July 2015
In the know
CONFERENCE REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN
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The LPCANC staff will be
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Classified Ads:
Full time office space
available for lease with
LPCANC - 20 Years Strong Empowering Counselors and the
Profession
Register now for the EARLY BIRD rate. This year's
conference is very special with excellent local, national
and international presenters. More Conference
Information
Be sure to take advantage of our group rates. From any
one organization, 3-5 registrations is a 10% discount, 6-9
is 15% and 10+ is 20%. If you have 3 or more from your
organization, contact Glenna to take advantage of the
discount. [Does not apply to student or retired or one-day
registrations.]
To register: REGISTER
Exhibitor and Sponsorship Opportunities to reach
over 7,000 Licensed Professional Counselors. The online
Exhibitor-Sponsor form is now available; click here to make
your reservation. If you prefer, you can download the form
and mail it with your check.
Find out what all the talk is about.
Human Givens is coming to North Carolina. This new [to
the U.S.] therapy is based on 20 years experience in Europe,
well-established group at
the Arboretum in south
Charlotte.sound proofed
walls, excellent security,
new construction, ample
parking, handicap
accessible. Contact Ruthy
Hall704-540-1880 or
ruthhall@sccanc.com and
visit our website
www.sccanc.com.
Part-time office space
available for subleasing
with well-established
group at the Arboretum in
south Charlotte.Sound
proofed walls, excellent
security, new construction,
ample parking, handicap
accessible. Contact Ruthy
Hall 704-540-1880 or
ruthhall@sccanc.com
and visit
websitewww.sccanc.com.
Office space available in
a small, well established
practice in Charlotte,
NC More
Office space for rent in
an established practice in
Midtown Raleigh.
We have 3 different
offices available for half
day up to an entire week.
Please contact: Beverly
Pacos at
current scientific studies, analysis of over 150 current
therapies, and allows therapists to more directly help clients
process through their subconscious using metaphor,
hypnosis and the Rewind technique. The results, which are
well researched, are very impressive, e.g., mild to moderate
depression is lifted three times faster than conventional
psychotherapy and antidepressants. We will be featuring
Human Givens at our Annual Conference in October and we
have just put up a webpage devoted to Human Givens, with
a plethora of information. To see the new webpage with
videos and links to numerous documents,
click Human Givens.
To see a therapist interviewed about Human Givens Therapy
and depression, click here.
LPCANC's "Mirror In Mirror" Supervision Training is
arguably the best supervision training in North Carolina.
Because of its hands-on design, LPCs get a more realistic
experience of practicing and receiving feedback, which
better prepares them to be effective clinical supervisors.
And, quality supervision is the key to our profession's
future. After our fall conference, we will be offering a Train
the Trainer training so we will have enough trainers to offer
the "Mirror In Mirror" Supervision Training all across the
state. Because our training is so different, in order to take
the Training the Trainer training, you must have already
experienced the full 45 hour training. Possibly the last
opportunity to take the 45 hour training before the Training
the Trainer training will be the training in Raleigh beginning
August 6. Being a trainer is an excellent way to supplement
your income. To register for this 45 hour Supervision
Training REGISTER
Two LPCANC Regions (Region 6 and Region 7) are
seeking new Regional Representatives. These positions
are key to the development and success of our profession
and our professional association. Region 6 encompasses
Shelby, Charlotte, Salisbury and Wadesboro and Region 7
Boone, Dobson, Mocksville, Hickory and Morganton.
Among the duties of this volunteer position are developing
educational events for the region two - four times per year,
new member outreach and contacting newly renewed and
newly lapsed members, and representing the region to the
Board. The Regional Rep's goal should be to encourage
more activity within the region, thereby increasing member
engagement in LPCANC.
919 872-1405 x3 or
beverlypacos@
nhcounseling.net
These positions can be shared, and they can be filled by a
student, retired, new professional or professional member of
LPCANC.This position reports directly to the Membership
Chair, Amy Jones.
