palsy, ADHD, pediatric brain injury and down syndrome.

Morrison was recently awarded $250,000 over two years from the Eugene Washington Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institution (PCORI) for Project BENEFIT: Building Effective Networks to Engage Families in Improving Transitions. Dr. Diana Cejas, MD, MPH, a faculty member in the Department of Neurology and at the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities (CIDD), serves as the project’s co-lead.

PCORI supports projects that encourage involvement of patients, caregivers, clinicians and other healthcare workers in patient-centered outcome research. The purpose of Project BENEFIT is to partner with and engage IDD stakeholders in patient-centered outcome research in the area of healthcare transition. Healthcare transition is defined, in this instance, as the transition from pediatric healthcare services to adult healthcare services.

“Historically, there is a large gap in healthcare transition because of the limited number of medical providers trained to work with the IDD population,” said Morrison. “Many people with IDD could be in their 20s and still be working with a pediatric provider, but existing research shows that inadequate healthcare transition to adult providers can lead to poor health outcomes that affect community life, particular in IDD patients that are considered racially/ethnically marginalized.”

Goals and Outcomes of Project BENEFIT

Project BENEFIT involves partnerships with IDD advocacy organizations, including ������’s Center for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (CIDD), Family Support Network of North Carolina (FSNNC), Virginia Commonwealth University’s Partnership for People with Disabilities, and Parent2Parent USA. Each of the partner organizations will play a unique role in supporting people with IDD and their families, with the primary goal of developing trusting, long-lasting research partnerships. Additionally, a stakeholder advisory group comprised of various IDD stakeholders with differing backgrounds– individuals with IDD, physicians, researchers, family members – will oversee the project’s implementation, provide guidance and recommendations, and will co-create the project deliverables.

Goals of the project include:

• Developing trusting, sustainable partnerships to co-create research materials that will help improve engagement of IDD stakeholders in future patient-centered outcome research
• Developing research materials and an infrastructure that increases capacity to conduct future patient-centered outcome research in the area of IDD healthcare transition
• Creating a sustainable network of IDD stakeholders to help plan and conduct future clinical effectiveness trials, so that meaningful evidence-based healthcare transition supports are developed for the IDD and underserved communities.

“The true outcomes we seek through Project BENEFIT are determining how to best ‘co-create’ a healthcare transition research roadmap, with input from IDD stakeholders,” said Morrison. “We’re trying to answer questions about what research steps need to be taken within this area, and what future research should look like.” Other project deliverables include an IDD-accessible video on patient-centered outcomes research and a partnership framework to enhance researcher practices and use stakeholder-informed approaches to IDD research.

Morrison hopes that Project BENEFIT will support the creation of a culture of IDD stakeholder-led research that will help reduce healthcare disparities for people with IDD. “It’s not just about educating,” he said. “This project will help educate and improve healthcare professionals and researchers understanding of effective patient-centered healthcare transition research and services, so they can better meet the unique healthcare needs of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.”

The program offers a unique and challenging 60+ credit master’s degree in clinical rehabilitation and mental health with concentrations in working with persons with developmental and psychiatric disabilities.

Graduates of the program are eligible for national professional certification as Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) and can receive their North Carolina state credentials for Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC). During the past five years, graduates of the program have had a CRC examination pass rate of 100 percent, much higher than the 2022 national average of 71 percent.

Additionally, graduates are employed in a variety of positions in mental health settings, on ACT teams, working with individuals with autism, developmental disabilities, and traumatic brain injuries, and helping individuals with disabilities find meaningful employment. Graduates have also been admitted to PhD. programs in rehabilitation counselor education, counselor education, clinical psychology, school counseling and school psychology.

Beginning fall 2023, one program will become two separate programs – a Master of Science in Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling and a Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling. Concentrations/tracks are offered in working with persons with developmental disabilities and/or psychiatric disabilities in both programs.

Novachek’s Personal Beginning with Parkinson’s Disease

Novachek received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Appalachian State University. While in college, she mentored a high school student with disabilities, leading her to desire a career involving work with people with disabilities.

