David Perry, Ph.D.
(University of North Dakota)
Professor

I have been a faculty member at UND since 1975 and am currently Professor and Interim Coordinator of the Counseling Master’s Program. I am also the Program Coordinator for the Rehabilitation Counseling emphasis in the Counseling Master’s program and for the undergraduate Rehabilitation and Human Services Program within the Department. I really enjoy working at UND and I find teaching, conducting research, and providing professional service activities quite invigorating. I also have found Grand Forks to be a great place to live and raise a family.

I grew up in Missoula, Montana and received my Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of Montana. I attended Florida State University in Tallahassee and received a Master’s Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling. My Ph.D. is from UND in Counseling with a Psychology minor. I have been a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor since 1979.

I enjoy being active in my profession. I have served as President of the National Council on Rehabilitation Education (NCRE) and have been on the NCRE Board for the last eight years. I am Chair of the Council on Rehabilitation Education’s (CORE) Committee on Undergraduate Education. I am also a member of CORE’s Commission on Accreditation and Standards and serve as an accreditation site visitor for master’s programs in Rehabilitation Counseling. While I haven’t taught at any other universities, the experience of being a site visitor allows me to conduct in-depth reviews of related educational programs and to learn from those reviews. I also serve as a Vocational Expert for the Social Security Administration and am occasionally asked to provide testimony for Social Security Disability hearings and other forensic rehabilitation cases.

On a personal level, I enjoy reading, music, and sports. I am a member of the Grand Forks Master Chorale and I direct a church choir. I try to play basketball several times a week and enjoy watching all kinds of sports on TV. I met my wife, Cathy, at UND and we have been married since 1976. She works in the Department of Pathology at the UND Medical School. We have three adult children: Sarah, Becca, and Andrew.

Teaching Experiences

I have taught the following courses during the past few years:

Undergraduate Courses

RHS 200 – Helping Skills in Community Services (3 cr)
RHS 250 - Contemporary Issues in Rehabilitation (3 cr)
RHS 309 - Medical and Psychosocial Aspects of Disability I (3 cr)
RHS 310 - Medical and Psychosocial Aspects of Disability II (3 cr)
RHS 375 - Community Living Topics: Developmental Disabilities (3 cr)
RHS 455 - Rehabilitation Process (3 cr)
RHS 457 - Vocational Development in Rehabilitation (3cr)
RHS 465 - Professional Issues in Rehabilitation (2 cr)
RHS 475 - Testing and Assessment (3 cr)
RHS 491 - Rehabilitation Field Seminar (2 cr)
RHS 493 - Special Topics in Rehabilitation (2-3 cr)
RHS 497 - Internship in Rehabilitation (10 cr)
Swk 200 - Introduction to Helping Skills (2 cr)
Swk 333 - Research and Statistics I (3 cr)
Swk 334 - Research and Statistics II (3 cr)

Graduate Courses

Coun 560 - Crisis Intervention Counseling (2 cr) Coun 560 - Career Assessment in Counseling (2 cr)
Coun 565 - Seminar in Rehabilitation Counseling (2 cr)
Coun 565 - Projective Assessments (1 cr)

Research Interests

I maintain an active research agenda that focuses on a wide variety of disability and rehabilitation issues. While not always recognized, disability is an important aspect of diversity in our society. Rehabilitation certainly should be part of our commitment to social justice and human rights in our communities. In my work, disability is broadly defined and includes physical disabilities, mental illnesses, developmental disabilities, substance abuse, brain injuries, etc. I have been especially interested in attitudes toward persons with disabilities, how they are formed, how they are maintained, and how they can be changed. Adlerian Psychology serves as the theoretical underpinning of my understanding of how attitudes develop, with special recognition of the importance of early memories.

My research has also explored more effective ways of providing rehabilitation education, both at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Rehabilitation professionals play a critical role in providing services leading to employment and independent living for individuals with disabilities. These professionals deserve the best possible education in order to develop the skills they need. I believe that if the quality of rehabilitation education is going to improve, more research is needed. My focus has been on the development of accreditation standards for undergraduate rehabilitation and disability studies programs and on techniques that can enhance the relationships between undergraduate and graduate rehabilitation education. Much of this has been driven by the following research question: How can the training needs of workers in the profession of rehabilitation (e.g., appropriate skills and values, ethical behavior, good paying jobs, distribution and supply of personnel, continuing education, etc.) be met in such a way that professional needs do not overshadow the critical needs of the clients and consumers with whom these professionals work and for whom they exist to serve?

Examples of some of my recent refereed publications and professional presentations include:

Perry, D., & Marmé, M. (2007, June). “CORE’s equivalency provisions: Effectively linking undergraduate and graduate rehabilitation education programs,” presented at the 3rd Annual Training Conference of the Council on Rehabilitation Education’s Committee on Undergraduate Education; University Park, PA.

Dutta, A., Perry, D., and Marmé, M. (2007). Rehabilitation professionals: Forging new alliances. Journal of Rehabilitation Education, 21, 5 26.

Perry, D., & Marmé, M. (2006, October). “Equivalency provisions in rehabilitation counselor masters programs,” presented at the National Training Conference on Rehabilitation Education, sponsored by the National Council on Rehabilitation Education, the Rehabilitation Services Administration, and the Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation; Washington, D.C.

Perry, D., Marlett, N., Evenson, T., and Schiro-Geist, C. (2005, February). Modeling inclusion and diversity: Making the case for undergraduate education within CORE and NCRE. Paper presented at the National Training Conference of the National Council on Rehabilitation Education; Tucson, AZ.

Reese, D., Chan, C., Perry, D., Wiersgalla, D., & Schlinger, J. M. (2005). Beliefs, death, anxiety, denial, and treatment preferences in end-of-life care: A comparison of social work students, community residents, and medical students. Journal of Social Work in End-of-Life & Palliative Care, 1, 23 – 47.

Perry, D., & Marlett, N. (2003, October). “International Undergraduate Registry for Disability Studies and Rehabilitation: Building Capacity from Competence,” presented at the National Training Conference on Rehabilitation Education, sponsored by the National Council on Rehabilitation Education, the Rehabilitation Services Administration, and the Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation; Arington, VA.

Perry, D., Marmé, M., Evenson, T., and Houston, E. (2002, February). The impact of early recollections on attitudes toward persons with disabilities. Paper presented at the National Training Conference of the National Council on Rehabilitation Education; Tucson, AZ.

Evenson, T., Holloway, L., & Perry, D. (2002, February). Professionalism: The cornerstone of rehabilitation counseling. Paper presented at the National Training Conference of the National Council on Rehabilitation Education; Tucson, AZ.

Perry, D., Evenson, T., Marlett, N., & Schiro Geist, C. (2001, February). Promoting rehabilitation careers: Links between undergraduate and graduate education. Paper presented at the National Training Conference of the National Council on Rehabilitation Education; Tucson, AZ.

Perry, D. (2000). Understanding and appreciating undergraduate rehabilitation education. Journal of Rehabilitation Education, 14, 3 12.

Evenson, T., Perry, D., & Schiro Geist, C. (1999, April). The undergraduate rehabilitation registry: A status report. Paper presented at the Annual Alliance Conference of the American Rehabilitation Counselors Association and the National Rehabilitation Counseling Association; Dallas, TX.

Perry, D., Weiler, C., Klincke, M., & Carlson, G. (1997, August). Effective interventions for rural individuals who are dually diagnosed with developmental disabilities and mental illnesses: Meeting the need with flexibility. Paper presented at the 23rd Annual Conference of the National Association for Rural Mental Health; Grand Forks, N.D.

Williamson, C., Evenson, T. & Perry, D. (1996). Worker roles and educational competencies for baccalaureate rehabilitation service providers: A national survey. Journal of Rehabilitation Education, 10, 305 318, 1996.

Fry, S., Furman, L., & Perry, D. (1996, November). Spirituality and bereavement: Exploring the relationship. Paper presented at the 18th Annual Symposium and Exposition of the National Hospice Organizations; Chicago, IL.

Perry, D. (1996, April). New directions in social work education: Recommendations for a comprehensive disability curriculum. Paper presented at the Social Work and Disabilities Annual Conference; Young Adult Institute; New York, N.Y.

Perry, D. (1995, May). The impact of disability on families: A review of social work education and practice. Paper presented at the Social Work and Disabilities Annual Conference; Young Adult Institute; New York, N.Y.