Study Announcements:
UNC Research study of
Brain Functioning and
Cognitive Rehabilitation in
OEF/OIF/OND Veterans
Announcement
Time commitments for this position are a monthly
conference call with other Regional leaders and an hour or
two of phone calls per month. The Regional Rep should try
to build a team of people who can help with phone calls and
member outreach.
The benefits to you?


Intangible: Volunteering for your professional organization.
Resume builder. More involvement with your professional
organization. Stepping stone to other leadership positions
through Committee and/or Board positions.
Tangible: Free registration for events planned in your region
(and free CEs). Half-price registration for the LPCANC
Annual Conference.
We invite you to apply by email to staff@lpcanc.org,
expressing your interest or asking any questions you might
have about the position.
LPC Surveys on Continuing Education Subject Areas
We have had 1100 responses to the AHEC survey of
continuing education content areas. Thank you. These are
very important surveys as they will guide AHEC and
LPCANC on workshop topics to offer for years to
come. We will share the results with each AHEC region.
We will start processing the surveys in a couple of weeks,
so if you haven't complete a survey, please do so
soon. The surveys take a little while to complete, but the
information we gain is huge.
Here are the links to the four surveys:
Adult
Child
IDD
SUD
LPCs compared to other mental health
professions:
In order for LPCs to advocate for more opportunities, we
need factual information about our qualifications compared
to other master's level mental health professions. We did
the research and the findings are below in the ADVOCACY
section.
The Licensing Board
ACTION NEEDED: ACA has proposed a bill in Congress that would include
"grandfathering" current TRICARE providers, however there are some very
troubling parts of the bill which will likely delay our getting Medicare
approval. MORE
For background information see the AMHCA section below.
2015 LPCANC Awards Nominations are now open.
The Licensed Professional Counselors Association aims to recognize the hard work and
effort of our fellow colleagues, as well as those that support us. This year, we want to highlight
those who have contributed to the field of counseling in their special way:

LPCANC Counselor of the Year: A North Carolina LPC or LPCS who has made an
outstanding contribution to the profession

LPCANC "Innovators in Action" Award: Authors, artist, musicians, etc., who have
used a particular skill or contribution to improve counseling techniques

LPCANC "Focus on Community" Award: a North Carolina non-profit agency or
business that promotes mental health well-being within their community and/or
beyond.
In a short essay (250 word maximum) please let us know why you would choose the nominee
for their contribution to the mental health field and the profession of counseling in NC.
Awards will be presented to the winner of each category at our President's Reception.The
winners will receive free conference attendance in 2016,recognition in the LPCANC
newsletter and one (1) free ticket to attend the reception.
Deadline to submit has been extended to August 15, 2015 at midnight.
New Website: We are adding to our website every day. Check out the Career Center and our
new Human Givens page which focuses on a new [to the US] power therapy. Much more to
come. Also, check out the "I'm looking for ". . . dropdown menu to the far right.
If you would like us to establish a special interest group on the website, let us know.
Continuing Education Spotlight
July 17: The Hypnosis Certification Course begins. We hope to offer another Certification
Course in the fall. This will be very valuable for those interested in the Human Givens therapy.
July 18: Region 6; Summer Meet & Greet: Legal Issues in Charlotte. 1.5 CE
July 25: Region 2 Meeting; Trauma Informed Care for Clients in Jacksonville 3.0 CE
July 31: Region 8; Healing through Creativity: Arts Therapy Training Workshop in
Ashville. 3.0 CE
August 6: 45-hour Supervision Workshop in Raleigh.
August 7: First Friday Webinar; Emergency Personnel.
Full calender of professional development events CALENDAR
First Friday Webinars:
If you are interested in presenting a First Friday Online Webinar in 2016, please submit your
proposal by visiting the First Friday Webinar page, found on the www.lpcanc.org website,
under Education/Events. Just scroll down to the bottom, and enter your information.
Presenting a First Friday Webinar is a great way to try out presenting, to see if it is right for
you! Please be sure to review the NBCC Presenter and Content Topic Guidelines.
Please Note: When you submit your proposal, please remember that the title, bio and abstract
fields have size limits; if you copy and paste your information into the form, please check to be
sure it wasn’t cut off. If it is too long, you will need to shorten the information.
LPCANC is an NBCC-Approved Continuing Education Provider (ACEP) and may offer
NBCC-approved clock hours for events that meet NBCC requirements. The ACEP solely
is responsible for all aspects of the program.
LPCANC News
LPCANC had excellent representation at this year's AMHCA [American Mental Health
Counselors Association] Leadership Institute and Conference in Philadelphia. Keith
Mobley [President of AMHCA], Susanne Walker [President-Elect of AMHCA], Gigi
Hamilton [President-Elect of LPCANC] and John Shuford [Executive Director of
LPCANC] all made significant contributions to the Leadership Institute [photo below],
which was attended by the leadership of associations from all around the country.
Conference
2015 Annual Conference in Raleigh October 8-10 at the Hilton North Raleigh/Midtown.
Dr. Mike Dubi, President of the International Association of Trauma Professionals will present
his 13 hour Certified Clinical Trauma Professional Training and Matthew Hoh, former Marine
Commander in Iraq and Afghanistan, State Department official and special assistant to the
Secretary of the Navy, will speak at the President's Reception on his experiences with PTSD
and Moral Injury. It is very important for us to understand the differences between the two,
because their treatments are different, and many vets suffer from Moral Injury and not PTSD.
The VA in Durham is working with Moral Injury through the Acceptance and Commitment
Treatment protocol.
We are also bringing Sue Saunders from Ireland to give a Pre-Conference session on Human
Givens, a well established [in Europe, but new to the US] approach to therapy. This power
therapy is so important, we will devote a whole page on our website to it. Human Givens is
scientifically based and is effective with depression, anxiety, PTSD, phobias, addiction, anger,
Autism Spectrum Disorder, eating disorders, etc. Therapists report they normally need from
one to four sessions with each client.
Attention Students:
We are pleased to announce that we are now accepting applications for the Nancy Howell
Scholarship Award. This scholarship is designed to recognize two graduate students who
demonstrate leadership as counseling students and potential as practicing LPCs. Supported in
part by student registration fees and from the LPCANC Annual Conference, this scholarship
provides student members a monetary honorarium ($500) and a two-day conference
registration fee waiver for the upcoming LPCANC Annual Conference to be held in Raleigh
October 8th -10th, 2015. In addition to the honoraria, recipients are given the opportunity to
work with the LPCANC Board of Directors on advocacy projects in the state of North
Carolina. Application & Information
LPCANC invites students to submit a proposal for the student poster session at our 2015
Annual Conference in Raleigh, NC – October 8th-10th, 2015. Students and their perspective
are an important part of keeping the profession responsive to the changing needs of the people
we serve. Student input through poster sessions is appreciated. Please email me with any
questions. Proposal Form
Exhibitor and Sponsorship Opportunities to reach over 7,000 Licensed Professional
Counselors. The online Exhibitor-Sponsor form is now available; click here to make your
reservation. If you prefer, you can download the form and mail it with your check.
There are many opportunities to show your support of LPCANC and the 7,000 licensed
professional counselors around the state, from placing an ad in the 2015 Conference Program
to sponsoring an event. A sponsorship will give you the most value, with information about
your company in the newsletters leading up to conference, a posting with a link to your
website on the LPCANC conference page, signage and mention at all general sessions at the
conference, an exhibit table to show off your products and/or services, and much more! Click
this link to view all the opportunities available to you.
Another opportunity to support the LPCANC Scholarship Fund is to donate something for our
Silent Auction; the item can be anything from books to services, such as gift baskets, books
you’ve authored or have enjoyed, pottery you have made or purchased, time shares, a service
you provide—anything that you think others may find useful, interesting or of value. What
would really be appreciated is a week at a time-share or vacation home that would be a
tax deduction for you. Please contact staff@lpcanc.org to make arrangements for delivery of
the item.
If you provide a service (distance supervision, self-care services, online classes, etc.) you
might want to consider being an exhibitor at the conference. The LPCANC does not allow you
to advertise your services through the website or directly to members, except at conference,
where you can have a booth or place an ad. Please contact staff@lpcanc.org if you have any
questions.
DHHS
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) will soon be able to
help more than 4,000 people with substance use disorders access recovery support
services.DHHS' Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse
Services (MH/DD/SAS) is a recipient of a $7.8-million Access to Recovery grant from the
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). More
Director Courtney Cantrell, PhD, of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human
Services' (DHHS) Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance
Abuse Services, announced that four Local Management Entities/Managed Care Organizations
(LME/MCO) were selected to pilot Critical Time Intervention, a program that assists adults
with mental illness who are going through a transition phase in their recovery process. Critical
Time Intervention is a focused, time-limited approach to connect people with community
support as they transition into housing from homelessness, or from institutional settings, such
as prisons and hospitals, into ongoing community-based services. Critical Time Intervention
teams include licensed clinicians and certified peer-support specialists. More
Community Events and Resources
Digital Ethics in Practice Management in Raleigh September 12. Five Contact Hours Flier
The Bridge: Between Life and Suicide. A powerful story of two men named Kevin - how
one talked the other out of committing suicide on the Golden Gate Bridge. Hear both men talk
about their story and what has transpired since that day in 2005. Tuesday September 15th
Aycock Auditorium UNCG. Flier
Register for Red Cross Disaster Mental Health Fundamentals Webinar
The next Disaster Mental Health Fundamentals webinars will be held on August 21 from 1-4
p.m. and November 10 from 6-9pm. This course is required for all Disaster Mental Health
volunteers and only open to mental health professionals who meet the DMH eligibility criteria
detailed in the attached DMHF Course Fact Sheet. Register online for the webinar by visiting
the Red Cross WebEx website (americanredcross.webex.com) and entering the topic “Disaster
Mental Health” in the search box. Participants must register by July 8. Contact
dmh@redcross.org with any questions.
The North Carolina Council of Community Programs' 2015/16 MH/I-DD/SA Directory is
now available. Directory
HealthLink of America, a provider of behavioral health care consulting and training services
has launched a statewide mental health crisis awareness and informational campaign
reaching out to individuals, families, community human service organizations and
providers. The summer campaign, networking with law enforcement, healthcare providers,
schools and community outreach programs will begin in Northeastern, North Carolina, travel
to the Raleigh/Durham area and end in Charlotte. More
New publication from SAMHSA’s Disaster Technical Assistance Center. It is an inventory
of disaster behavioral health interventions – great snapshot descriptions and links.
http://www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/dtac/supplemental-research-bulletin-may-2015disaster-behavioral-health-interventions.pdf
Also recommended are these downloadable two apps:
SAMHSA disaster
app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=gov.hhs.samhsa.app.disaster&hl=en
Ready NC site and app: http://www.readync.org/EN/Index.html
Also from DHHS are these articles about one of our Crisis Solutions Initiative projects. The
Critical Time Intervention pilots are underway!
http://news.ncdhhs.gov/post/121681699931/dhhs-piloting-case-management-for-individuals-in
http://www.gastongazette.com/article/20150616/NEWS/150619630
www.crisissolutionsnc.org
Give an Hour, founded in 2005, has created a network of volunteer mental health
professionals pledging an hour a week of their services, free of charge, to members of the
military-including active duty, reserve, and guard-veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq, their
families, and their communities.
Immediate Help Needed
There is a shortage of mental health professionals available to provide critical services in
North Carolina. We are asking all mental health professionals to join in this effort. If you are
currently licensed, please visit our national website www.giveanhour.org to sign up for our
national network and to learn more about our organization and initiatives. There is an active
program in Fayetteville.
If you are a new graduate and unable to find employment or are retired looking for something
meaningful to do, consider utilizing your skills by becoming an AmeriCorps member for one
year. Job Description and Flier.
2015 Association for Spiritual, Ethical, and Religious Values in Counseling [a division of
the American Counseling Association] Conference in New York City July 16-18 Website
The Stepping-Up Initiative: The National Association of Counties (NACo), the Council of
State Governments (CSG) Justice Center, and the American Psychiatric Foundation (APF)
have come together to lead a national initiative to help advance counties’ efforts to reduce the
number of adults with mental and co-occurring substance use disorders in jails. Flier Video
The 2015-2016 Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for PostTtraumatic Stress Disorder
(PTSD) Learning Collaborative is a FREE training opportunity offered by Duke University
that will provide an intensive team-based training to mental health treatment providers in the
delivery of CPT, as well as NEW CPT Family Component training focused on serving the
military, veterans and their families. Flier
Advocacy
IMPORTANT NOTICE: There is a bill in the Senate that could put our chances to get
Medicare recognition back years, possibly not until 2027, if then. It was proposed by ACA
without consultation with any other professional association. It would allow non-clinically
trained [at LPC level] counselors to become TRICARE counselors. This would all but
eliminate any chance of our getting Medicare recognition. We have not gotten Medicare
recognition because there several states who license LPCs with much lower standards than
NC, and this would only worsen that. This has serious implications for us in North
Carolina.
The House passed HR1735, which contains Section 712, which reverses the gains we made in
the TRICARE ruling in 2014 and moves them to 2027. The Senate version does not contain
the wording of Section 712. The bill will go into conference soon, if not already. We need to
contact Senators Burr and Tillis and our Representatives to let them know this will
seriously damage the quality of mental health services for our military. Here is an example of
a email written to both Burr and Tillis by an LPC. LETTER
Richard Burr, 202-224-3154 Website
Tom Tillis, 202-224-6342 Website
For more information, here is the link to AMHCA's comments. AMHCA
HOW DO LPCs COMPARE TO OTHER MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONS?
It has been reported to us that “the NASW is saying LPCs do not have equivalent training and
experience as social workers… also that there is a group of LPCs who have significantly less
training and it was requested that only LPCs with ‘enhanced training’ be allowed to do first
evaluations” for Involuntary Commitments. When we learned of this, we did some research
on our profession. We want to share this information with you to further inform you about our
profession and where it stands in relation to other professions:
We recently sent out a survey to all LPCs in NC. We received responses from 1234 LPCs that
showed that 144 psychiatrists, 96 social workers and 58 psychologists had requested LPCs to
do first evaluations for IVC [involuntary commitment]. The respondents state that in 2014
they did over 3,000 first evaluations. This shows that we are clearly viewed by other
professionals in the field as being competent to do first evaluations.
As far as needing “enhanced training’; all LPCs have been specifically trained to do first
evaluations. The 12 major masters counseling programs in NC have been teaching assessment
of harm to self or others since the mid-1980s or 1990s or from when they began their
program. This has been part of their core curricula, which all LPCs have to take.
A university professor wrote:
“There have been people who have tried to suggest that certain types of licensed mental
health providers should be included or excluded for a variety of reasons. The current
(2009) standards of CACREP, which most states require, reference, or use as a
template, require a high level of clinical training in assessment, conceptualization,
diagnosis, treatment planning, and treatment of serious mental illness and serious
emotional disorders. Sometimes opponents try to say, but that only includes graduates
in the past 6 years. However, the standards with regard to clinical training have only
been clarified and tightened since 2001, not reinvented.
For example, the 2001 standards required:
principles and models of biopsychosocial assessment, case conceptualization, theories
of human development and concepts of normalcy and psychopathology leading to
diagnoses and appropriate counseling plans; knowledge of the principles of diagnosis
and the use of current diagnostic tools,
and application of appropriate individual, couple, family, group, and systems
modalities for initiating, maintaining, and terminating counseling, including the use of
crisis intervention, and brief, intermediate, and long-term approaches.
Those were all packed into 48 hours (for Community Counseling track) and now it is in
60 credits with greater clarity about what needs to be covered. So it isn’t that things
were left out in 48 credit hour programs, rather now we have more time to cover it in
greater depth.
In other words, the 2001 (and even 1994) standards both required a sufficient
foundation of preparation in 48 credits. When the profession moved to 60 hours of
training, that preparation got better.”
The Council of Social Work Education Standards, which is what is required of a qualifying
MSW program for licensure, does not even mention clinical mental health, but elsewhere
states that it is an “advanced practice” subject taught in the second year of the two year MSW
program. I have attached the “2001 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards” of
CSWE and also a document of appropriate excerpts entitled “Council of Social Work
Education Standards.”
When I looked at a number of MSW programs in NC, I found that everyone had only a few
clinical core courses. These programs were NC State [9 hours], A&T [12 hours], UNCG [12
hours], FSU [9 hours], ECU [18 hours], ASU [15 hours], NCCU [6 hours], UNCC [18 hours],
UNCW [21 hours], and WCU [15 hours]. The average of these programs is 15 hours of
clinical content. UNCG’s counseling program has 30 hours of clinical content core courses.
Attached are the curricula for those programs. You will note that UNC Chapel Hill is not
included. That program must be associated with the Psychology Department because there
were many clinical courses and I could not find their curriculum online, however their course
overview does not indicate any clinical courses in the first year. Finally, I have taken from
two MSW programs’ websites [UNCC and State] their statements about their programs and
there is no mention of clinical mental health.
What this means is that social workers are prepared for much more than clinical
counseling. The MSW is a very versatile degree and can be used in many areas and is quite
valuable for that reason. In fact, it has been the standard bearer for the human services field
for decades. Because of its generalist approach, therefore, it cannot and does not specialize in
clinical mental health. This is especially significant with all the brain research and more
effective techniques that have been developed in the past 20 years. This is why the LPC came
into being, to have a profession that specialized in clinical mental health at the master’s
level. LPCs are better prepared as mental health clinicians, whereas social workers are better
prepared for case management, social services, advocacy and administration.
One further note, the psychiatrists [all the psychiatrists] at Mission Memorial Hospital [largest
hospital system in Western NC] have written a letter to the NC Psychiatric Association
strongly supporting our being included as first evaluators and each psychiatrist signed the
letter. It was a three page letter.
Printable version entitled "How Well Prepared Are LPC?
Membership Benefits
Member Benefits (for a full listing of benefits, please click here!)



Career Center is now active,and jobs may be viewed and posted.
Speaker Directory: A new feature offered on our new website!Members, if you want
to begin a new phase of your career as a speaker, you can list your topics and find
speaking engagements!If you are looking for a presenter for your next meeting, check
out the Speaker Directory.
Insurance: As a member of LPCANC, you belong to a state chapter of AMHCA. As
such, you are eligible for significantly reduced rates on professional liability
insurance through CPH.
Membership News
As of June 30, we were 948 strong. We are gaining new members every day, and that is
great!!! Renewals will get us over the 1000 mark. If your membership is up for renewal,
PLEASE renew.
LPCANC and the Board of Directors welcome 39 New Members during the month of June!
Please help us welcome them by inviting them to come along to the next event with you. To see
who has joined in your region, please click here.
Thank you to all who joined and continue to renew your membership; your support in your
professional organization is necessary to continue the growth pattern of this past year. Please
contact the LPCANC office if you have any questions; email info@lpcanc.org or phone
919.723.7087.
Has your membership lapsed? Please come back; every member is important and necessary in
making the LPCANC voice be heard!
___________________________________________________
Membership Renewals
Does your membership renewal come due at a financially demanding time of the year?
LPCANC is happy to announce you can pay your membership renewal fee ANY TIME within
90 days of your due date, at your convenience,and we will add one full year to your current
end date. Example: If your membership renewal fee comes due on April 30, 2015 but you opt
to pay your dues in February 2015, your new renewal date will be April 30, 2016.
Renew your membership now Not a member yet? Don't delay, join today
AMHCA News
June 2015 Advocate
Modification of TRICARE Independent Practice Standards Advanced
Background Information on TRICARE bill:
ALEXANDRIA, Va. - On May 15, 2015 the full House approved House Armed Services
Committee legislation that included a provision sought by the American Counseling
Association (ACA) to modify the TRICARE August 18, 2014 rule for Certified Mental Health
Counselors. Under HR. 1735, “The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016”
(NDAA), the extension of full independent practitioners status for CMHCs under TRICARE
would be temporarily broadened to include more practitioners from many different training
programs. This new language is now part of the House version of the NDAA and will
ultimately be considered by the Senate. The Senate version, S. 1118, currently does not include
the House language, but they are expected to soon consider their own NDAA bill. The
comprehensive annual funding bill sets the spending policy and rules for the nation’s armed
forces.
ACA sought the change without input from other stakeholders such as AMHCA, NBCC,
CACREP, or the MFTs. Consequently, at this time these other stakeholders are unresolved
about taking further action on the provision as it merely postpones the full implementation of
the TRICARE 2014 rules until 2027, when the 2014 standards would be restored. As policy, it
provides much more time for recent and future CMHC graduates from non-CACREP
programs to participate independently under TRICARE. However, even with the delay,
CMHC training programs will still need to transition quickly to CACREP to ensure graduates
can participate in programs operated by the Department of Veterans Affairs and receive
professional training funds administered by the Department of Health and Human Services.
Nevertheless, HR. 1735 would provide much more time for nonconforming programs to
continue operations while the profession continues its adoption of uniform CACREP training
standards as called for by the Institute of Medicine in 2011.
Basic Requirements of the August 18th Rule
1. Hold a master’s degree or doctoral degree in counseling from a mental health
counseling program or clinical mental health counseling program accredited by
CACREP.
2. State licensed in mental health counseling at the highest clinical level.
3. Has passed the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination.
4. Alternatively, for those that either did not or could not apply during the grandfather
period, may participate under the old TRICARE rules as a supervised practitioner.
Proposed Grandfather under HR. 1735
1. Adds independent status to those licensed for at least five years, and
2. Expands recognized training programs to include:
(A) The Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges Western
Association of Schools and Colleges (ACCJC-WASC)
(B) The Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
(C) The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
(D) The New England Association of Schools and Colleges Commission on
Institutions of Higher Education (NEASC-CIHE)
(E) The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) Commission on
Colleges
(F) The WASC Senior College and University Commission (WASC-SCUC)
(G) The Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES)
(H) The Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC)
(I) The Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS)
(J) The Distance Education Accreditation Commission (DEAC)
3. Beginning in 2027, restores requirements of the August 2014 rule.
Member Comments Requested
AMHCA is interested in learning the views of its members on this new House provision. The
change would enable more practitioners seeking independent practice status under TRICARE
to avoid taking the NCMHCE exam and enable non-CACREP accredited programs to continue
operations years into the future. Conversely, maintaining a wide diversity of training standards
would also likely exacerbate ongoing portability and recognition barriers for the profession. In
addition, postponing adoption of unified national training standards will keep the profession
well behind other independent health professionals working in the VA and DOD and will limit
the practice opportunities for yet another wave of non-CACREP grads throughout their
careers. AMHCA invites member to submit their comments here on the proposed legislation.
Comments will be read by AMHCA Board and Public Policy and Legislation Committee
members.
Background Resources
AMHCA Comments on TRICARE Final Rule, August 2014
TRICARE Final Rule August 18, 2014
The American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA) works to enhance the
profession of mental health counseling through advocacy, education, licensure, and
professional development.
AMHCA, 801 N. Fairfax Street, Alexandria, VA, 22314, 703-548-6002, www.amhca.org
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