Online Registration for the Supervision of Counselors workshops sponsored by the MO Mental Health Counselors Association is now open at this link:

MMHCA Continuing Education  (Click on the Online Registration link)

These workshops will meet the Committee for Professional Counselors requirements for the training needed to supervise potential LPCs in Missouri.  You will also receive 6.5 CE units through NBCC for your participation.  The workshops will be presented by Dr. Verl Pope of Southeast MO State University and the Committee for Professional Counselors and will be held on the following dates and locations.

Mon. May 14 Lindenwood University, St. Charles
Tues. May 15 Avila University, Kansas City
Wed. May 16 Touchstone Counseling Ozark/Springfield MO

MMHCA members enjoy a $20 discount for these workshops so I’d like you to consider joining MMHCA at our JOIN MMHCA HERE link for this and other benefits we provide as the association that focuses exclusively on services for mental health counselors.  For further information and a brochure go to the continuing education page of the MMHCA web site.  You may also inquire at the email below.

Thanks,

Dan Holdinghaus, MA, LPC
MMHCA Executive Director
mmhca@mmhca.net
www.mmhca.net
800-341-3363 voice and fax
573-205-9529 cell

Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (the VA) announced that it was adding Mental Health Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists to its workforce as part of the hiring of an additional 1,900 mental health staff nationwide that VA announced last week.  Included in the announcement was this quote from VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki, “The addition of these two mental health professions is an important part of VA’s mission to expand access to mental health services”.  The American Counseling Association agrees with that statement, but it looks upon this announcement with a great deal of caution; to date, the VA has hired only a handful of LPCs.  The VA’s failure to adequately provide mental health care to veterans–highlighted by a new report from the VA Inspector General’s office–was the focus of a hearing held yesterday by the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs, and at the hearing, Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) told the VA that among other steps, he wanted to see the VA begin hiring more licensed professional counselors.

Over six years ago, Congress passed the “Veterans Benefits, Healthcare, and Information Technology Act of 2006” (P.L. 109-461) which recognized Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselors (LPMHCs) to work and provide treatment to veterans in the VA as full-fledged mental health clinicians.  Over a year and a half ago, the VA adopted an occupational standard for the hiring of LPMHCs.

From the perspective of counselors, very little has happened since the law was enacted and the standards were adopted.  ACA has not seen any evidence that the VA is hiring significant numbers of LPMHCs at VA facilities.  A review of the job postings on USAjobs.gov for this calendar year shows that, on average, fewer than 1 (one) LPMHC position is advertised in a given week, while dozens of clinical social workers positions are advertised. LPCs meet education, training, examination, experience, and ethical requirements on par with those of clinical social workers.  Veterans clearly need better access to mental health treatment–as shown by the recent report by the VA Office of the Inspector General on waiting times for initial mental health evaluations–and there are thousands upon thousands of fully-licensed counselors ready and willing to help provide urgently needed care. Many of these counselors are veterans themselves, and yet they cannot find work with the VA providing services to their fellow veterans.

The VA’s recent statement regarding the hiring of counselors gives us hope.  However, other statements by the VA made just last week–indicating that they do not see a “national need” to establish traineeship positions for LPMCs, and implying that they do not consider LPMHCs to be mental health clinicians–give cause for skepticism.  Ultimately, actions speak louder than words.  ACA will continue working with Congress, other concerned organizations, and veterans service organizations to ensure that the VA finally begins recognizing the counseling profession.

ACA is continuing to collect anecdotal evidence of counselors’ experience in attempting to find mental health clinician positions at VA facilities.  Please share any experiences you have on this issue with Art Terrazas of ACA’s public policy staff, at aterrazas@counseling.org.

You can read the VA’s press release by clicking here.

Northland Professional Counseling

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Reneé Miller

Independent Facilitator of the Becoming a Love and Logic Parent ® curriculum

Becoming a Love and Logic Parent

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As the son of a rural community family doctor, I have always been impressed with the strong central identity that exists among physicians regardless of their areas of practice.  Based upon ongoing conversations with my late dad’s colleagues, it even seems that the line drawn divisions between Osteopathic and Allopathic physicians have become increasingly blurred and a true spirit of cooperation exists in the majority of instances.  From additional reading and conversing, I get the impression that a similar sense of unity holds true for most psychologists and social workers.

The Current State of Counseling

Sadly, though, such centrality of identity appears to be lacking within fairly large pockets of our chosen field.  In emails, blogs, and articles, I frequently see references to “the mental health counseling profession” or “the profession of career counseling.”  Like many of you, I was taught in graduate school that mental health counseling, career counseling, rehabilitation counseling, pastoral counseling, school counseling, college counseling, etc. were specialty areas, not professions in and of themselves.

Continued misuse of the word “profession” could have damaging consequences in both further fragmenting our collective identity and stalling efforts advocacy-wise.  Problematic, too, is that it creates added confusion among the public which, as is well documented, already has a hard time making sense of why there are separate  fields for counselors, psychologists, social workers, and family therapists.

Possible Solutions 

All the above then begs the question, what can be done?  In its 2020 initiative, the American Counseling Association laid the foundation for greater identity cohesion by developing a uniform and comprehensive definition for professional counseling.  Subsequently, it is beginning to tackle the role of specialty divisions within ACA and how they are represented.  The recent formal development of the Doctor of Professional Counseling (DPC) degree has tremendous potential as well in terms of further cementing identity.

Hopefully, in the days, weeks, and months ahead, ACA, in cooperation with its 19 divisions, will iron out workable solutions that preserve/synthesize what is best about the divisions while eliminating any branding, structural, and philosophical barriers that damage our profession as a whole.  That being said, it should not solely be the responsibility of our national association to begin working through these issues.  Regional and state branches have much to offer as well and need to devote much of their brain trusts to such ends.

Conclusions

The current and future noble efforts described above will be in vain if the psyche and focus of many LPC’s remains largely entrenched in their specialty areas.  The American Counseling Association of Missouri (ACAM) will be doing its part by having the reconstituted Committee of Past Presidents address this topic as one of its first items this summer with recommendations to be presented in the fall.  At the signing of Declaration of Independence, founding father Benjamin Franklin famously stated that “We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.”  The long-term consequences for our profession may be almost as grave if we remain divided and territorial.

Kent Noel, Ph.D., LPC

Director of Assessment – Carr & Associates

President – American Counseling Association of Missouri

Making ethical decisions is a daily process in every counseling practice. Understanding the process in how these decisions are made may help in addressing the more difficult Ethical Dilemma’s that come up from time to time. This presentation will discuss the process of ethical decision making and apply it to case scenarios, small groups activities, and participant ethical collaboration!

For more information, a brochure and to register go to our web site through this link: Continuing Education

This workshop will be held at Lindenwood University in St. Charles and at Touchstone Counseling in Springfield. We will award 6.5 CEs through NBCC for the day long workshop at a low rate of $89 for MMHCA members and $109 for non-members.

Please pass this email along to your LCSW colleagues since this workshop will help them meet their CE requirement in education in ethics. If you have any questions please contact me through the info below.

Dan Holdinghaus, MA, LPC
MMHCA Executive Director
mmhca@mmhca.net
www.mmhca.net
800-341-3363 voice and fax
573-205-9529 cell

1. The training location would be the Kansas City area.
2. The training would be on a Friday in March or April depending on the trainer’s availability.
3. The training would be from 9-4 with an hour break for lunch. This means the trainer must create 6 hours of training material.
4. The trainer will create their own training. The MSAPCB will handle all logistics, registrations, certificates, etc…
5. A training stipend will be negotiated between the MSAPCB and the trainer.

We hope to find a trainer within the KC area but will consider trainers from throughout Missouri.

If you have expertise in this area and are interested in this opportunity, please contact Scott Breedlove by e-mail at scott.breedlove@dmh.mo.gov.