Her decision to pursue a master’s degree in CRMH was personal. While in college and spending time with a significant other’s family, Novachek noticed the grandfather – who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease – trying to keep up with family conversations by writing down his thoughts. He was unable to do so because of his disease and eventually stopped trying.

“Watching him slowly stop being a part of his family conversations stuck with me – he had no voice and no one to advocate for him,” Novachek said. “I wanted to be that advocate for people with Parkinson’s disease and show others that those who cannot advocate for themselves are not less valuable.”

While pursuing her master’s degree, Novachek was simultaneously pursuing her passion to work with people with Parkinson’s disease by establishing Rock Steady Boxing NC Triangle.

Knocking Out Parkinson’s: Rock Steady Boxing NC Triangle

Rock Steady Boxing NC Triangle was established in 2017, the same year Novachek graduated from the CRMH program, to help change the lives of people with Parkinson’s disease. The program combines boxing and physical activities with mental health activities.

“Physical activity helped me manage my own anxiety and depression, which changed my life,” Novachek said. “I knew I wanted to incorporate physical activity therapy as a form of rehabilitation for this population for the same reason.”

Rock Steady Boxing offers boxing, yoga and functional fitness classes. The company has grown from offering four classes a week with 25 people to now serving more than 100 people in two locations and online – an option for people who want to join classes from other locations.

Novachek is most proud of the sense of community built behind the program. “We’ve all become each other’s family,” she said.

The Journey Continues with Growth in Mind

Novachek admits that she cried when she found out she was included on the Triangle Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 list.

“I know what I do is very valuable and important to the people around me, and people are appreciative, but not many people are vocal about it,” she said. “While going to graduate school and starting a business was difficult, it also felt like nobody saw it. Now, the recognition is a nice reminder to keep going.”

The plan for the future of Rock Steady Boxing is its continuation and ongoing growth. Novachek is interested in moving into more therapy aspects of mental health to reach people with Parkinson’s disease and other life stages.

“Our division was very grateful to have two of our students receive these important and valuable scholarships. These scholarships provide funding, but importantly also provide activities and interactions that enrich their graduate experience,” noted Eileen Burker, director of the Division of Clinical Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling.

Shannon Mulloy – Weiss Urban Livability Fellowship

The is a one-year fellowship that provides funding, learning opportunities, and practical experience to graduate students from various departments who share research interests in improving urban livability. The nine selected fellows participate in seminars twice a month throughout the fall and spring semesters.

As part of her fellowship, master’s degree candidate Shannon Mulloy facilitated a seminar on how mental health, education, and disability impacts urban livability. She utilized a Division of Clinical Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling (CRMH) framework to present questions such as “how can we address disparities in public education?” and “what is the relationship between disability and livability in urban settings?”

Describing her fellowship experience, Mulloy noted, “I really enjoyed the opportunity to work together and hear from student experts in their respective fields that I may not have otherwise met. People always brought new and insightful perspectives to the conversation that I don’t think I would have gotten without this experience.”

Mulloy’s research interests lie in creating mental health supports that utilize horticulture and wilderness therapy techniques that are accessible to low-socioeconomic status and minority youth in urban settings. She earned a bachelor’s degree in communication and a master’s degree in sociology from Stanford University where her studies focused on interpersonal relations and social psychology.

Before coming to ������, Mulloy worked at start-ups in the San Francisco tech industry for three years, but a visit to Hawaii made her realize she wanted to escape the confines of a desk. She joined Pacific Quest, a wilderness therapy program, as a summer-only guide, but quickly fell in love with the work and stayed for two additional years. Most recently, Mulloy worked as a team manager at Equinox RTC, an adventure-based therapeutic program for struggling teenage boys. Upon graduation in 2022, she plans to study and apply holistic, nature-based counseling methods to treat at-risk indigenous youth.

