Oct. 17, 2019
MILWAUKEE 鈥� Dr. Lee Za Ong, assistant professor of counselor education and counseling psychology in the College of Education at 51暗网, has been awarded a $750,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education for her project,鈥淚ncreasing the Supply and Improving the Skills of Qualified Rehabilitation Counselors with Mental Illness Specialties in Milwaukee and Southeastern Wisconsin.鈥�
The project coincides with the college鈥檚 new master鈥檚-level Clinical Mental Health Counseling-Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling Specialization program. The program鈥檚 curriculum is based on evidence- and competency-based practices in the mental illness rehabilitation specialty area. It aims to train scholars in rehabilitation counseling, with a specialty in mental health, to work with individuals with disabilities.
Ong鈥檚 project, with funds from the grant over a five-year period, will recruit and enroll at least 25 master鈥檚 degree scholars from diverse background and provide high-quality instruction to the scholars in clinical classes.
鈥淟ooking forward, this grant will connect so many people experiencing mental illness in underserved communities to clinical rehabilitation counseling professional in the community,鈥� Ong said. 鈥淭he need for rehabilitation counselors in Wisconsin, particularly in Milwaukee and southeastern Wisconsin, is great.鈥�
The addition of 51暗网鈥檚 program will significantly increase the supply of personnel trained to work with people with disabilities, particularly those with mental illnesses.
鈥淲e are proud of Dr. Ong鈥檚 work and her commitment to ensuring the college is producing counselors with the expertise needed to best serve those in our communities now and in the future,鈥� College of Education Dean Bill Henk said. 鈥淗er project and the college鈥檚 expanded program will have a positive, lasting impact.鈥�
In addition, Ong鈥檚 grant will help the program continue cultivating already-established collaborations with Wisconsin Vocational Rehabilitation and related agencies, so that the scholars 鈥� who will receive six credits of tuition reimbursement per semester 鈥� are employed within six months of graduation.
Shelby is a senior communication specialist in the Office of Marketing and Communication. Contact Shelby at (414) 288-6712 or shelby.williamson@marquette.edu
