[oblpct] VA standards for counselors

[Oregon Bd Licensed Profess Counselors & Therapists Information]

The following article appeared in the Fall 2010 newsletter of the
National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC). You can view the full
newsletter at
 
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?NationalBoardforCert/c53b94e98e/e1aad83221/1bbeb
501a9  

Veterans Administration Ready to Hire Counselors 

On September 30, the Veterans Administration (VA) released qualification
standards that establish the official requirements for hiring
counselors. These standards are the last formal step in implementing the
law authorizing counselors to be employed within the VA-although the
hiring of counselors will take time as positions gradually become
available. This is a huge accomplishment for the counseling profession
and the culmination of years of hard work.

President Bush signed S. 3421 into law in December 2006, Section 201 of
which added mental health counselors to the list of professions eligible
to be employed by the Veterans Administration. Since passage, NBCC has
been working with the American Counseling Association (ACA), American
Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA), and many dedicated
counselors to press for implementation of the new law. As a result of
this advocacy, in March 2009 the VA announced that it would create "a
new occupational category, or categories, for MFTs and LPCs." While the
news was positive, the concept of a joint occupational category for both
professions was disconcerting. The three organizations, along with the
American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) and the
California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT), worked
collectively to ensure that each profession had its own category. 

In September 2009, the organizations were successful in getting a
meeting scheduled with the Assistant Secretary for Human Resources and
Administration for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), John
Sepulveda. The meeting was attended by the majority and minority staff
of the House and Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, VA staff, and
representatives from NBCC, ACA, AMHCA, AAMFT and CAMFT. The meeting
produced a commitment by Assistant Secretary Sepulveda to create
separate qualification standards for each profession to be completed by
September 2010, and to request a federal Occupational Series for the two
professions from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) that would
allow for the hiring of counselors throughout the federal government.

Subsequent to the meeting, the VA began the implementation process. It
created a Subject Matter Expert workgroup for each profession, which was
tasked with developing the draft qualification standards. The workgroups
requested information from the professional organizations, but would not
disclose what happened during the development process. The organizations
monitored the process very closely to ensure it was on track and
consistent with its timeline, but were given little exposure to the
content of the standards. An internal draft of the qualification
standards was completed in July 2010 and collaboration with the unions
occurred in August (a legal requirement). The final step in
implementation was publication of the qualification standards, which
occurred in September 2010.

The new standards are final and can be changed only by going through the
entire process outlined above. They are equivalent to the social work
qualification standards, creating multiple levels of employment within
the VA:

GS-9 Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (Entry Level - for
individuals with a graduate degree in counseling but who have not yet
become licensed)
GS-11 Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (Independent
Practice Level)
GS-12 Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor Program Coordinator
GS-12 Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor Supervisor
GS-13 Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor Program Manager
GS-14 LPMHC Program Manager Leadership Assignments
 
The standards require licensed counselors to have a master's degree in
mental health counseling or a related field from a program accredited by
the Council on Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational
Programs (CACREP). Cited examples of related mental health counseling
fields include addiction counseling; community counseling; gerontology
counseling; marital, couple and family counseling; and marriage and
family therapy. A master's degree in mental health counseling is the
only degree that will be recognized under the new standards. There are
no substitute degrees authorized. 

At the time of publication, it is unclear when positions for LPMHCs will
become available and at what rate. It will likely be a gradual process
that will start with a few announcements and grow over time. NBCC and
our allies will be working with the VA to disseminate information and
ensure counselors are made aware of job opportunities. We welcome
counselors to share with us their stories of success or hardship in
obtaining positions within the VA so we can ensure full and fair access.
We will also continue to press for an Occupational Series for the
profession.

TRICARE/Defense

On May 28, 2010, the "National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for
Fiscal Year 2011" (H.R. 5136) passed the House of Representatives. The
House NDAA included in it a "sense of Congress" directing the Department
of Defense to implement regulations providing TRICARE independent
practice authority for licensed mental health counselors. 

On June 4, 2010, the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) reported S.
3454, the "National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011" to
the Senate floor. The Senate NDAA included statutory language adding
licensed mental health counselors to the list of independent
practitioners under TRICARE provided that they met criteria established
by the Institute of Medicine. 

NBCC, along with ACA and AMHCA, is pleased with the progress in both
chambers of Congress, but remains committed to passing legislation that
provides the greatest number of qualified counselors with independent
practice authority. To accomplish this goal, the organizations are
working with members and committee staff of the SASC and House Armed
Services Committee (HASC) to promote the most inclusive language from
both bills. Any compromise language will be considered by a conference
of the two chambers, which cannot occur until the Senate approves its
version of NDAA. 

The Senate NDAA got caught in a political battle prior to the election
and was not brought up for a vote. The conflict arose over Republican
opposition to provisions in the bill that repeal the "don't ask, don't
tell" law banning homosexuals from serving openly in the military and a
proposal giving young illegal immigrants who attend college or join the
military a path to citizenship. The legislation is a priority for
Congress during the lame-duck session and negotiations continue over the
provisions in controversy. If agreement can be reached, the bill will be
passed in the Senate and brought to conference with the House NDAA to
reach a final compromise bill.

NBCC, ACA and AMHCA have been meeting with offices of members of the
Armed Services Committee in the House and Senate to build support for
language that recognizes licensed counselors. These offices, as well as
committee staff, understand our position and are interested in getting
something done this year. The challenge now is to include the broadest
language in any final NDAA bill.

Institute of Medicine

On October 13-15, the Institute of Medicine hosted a meeting entitled "A
Quality Management System for Licensed Mental Health Counselors and
Other Behavioral Health Professionals in the Military Health System."
Dr. Joseph Wehrman, a member of the NBCC Board of Directors, was
selected as one of the distinguished presenters at the workshop, as was
Dr. Jan McMillan, NCC and former president of AASCB.

The workshop focused on the development of a quality management system
and scopes of practice for behavioral health professions within the
military health system. It builds on the IOM report entitled the
Provision of Mental Health Counseling Services under TRICARE, which
included a recommendation for such a quality management system. Both Dr.
Wehrman and Dr. McMillan presented on professional scopes of practice,
demonstrating that all behavioral health professions have similar scopes
and should be credentialed in a similar manner.

Becky Eklund, Executive Director
Oregon Board of Licensed Professional
    Counselors and Therapists
3218 Pringle Road SE, #250
Salem, OR 97302
(503) 378-5499
www.oregon.gov/oblpct