Abstract
The purpose of this article is to report on and discuss contemporary issues facing rehabilitation counselors working in psychiatric settings, including the impact of managed care, strengths and limitations of the master's degree in rehabilitation counseling for practice in psychiatric settings, and the training needs of these counselors. Surveys were sent to individuals who hold the Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) credential and were working in psychiatric rehabilitation settings. Respondents were asked to provide answers to a series of open-ended questions. The questions focused on evaluating the participants' job tasks and current views regarding their training and preparation, including strengths and limitations of their degree programs in preparing them for their current employment. A qualitative analysis of responses is provided; highlighting significant themes among respondents. The authors conclude with a discussion of how this study relates to current master s degree education in rehabilitation counseling, the debate over licensure, and issues for state vocational rehabilitation programs.