Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation "Firsts"

The Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Behavioral Health Care of SHRP was established by the UMDNJ Board of Trustees in 1997. Its beginnings, as a program of the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies, pre-date the department. The first of five-degree granting programs was opened in 1993, as a joint program with Middlesex County College (A.S. Psychosocial Rehabilitation). This program was the first associate's degree program in psychiatric rehabilitation in the nation (Gill et al., 1997; Wolf, 1992). It was just the beginning of a series of innovations by UMDNJ-SHRP faculty to establish the discipline of psychiatric rehabilitation. Others include:

• The first master of science degree devoted solely to psychiatric rehabilitation (1995) and being the first again by adding its adaptation of this curriculum to the Internet in 2000 (Barrett & Gill, 2001)

• Establishing the first dual bachelor of science major in psychology and psychiatric rehabilitation with Kean University (Ulrich, 1996)

• Authoring the first comprehensive, introductory textbook in psychiatric rehabilitation (Pratt, Gill, Barrett, & Roberts, Academic Press, 1999), each author is a department faculty member

• Establishing the first Ph.D. program in psychiatric rehabilitation (Pratt & Gill, 2001)

• Convening the first national meeting and establishing a consortium of psychiatric rehabilitation educators (2001)

• Taking a leadership role in establishing the first national registry of psychiatric rehabilitation educators (1997) and later upgrading this to an international test-based certification program (2001). Faculty and graduates were among the first to be certified in the nation as well. The first university in New Jersey to offer the rehabilitation counseling since 1985 (1999)

The department's graduates are rated by mental health employers as highly skilled and more proficient than their staff educated in other curricula and universities (Gill et al., 1997). This is also reflected 100% of the students and graduates who have pursued these credentials have become registered or certified. In addition, it has also been demonstrated that the students and graduates promote rehabilitation goals, attitudes, practices than peers with other forms of academic preparation (Casper et al., 2001). These practices have been related to better outcomes for persons with severe and persistent mental illness (Casper et al. 2002). The department's graduates have becoming leaders in their field not only in New Jersey but also Alaska, Florida, and California.

The department sponsors a several major efforts to integrate direct clinical service, faculty participation in best practices, and consultation services to the mental health and social service system. These major projects include the Center for the Study and Promotion of Recovery from Severe Mental Illness, the Integrated Employment Institute and participation in the university's Greystone Park Clinical Affiliation. These projects dovetail with the university's community service mission, combining education and service to underserved persons in need. They also involve direct clinical service through the demonstration of best practices in psychiatric rehabilitation.

The department's history and accomplishment have been amply documented in a variety of forums including meetings of the International Association of Psychosocial Rehabilitation Services, the World Congresses of Psychosocial Rehabilitation, and the Symposium of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Educators. In addition, a number of peer-reviewed journals including Community Mental Health Journal, Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, Rehabilitation Education, and Psychiatric Rehabilitation Skills have published regarding the success of the department's educational endeavors.

Who's Who in the Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation