On July 1, Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA-39th) introduced the "Put School Counselors Where They're Needed Act," H.R. 5671, in the U.S. House of Representatives. H.R. 5671 would create a pilot program to fund additional credentialed school counselors and counselor resources in at least 10 low-income high schools with high dropout rates. These additional school counselors would primarily identify and serve students who are at risk of not graduating within four years. For more information and to support the bill, go to: http://capwiz.com/counseling/home/.

 For more information, please contact:

 Dominic W. Holt

Legislative Representative

American Counseling Association
703-823-9800 x242

800-347-6647 x242

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

www.counseling.org

June 23, 2010

The Honorable Christopher Murphy

U.S. House of Representatives

412 Cannon House Office Building

Washington, D.C.  20515

Dear Congressman Murphy:

I am writing on behalf of the American Counseling Association (ACA) to ask you to cosponsor two pieces of

legislation which will improve access to mental health care for our nation’s servicemembers, veterans, and their

families.  ACA applauds your membership in the Congressional Mental Health Caucus, and we are confident you

understand the importance of providing high quality mental health services to this population.

ACA is the nation’s largest non-profit membership organization representing mental health counselors.  There are

more than 115,000 licensed professional counselors across the U.S.—including Connecticut’s 1,639 Licensed

Professional Counselors (LPCs)—working in private practice and a variety of other settings as full-fledged mental

health specialists.  LPCs are master’s degreed, experienced mental professionals, ready to help meet the service

needs of our nation’s armed forces and their families.  Two bills are pending in the House of Representatives which

would update federal policies to make it easier for counselors to be enlisted in providing needed care.

H.R. 3839, bipartisan legislation introduced by Congressmen Tom Rooney and Michael McMahon, would help improve

 access to outpatient mental health services for TRICARE beneficiaries by removing the outdated physician referral and supervision requirement for services obtained by a licensed professional counselor.  LPCs meet education and training

 standards on par with—and in many states more stringent than—those of providers who have been allowed to see

TRICARE beneficiaries without referral and supervision for many, many years.  Americans with private health insurance

can pick up the phone and make an appointment with a counselor directly; especially given the lingering stigma

associated with mental health treatment, shouldn’t servicemembers, retirees, and their families enjoy the same direct

access to care?  The House of Representatives has passed the language included in H.R. 3839 three times already,

and should do so again to finally remove this impediment to prompt treatment.

H.R. 5385, bipartisan legislation introduced by Congressmen Chris Carney and Mark Kirk, would bolster counseling

services provided to veterans at institutions of higher learning.  The legislation directs the Secretary of Veterans

Affairs to establish a toll-free hotline to assist mental health professionals at such institutions, and to provide training

to mental health professionals at colleges and universities.  Veterans will benefit from having a more effective pool of

providers supporting them in the community, and an additional source of support and treatment.

We urge you to cosponsor both of these bills.  Our nation’s servicemembers and their families are under incredible

strain as a result of fighting wars on behalf of our nation in both Iraq and Afghanistan for

several years.

Enacting H.R. 3839 and H.R. 5385 is a small but concrete way Congressional Mental Health Caucus members can

demonstrate their concern and commitment to providing them with the mental health supports and services they

desperately need.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Lynne Linde

Lynn Linde

President, American Counseling Association

cc:        Connecticut Counseling Association

TRICARE Participation Requirements for Master' sDegreed Mental Health Professionals

 Licensed Mental Health Counselor                                 

Education:                   Minimum of a master's degree in mental health counseling

or allied mental health field from a regionally accredited institution

Experience:                  Two years of post-masters experience which includes 3,000 hours

                                         of clinical work and 100 hours of face-to-face supervision

Licensure requirement: Is licensed or certified to practice as a mental health counselor

                                        by the jurisdiction where practicing

Profession licensed     Yes

 in all 50 states?

Total # of U.S.              115,378 

Licensees

Allowed to practice      Yes

 independently under

state law?