Jenna Brunner – Merit Assistantship

Jenna Brunner

As a awardee for the 2020-2021 academic year, master’s degree candidate Jenna Brunner received full tuition and fees, a service-based stipend, and school health insurance for one year. The award has also provided Brunner with the opportunity to work for 10 to 12 hours per week as a graduate assistant within the Clinical Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling program since last fall.

Brunner is grateful for the opportunity to work with Dr. Dara Chan and other faculty members to gain exposure to the wide variety of important work that they do. She explained, “Throughout the year, I have had the opportunity to create multiple comprehensive continuing education training materials for NC Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors related to co-occurring trauma and substance use disorders, as well as the impact of COVID-19 on counselor burnout and self-care.

“I have also edited manuscripts and performed literature reviews for numerous research studies and have been involved in organizing the CRMH program’s admissions process, where I help facilitate program events such as interview days and student information sessions.”

Brunner graduated from Davidson College with a major in economics in 2017. She then worked in Charlotte, NC as a financial analyst for an investment bank for three years. While living in Charlotte, she interacted with multiple individuals experiencing homelessness. After witnessing firsthand the severity of mental health challenges, accessibility issues, stigma, and discrimination that these individuals face on a daily basis, Brunner decided to help individuals in underserved populations gain access to the mental health care by pursuing a career as a clinical mental health therapist.

Brunner is currently pursuing a master’s in clinical rehabilitation and mental health counseling and will graduate in May of 2022. Upon graduation, she hopes to become a licensed clinical mental health counselor. Ultimately, she would like to combine her finance and business strategy skills with her counseling skills to found a nonprofit organization that provides mental health care services to underserved, marginalized populations with mental illness.

Eileen Burker, PhD, CRC, is the director of the Division of Clinical Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling, housed within the Department of Allied Health Sciences. She is a professor in the Department of Allied Health Sciences and an adjunct associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry.

Swisher’s LEND classes include trainees from multiple professions such as audiology, psychology, nursing, genetic counseling, public health, and more. The classes also include both self and family advocates who share their insightful points of view. Two different classes meet every week during the fall and spring semesters.

In Swisher’s “Developmental Disabilities across the Lifespan” class, small groups work through a variety of cases together. Past cases have explored topics such as sexual violence and sexual education in the context of intellectual developmental disabilities, congenital Zika syndrome, and parenting a child of color on the autism spectrum.

As part of her traineeship, Swisher has also attended multiple leadership seminars, and has observed the Preschool Assessment, Consultation, and Training (PACT) clinic providers as they assess and diagnose children with developmental disabilities. She has co-led a social skills group for young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and her research project, “The Role of Focused Interests in Camouflaging ASD Traits,” received the 2020 CIDD Trainee Research Award. The award provides funding to compensate future study participants.

“LEND has been an incredibly life-changing experience. I feel more confident and prepared in working with people with developmental disabilities through such specified and comprehensive knowledge. By working in an interdisciplinary team, I have been exposed to topics through a different lens, which has inspired my future career goals in multiple different ways,” shared Swisher.

“With a mix of clinical practice, leadership seminars, interdisciplinary team case briefs, and research, my experience in LEND was empowering. I am passionate about promoting equal access to diagnostic and treatment programs, and counseling ASD through a neurodiverse strengths-based approach. Through LEND I feel more confident in my ability to enact change through research and counseling,” Swisher added.

Swisher’s research interests include gender and cultural differences in the early presenting symptoms of children with ASD, and equal access to diagnostic and treatment programs. Upon completion of her master’s degree, Swisher plans to pursue a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and work with children and young adults with developmental disabilities.

Division director Eileen Burker noted, “We are very proud and excited that Maddie was accepted as the first CRMH trainee in the LEND program. The multidisciplinary experience she is getting through the LEND program is invaluable.”

Eileen Burker, PhD, CRC, is the director of the Division of Clinical Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling, housed within the Department of Allied Health Sciences. She is a professor in the Department of Allied Health Sciences and an adjunct associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry.