Grants for Counseling Degrees

U.S .Department of Education Rehabilitation Assistance Grants

• The United States Department of Education offers grants to schools that provide a master's degree in rehabilitation counseling. These schools then use grant monies to offer scholarships to students. Students who accept a Rehabilitation Assistance Scholarship must work for two years in an approved setting for each year of scholarship report they receive. Examples of appropriate settings are state vocational rehabilitation agencies and independent living centers.

  Students must contact the school they plan to attend in order to receive this scholarship. The scholarship process differs from school to school but usually includes an application form, personal statement of interest, and a transcript of grades from previous institutions. A list of participating schools, current as of June 2010, can be found at

  www2.ed.gov/students/college/aid/rehab/rsa_training_catalog_of_projects.pdf

  Any institution wanting more information about this grant program may contact the U.S. Department of Education:

  U.S. Department of Education
  Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services
  Rehabilitation Services Administration
  550 12th St., SW, Room 5027
  Washington, D.C. 20202-2800
  202-245-7458
  www.ed.gov/students/college/aid/rehab/index.html

American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists Minority Student Grant

• The American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (AAMFT) offers a grant to minority doctoral students. The purpose of this grant is to increase the number of therapists providing support services to under-served communities, especially in the area of substance abuse counseling. Grant recipients receive up to $20,000 over three years although they must reapply for the grant each year. They also receive $1,500 each year to cover the cost of transportation and attendance at the AAMFT conference and admittance to the AAMFT winter and summer think-tank programs.

  To apply, students must submit an application packet, which includes information about their grades, course of study, and ethnic self-identification, as well as statements of purpose and three letters of reference. Students must also provide proof of legal right to be in the United States. Application materials are available on the AAMFT website:

  www.aamft.org/about/MFP/Index_About_MFP.asp

  The deadline for the 2010-2011 school year was March 19, 2010. The deadline for 2011 has not yet been posted online.

  For more information, contact the AAMFT at:

  Àdisà Àjàmú
  Program Manager
  Minority Fellowship Program
  American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy
  112 S. Alfred St.
  Alexandria, VA 22314
  703-253-0473
  www.aamft.org/about/MFP/Index_About_MFP.asp

Martin Thacker Scholarship

• The Martin Thacker Scholarship is offered by the University of Kentucky to a graduate counseling student with a disability who intends to work with special populations after graduation. The student must be enrolled in a graduate program for rehabilitation counseling and have a documented disability. She must submit an application, test scores, proof of disability, three letters of recommendation, and a statement of purpose. Preference is given to students from rural areas. The scholarship covers cost of attendance. Recipients must work for two years in a center for developmentally disabled persons after graduation.

  For more information, contact:
  University of Kentucky
  166 Taylor Education Bldg.
  Lexington, KY 40506-0001
  859-257-7971
  education.uky.edu/AcadServ/content/graduate-scholarships