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

2. David Kaplan ACA Chief Professional Officer dkaplan@counseling.org

6. Initial Licensure
Licensure Portability
Sun setting licensure laws

7. Fighting LGBTQ discrimination
APA master’s level accreditation
Reorganization of national counseling associations

8. Globalization of Counseling
Medicare
Practice issues
New Competencies
Integrated care
Common factors

9. Accomplishments Licensed in every state.
Recognized at the United Nations.
Privileged communication.

10. Accomplishments VA jobs TRICARE independent practice
Army substance abuse program

11. Accomplishments
Federal loan forgiveness programs
Red Cross partner

12. Licensure

13. Initial Licensure

14. CORE/CACREP merger
Development of the Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling specialty.
Traditional rehabilitation counseling specialty remains

15. A movement toward CACREP
Beginning in a degree from a CACREP accredited school is required to obtain a license in Ohio.
Kentucky, New Hampshire, and North Carolina have also introduced CACREP requirements.

16. Delaware now requires the NCC for both initial and reciprocal licensure – a de facto CACREP requirement.
The Virginia Board recently voted to approve a CACREP degree for licensure.

17. On the other hand…..
New Jersey removed the licensure requirement that a degree contains the word “counselor” or “counseling”.

18. ACA now endorses graduation from a CACREP accredited program as the pathway to licensure.

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

20. Licensure Portability

21. Two competing approaches
The ACA model
NCLEP

22. The ACA Portability Model
A counselor who is licensed at the independent practice level in their home state and who has no disciplinary record shall be eligible for licensure at the independent practice level in any state or U.S. jurisdiction in which they are seeking residence. —Approved by the ACA Governing Council, June 2016

23. NCLEP 2.0 Independent practice license for 3 years.
Has completed one of the following:
Meets all requirements of the new jurisdiction.
Is a National Certified Counselor (NCC)
Graduated from a CACREP accredited program

24. Interstate Compact to the rescue?
Move to another state and easily maintain an LPC license.
Provide telehealth in multiple states without the need for multiple licenses.
Work across the nearest state line while holding only a single license. 

25. Sun setting licensure laws

26. Fighting LGBT discrimination

27. LGBT Societal Advances
Sex
Adoption
Same-sex marriage
A start to transgender acceptance

28. Condemnation of conversion therapy
And in our world….
Condemnation of conversion therapy

29. 200+ Backlashes 2011 Arizona law Anti-transgender legislation
Pro conversion therapy legislation
Religious refusal legislation

30. Tennessee
Legislation offered that allowed LPCs to deny services to clients based on “sincerely held principles” of the LPC, in violation of the ACA Code of Ethics.
Stripped the power of the State board to sanction LPCs.
Passed as part of an effort to attack the ACA and counseling profession.

31. No counselor…providing counseling or therapy services shall be required to counsel or serve a client as to goals, outcomes, or behaviors that conflict with the sincerely held principles of the counselor

32. Who gets to practice?

33. APA Master’s level accreditation

34. Reorganization of national counseling associations

35. Globalization of Counseling

36. Medicare

37. New Competencies

38. Competencies for Counseling the Multiracial Population
Available on the ACA website at
Competencies for Counseling the Multiracial Population
Disability-Related Counseling Competencies
Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies
Animal Assisted Therapy Competencies

39. Integrated Care

40. Common Factors

41. How ACA can help you keep up with current national issues
ACA Connect
Read Counseling Today
Read CT online

42. How ACA can help you keep up with current national issues
Read ACA Newsletters: Counseling Insider and Member Minute
Subscribe to the ACA blogs
Subscribe to the ACA government affairs newsletter: affairs/public-policy

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

44. Let’s schmooze!

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