Web-based education in psychiatric rehabilitation

The omnipresence of personal computers and the enormous growth of higher education’s use of “web-based” (also known as net-based) education may offer an unprecedented opportunity for the dissemination of psychiatric rehabilitation knowledge, skills, and competencies. The need to disseminate psychiatric rehabilitation curricula continues to grow as community-based mental health systems are increasingly based on rehabilitation and recovery, yet traditional higher education is slow to incorporate the field in its offerings. This article offers a philosophical overview of the issues surrounding net-based PSR education. It also gives a summary of the practical experience of one university’s efforts to offer this education opportunity over the last two years. Strengths, limitations, opportunities, and threats are discussed, including discussion of a completely net-based Master of Science curriculum in Psychiatric Rehabilitation.