Keeping Up With The Counseling Profession: Current Issues on the National Level

David Kaplan ACA Chief Professional Officer Art Terrazas ACA Director of Government Affairs 2015 ACA ILT

Celebrating Supreme Court rulings The Affordable Care Act Same-sex marriage

Overarching Issue: How do we move forward together?

Professionalization The social process by which any trade or occupation transforms itself into a true profession -Ashley Crossman, PhD Sociologist About.com

Counseling Professionalization Benchmarks Circa Named First professional organization Specialties coalesce under one association Code of ethics

1971/ Counselor preparation accreditation First state licensed Establishment of a certification body Establishment of a national honor society

All 50 states and DC licensed Consensus definition of counseling Consensus licensure title & scope of practice CACREP & CORE become corporate affiliates CACREP & CORE merge

Professionalization: A recent focus on counselor preparation VA requires CACREP accreditation TRICARE requires CACREP accreditation for independent practice

NJ briefly requires CACREP for licensure CACREP requires a counselor education degree for new core faculty 2022 – NCC requires a CACREP degree

Changes in State Laws Beginning in you will need a degree from a CACREP accredited school to obtain a license in Ohio. A petition was filed in 2014 with the Virginia Board asking for a CACREP requirement to obtain licensure Kentucky and Georgia have also introduced CACREP requirements.

Which has lead to some consternation and panic over jobs Teaching Practicing

Teaching Counseling Psychologists

THE COUNSELING PSYCHOLOGIST VOL. 41, NO. 5, JULY 2013 Psychology & counselor education accreditation

Articles Quality of Master’s Education: A Concern for Counseling Psychology? Looking to the Future – The role of Master’s Programs in Counseling Psychology Integrating Master’s Education in Counseling Psychology for Quality, Viability, and Value Added Legitimizing and Reclaiming Master’s Training and Education in Counseling Psychology: An Urgent Concern

Contributing to the ambivalent relationship of counseling psychology to masters training… -Jackson & Scheel, p.676

In some situations, the master’s training programs were developed …to help fund the doctoral training program. -Palmer, p.703

In some cases, master’s programs help pay the bills for doctoral education…in difficult economic times, counseling psychology doctoral programs without master’s programs may be easier to cut -Jackson & Scheel, p. 687 & 688

To maintain CACREP accreditation when budget cuts are required, deans and other administrators…may prioritize master’s over doctoral programs since master’s training is less expensive than doctoral training. -Jackson & Scheel, p.682

…such developments do threaten counseling psychology programs… -Jackson & Scheel, p.682

The new MCAC accreditation standards may serve to promote a new direction for counseling master’s education…consistent with core values and contributions of counseling psychology -Jackson & Scheel, p. 681

It is questionable…whether we will be able to avert eventual professional annihilation…as a profession we are experiencing THE RECKONING -Palmer, p. 701 & 704

Clinician concerns Non-CACREP degree 48 credit CACREP degree Master’s degree in counseling psychology

Pushback

Alternative Counselor Education Credentialing

Masters in Psychology and Counseling Accreditation Council (MPCAC)

MPCAC counseling programs U of Albany - mental health counseling Eastern University - clinical counseling & school counseling Felician College - counseling psychology

MPCAC counseling programs Fordham University - mental health counseling & school counseling Lehigh University - counseling and human services U of Massachusetts Boston- mental health counseling & school counseling

MPCAC counseling programs U of Missouri-Kansas City - counseling and guidance New York University – counseling for mental health and wellness & counseling and guidance U of Wisconsin-Milwaukee - counseling

Advocacy Counseling psychology program coalitions Coalition of Concerned Counselors Individuals

How do we move forward together?

Federal Issues in 2015 Medicare- The fight continues TRICARE-Amendment VA- Promising changes and new opportunities

State issues Certain state laws and/or policies prevent LPCs from being utilized as healthcare providers: – New York & diagnoses – Texas lawsuit – Bans on “reparative therapy” for minors

The 20/20 Building Blocks to Portability Project Consensus licensure title Consensus licensure scope of practice

Rubric of professional identity State licensed or certified in counseling Uses the title “Professional Counselor” Commits to counseling ethics Commits to the 20/20 definition of counseling Views professional counseling as a distinct profession

ACA’s answer to moving forward together

Moving Forward….. To unify the profession, ACA endorses graduation from a CACREP/CORE accredited program as the pathway to licensure.

Together….. ACA advocates that all counselors licensed by July, 2020 are qualified to have the same options and privileges as graduates from CACREP and CORE programs.

How ACA can help you keep up with current national issues ACA Connect Read Counseling Today Read CT online Read ACA e-News Subscribe to the ACA blogs Subscribe to the ACA government affairs newsletter:

Visit the ACA Facebook page Follow ACA on Twitter Subscribe to counseling listservs (cesnet, counsgrads, icn, etc.) Use Google alerts Ask Art or David

Let’s schmooze!

Keeping Up With The Counseling Profession: Current Issues on the National Level