Professional Counselor Advocacy

Professional Counselor Advocacy

Chi Sigma Iota is committed to advocacy for professional counselors as well as their clients. To operationalize this commitment, in 1998 the Society sponsored two national invitational conferences of leaders in the counseling profession who came together to develop a coordinated national plan for professional advocacy. Representatives attending the two conferences returned home committed to creating positive change in the profession, a few of which were significant with long range effects. For example, soon therafter the American Counseling Association (ACA) initiated a membership category for Professional Members and changed its name from the American Association for Counseling and Development(AACD) to ACA. The American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA) entered negotiations with the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) resulting in the merger of the Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor Credential into the NBCC domain.

The plan developed through the conferences was a precursor to the AASCB and ACA 20-20-A Vision for the Future of Counseling initiative and has remained the organizing focus of CSI's advocacy efforts. CSI continues to advocate for the profession through training and support to chapters for leadership development as well as efforts at the national level including publications and representation in coalitions to advance the profession through social, legislative, professional, and personal advocacy efforts.

The Counseling Compact (https://counselingcompact.org) is an agreement between member states that would increase counselors' ability to practice between states, and we encourage CSI members to learn about pending legislation in their own states and consider steps to preserve Professional Counselor Identity (PCI) as the Counseling Compact expands nationally.

Resources for CSI members in states that have not yet passed the Counseling Compact:

• A letter requesting a meeting with a state legislator to discuss concerns regarding the Counseling Compact and PCI.
• A follow-up document that you can leave with a state legislator or send by email after a meeting.
• A letter that your state legislator can send to the Counseling Compact Executive Committee in response to these concerns. You can direct the legislator to https://counselingcompact.org/contact-us/
• A follow-up document for legislators to share with the Counseling Compact Executive Committee.
• A list of public legislative hearings in states considering the Counseling Compact.
  

Resources for CSI members in states that have passed the Counseling Compact:

• A letter requesting a meeting with a state legislator to discuss concerns regarding the Counseling Compact and PCI.
• A follow-up document that you can leave with a state legislator or send by email after a meeting.
• A letter that your state legislator can send to the Counseling Compact Executive Committee in response to these concerns. You can direct the legislator to https://counselingcompact.org/contact-us/
• A follow-up document for legislators to share with the Counseling Compact Executive Committee.

Resources regarding Senate Bill 337 in North Carolina

• An email sent to CSI members in North Carolina about SB 337.
  
• A letter requesting a meeting with a state legislator to discuss concerns regarding SB 337.
• Talking points on Professional Counselor Identity (PCI) Issues regarding accreditation.
• A follow-up document that you can leave with a state legislator or send by email after a meeting.
  

One page flyers about CSI and CACREP that can be shared with legislators to provide information about both associations:

• A one page flyer about CSI
• A one page flyer about CACREP

Resources from the National Board of Forensic Evaluators concerning professional counselors' qualifications to administer assessments:

• U.S. State and Territory Laws and Rules Regulating Counselors and Psychological Testing
• NBFE Analysis and Position Paper on Licensed Counselors and Psychological Tests

If you would like more information about the rationale for using these resources, you can read The critical need for professional advocacy: A call to the counseling profession to value professional counselor identity by Dr. Holly J. Hartwig Moorhead, Dr. Kelly Duncan, and Dr. M. Sylvia Fernandez. Published in CSI's Journal of Counselor Leadership and Advocacy, this article will be open access through April of 2024.

CSI is also providing free access to several related webinars:

• Advocacy for Protecting Counselor Professional Identity in the Counseling Compact
• Counselor Professional Identity and Laws which Impact our Profession: Why it Matters and What You Can Do
• Protecting Professional Counselor Identity in the Counseling Compact: A collaborative discussion about the impacts of the Counseling Compact on Counselor Education, Practice, and Regulation
• Counselor Professional Identity: Why It Matters and What YOU Can Do to Strengthen It!
• Professional Advocacy: Addressing the Impact of Legislation in Florida and Georgia on Professional Counselor Identity

CACREP has encouraged their program liaisons to attend meetings of the Counseling Compact Commission Rules Committee. You can download a letter sent to the liaisons to explain the importance of participating in these meetings (February 21, 2023).

Counselor Professional Identity Threatened by Florida S.B. 566 and H.B. 343

One of the goals of Chi Sigma Iota (CSI) is to promote and recognize academic and professional excellence in counseling scholarship, leadership, advocacy, and practice. Each chapter is encouraged to recognize at least one counseling student, counselor educator, or professional counselor who is actively engaged in professional advocacy with a Certificate of Recognition and Appreciation. You can view a sample certificate here, and CSI chapter leaders can request a certificate with your chapter's name that matches this sample.

To request a certificate for your chapter, please complete a Chapter Logo Request Form and select the "Chapter Certificate of Recognition and Appreciation" option. We hope that these certificates will help your chapter to recognize and encourage those in your community who have reached out on behalf of the counseling profession. You may also use the certificate script as a guide.

A series of professional advocacy tips have been compiled from the CSI Exemplar by the CSI Advocacy Committee. Tips include learning more about counselor advocacy and advocating for the counseling profession.

Dr. Craig Cashwell, as Chair of the CACREP Board, contributed a thought provoking article with his reflections on professional advocacy and identity. Titled Chair reflections: At the crossroads, this publication from the CACREP Connection is reprinted here with permission.

Drs. Kelly Wester and Todd Lewis conducted a study titled "It's not just another line on your resume" in which the importance of CSI membership was clearly highlighted. CSI members are the leaders in the counseling profession.

In an episode of “The Thoughtful Counselor” podcast, “Professional Protection: Safeguarding the Future of Counseling,” Dr. Victoria Kress, a Past President of CSI, shared her work in advocacy and talked about the importance of counselors engaging in professional protection.

Many articles in the CSI Exemplar have focused on professional advocacy, and members are especially encouraged to read articles in the following issues:

Summer 2022 (PDF or Flip Book)
Spring 2015 (PDF or Flip Book)
Spring 2015 - Special Edition "Professional Identity" (PDF or Flip Book)
Spring 2014 (PDF or Flip Book)
Fall 2013 (PDF or Flip Book)
Spring 2013 - Special Edition "Exemplary Leadership” (PDF or Flip Book)
Summer 2011 (PDF or Flip Book)
Summer 2009 (PDF)