Connect with Your Legislator!

Click HERE for a link to the Idaho State Legislature.

Helpful Documents to Utilize in Successful Legislator Meetings:

• What is an LPC?
• Mental Health Professional Shortages in Idaho
• Comparable Training for LCPC, MFT and LCSW
• Effective Advocacy
• Effectiveness of and Need for Counseling
• TIPS for Effective Advocacy
• National Mental Health Professions Experience
• National Mental Health Professions Statistics

National Talking Points and Handouts

• Prevent LPCs from Being Shut Out of the VA
• Medicare - Outpatient Mental Health Services and Coverage of LPCs
• Counseling for Career Choice Act

Current News

The Public Policy & Legislation Committee and Division Leaders are working diligently to bring together Legislators and Counselors.  This event emerged from a planning idea during the Leadership Development Institute Training in June 2013.  The mission of this event is on building relationships to help legislators learn about the many ways Counselors contribute to the well-being of our communities.  Our goal is to help formalize relationships, as this will help when we seek support for counselor initiatives, locally and nationally.  All counselors wanting to help strengthen our presence, we welcome you to attend.  If you are planning on attending this event, review the foll

owing:

1. Registration is highly encouraged (see above). This will help us plan accordingly.
2. The goal of event is on building relationships with legislators.
3. Read TIPS for Effective Advocacy
4. Come prepared to tell them who you are.  Feel free to share your story of how you have touched the lives of others or the work you do. Keep it concise yet memorable. 
5. Not sure, how to engage with legislators, there will be an interest session at the ICA Annual Conference to help you. Consider you already have the relationship building skills and we encourage you to use them when visiting with legislators.

If you cannot attend event, you can support the event in other ways. You could encourage others to attend or make a donation. We cannot do this alone and hope to have as many counselors across all the specialties/divisions.

Telemental Health
The ICA Distance Counseling Committee which was formed a year ago by the request of the licensure board was established to help formulate guidelines for telemental health. This committee has spent multiple hours vetting other state guidelines and watching national/federal trends in tele mental health in order to continue to promote and preserve the growth of the counseling profession.   

Most recently we have directed our attention to the Idaho Telehealth Council which comprises of many healthcare professions. This council is preparing to submit the Idaho 
Telehealth Access Act  to the Idaho legislature in late February 2015. It will “provide legislation for the delivery of healthcare services through telehealth and to authorize state agencies and licensing boards to promulgate rules governing healthcare services provided by telehealth….”

Our goal is to ensure that counselors and marriage & family therapists have a strong voice and a seat at the table as decisions are made within the framework of telehealth.

On February 5 representatives from the Idaho Counseling Association attended the IBOL board meeting.  Among other agenda items Robert Payne from the Idaho Social Work licensure board presented a draft of the model regulatory standards for technology and social work practice.  It is helpful to hear what other mental healthcare providers are preparing in regards to telehealth guidelines so, in time, we can all present a united front for telemental health to the Idaho legislative branch.  It has been exciting to join forces with the Idaho psychologists and social workers.   

We ask you to consider joining the ICA Public Policy & Legislative committee as we continue to advocate for this great profession!