Allowed to practice      NO

independently in

TRICARE?

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist 

Education:                   Recognized graduate professional education with the minimum

of an earned master's degree from a regionally accredited

                                         educational institution in an appropriate behavioral science field,

                                        mental health discipline

Experience:                        (i) Either 200 hours of approved supervision in the practice of

                                          marriage and family counseling, ordinarily to be completed in

                                         a 2- to 3-year period, of which at least 100 hours must be in

                                         individual supervision. This supervision will occur preferably with

                                         more than one supervisor and should include a continuous process

                                         of supervision with at least three cases; and (ii) 1,000 hours of clinical

                                         experience in the practice of marriage and family counseling under

                                         approved supervision, involving at least 50 different cases; OR

                                         (iii) 150 hours of approved supervision in the practice of psychotherapy,

                                         ordinarily to be completed in a 2- to 3-year period, of which at least 50

                                         hours must be individual supervision; plus at least 50 hours of approved

                                         individual supervision in the practice of marriage and family counseling,

                                         ordinarily to be completed within a period of not less than 1 nor more than

                                         2 years; and (iv) 750 hours of clinical experience in the practice of psycho-

                                         therapy under approved supervision involving at least 30 cases; plus at

                                         least 250 hours of clinical practice in marriage and family counseling under

                                         approved supervision, involving at least 20 cases

Profession licensed     Yes

 in all 50 states?

Total # of U.S.              53,389

Licensees

Allowed to practice      Yes

 independently under

state law?

Allowed to practice      Yes Since 1991

independently in

TRICARE?

Licensed Clinical Social Worker                                  

 Education:           Has at least a master's degree in social work from a graduate school of social                                     

                                   work accredited by the Council on Social Work Education

Experience:                      Has had a minimum of 2 years or 3,000 hours of post-master's degree supervised

                                         clinical social work practice under the supervision of a master's level social worker

                                         in an appropriate clinical setting, as determined by the Director, OCHAMPUS, or

                                         a designee 

Licensure requirement:    Is licensed or certified as a clinical social worker by the jurisdiction where practicing;

                                         or, if the jurisdiction does not provide for licensure or certification of clinical social

                                         workers, is certified by a national professional organization offering certification of

                                         clinical social workers 

Profession licensed     Yes

 in all 50 states?

Total # of U.S.              197,217 

Licensees

Allowed to practice      Yes

 independently under

state law?

Allowed to practice      Yes Since 1983

independently in

TRICARE?

US Dept. of Education Opens Teacher Incentive Fund Grants Competition, Includes Other School Personnel, Offers June Workshop/Webinars for Applicants

 1) TIF Grants

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) has made applications available for the $437 million Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) grants for school districts, non-profits and states to support local projects that reward teachers, principals and other school personnel who improve student achievement. ED will split the competition in two, selecting winners for the TIF Evaluation competition first and then allowing anyone who did not win the TIF Evaluation to compete for the Main TIF competition. The estimated range of awards is between $5,000,000- $10,000,000. ED expects to award approximately 40-80 grants.

·                         Eligibility: States, districts and non-profits partnering with states or districts may apply.

·                         Deadline: Applications are due July 6th and grants will be awarded in September 2010.

·                         More information: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/teacherincentive/applicant.html

2) Applicant Workshop/Webinars in June

ED will host a Technical Assistance Planning Workshop/Webinar and an Evaluation Competition Webinar, both for potential applicants to the Teacher Incentive Fund Program. At the workshop, ED staff will review the TIF application’s selection criteria, requirements, and priorities (for both the Main and Evaluation Competitions), and will answer technical questions about the TIF program. The Evaluation Competition Webinar will provide a more targeted overview of the Evaluation competition and an opportunity to ask questions specific to the Evaluation requirements and benefits.

 June 7 Technical Assistance Planning Workshop/Webinar:

·                         Location: Millennium Hotel, 1313 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, MN 55403

·                         On June 5, 2010 webinar information will be sent to all participants

·                         Time: 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. (Central Time)

·                         Registration for workshop or webinar: http://www.keysurvey.com/survey/311173/8d2f/

June 8 Evaluation Technical Assistance Webinar:

·                         Time: 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time)

·                         Registration: http://www.mathematica-mpr.com/Education/tifgrantee.asp

For more information, please contact:

 Dominic W. Holt Legislative Representative

American Counseling Association

5999 Stevenson Avenue | Alexandria, VA  22304

703.823.9800 x242 | 703.405.9673 (cell)

800.347.6647 x242 | 703.823.0252 (fax)

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it | www.counseling.org

 Dominic W. Holt, MSW, MFA

Legislative Representative, American Counseling Association (ACA)

Co-chair, National Alliance of Pupil Services Organizations (NAPSO)

~American Counseling Association

5999 Stevenson Avenue | Alexandria, VA  22304

703.823.9800 x242 | 703.405.9673 (cell)

800.347.6647 x242 | 703.823.0252 (fax)

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it | www.counseling.org

The counseling profession took a significant step forward with the introduction of Senate legislation (S. 3371) that will make it easier for TRICARE beneficiaries to see a professional mental health counselor.  TRICARE is the health care system for service members and their dependents, and licensed professional counselors are the only mental health professionals still required by law to see beneficiaries following physician referral and under physician supervision.

Senators Joseph Lieberman (I-CT), Claire McCaskill (D-MO) and Susan Collins (R-ME) jointly introduced the “TRICARE Mental Health Care Access Act,” S. 3371 to allow licensed professional counselors to independently treat and diagnose TRICARE beneficiaries.  The American Mental Health Counselors Association, the American Counseling Association and the National Board for Certified Counselors applaud the senators for sponsoring this legislation, as it is a much-needed step forward in giving TRICARE beneficiaries better access to highly skilled outpatient mental health professionals.  Our three organizations are working closely together to gain the enactment of legislative language providing counselors independent practice rights as part of this year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

Introduction of S. 3371 comes on the heels of a recently released Institute of Medicine (IOM) report that recommends independent practice of mental health counselors in TRICARE.  The Institute of Medicine’s report, titled “Provision of Mental Health Counseling Services under TRICARE,” was conducted pursuant to a request by Congress contained in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008.  The IOM panel recommended granting independent practice authority for counselors who have:

1. A master’s (or higher) degree in mental health counseling from a program accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs (CACREP);
2. Obtained state licensure in mental health counseling at the “clinical” or highest level available;
3. Passed the National Clinical Mental Health Counselor Examination (NCMHCE); and
4. Have a well-defined scope of practice sufficient to permit a counselor to see TRICARE beneficiaries absent primary care physician supervision and referral.

Representatives Tom Rooney (R-FL) and Mike McMahon (D-NY) introduced a similar bill, H.R. 3839, last October.  The Rooney-McMahon legislation would let any counselor participating in the TRICARE program practice independently, just like clinical social workers and marriage and family therapists have done for years.  The legislation is currently being cosponsored by Reps. Bordallo (GU), Courtney (CT), Israel (NY), Jones (NC), Kilpatrick (MI), McMorris Rodgers (WA), Rodriguez (TX) and Shuster (PA).

AMHCA, ACA, and NBCC are working with members of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees to gain adoption of legislative language based on H.R. 3839 and S. 3371 as part of the defense authorization legislation being considered over the coming weeks.  We urge counselors to contact their representatives to ask them to cosponsor H.R. 3839, and to contact senators to ask for cosponsorship of S. 3371.  The more cosponsors we have on the legislation, the greater our chances of establishing independent practice authority for as many counselors as possible within the TRICARE system.

For more information, contact Scott Barstow with ACA’s public policy office, at 800-347-6647 x234, email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .