Issues & Updates
Washington, Feb. 17 – The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has approved the creation of a new occupational category for Licensed Professional Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists.
VA staff notified the National Board for Certified Counselors, Inc., that the agency’s undersecretary for health signed off on the classification process, but it has not been determined whether each profession will get an individual classification or a shared one.
NBCC has been unyielding in its efforts to implement the 2006 law recognizing counselors in the VA. Proper implementation requires the creation of a federal occupational classification for mental health counselors by the Office of Personnel Management.
An NBCC statement said the organization was pleased with “this step forward,” but remains vigilant in our pursuit of a separate classification.
“NBCC acted independently by meeting with senators, representatives and committee staff on over 50 occasions,” the statement said. “We believe that consistent pressure from a counseling organization was a key factor in keeping the issue alive and before policy makers.”
The statement added the process for establishing qualification standards may take a year to complete, but “the VA has at least provided a light at the end of the tunnel.”
The statement noted help from former VA Chief Network Officer Dr. Jule Moravec and from David Gorman, executive director of the Disabled American Veterans. It also expressed appreciation for separate advocacy efforts on the issue by the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, the American Counseling Association, and the American Mental Health Counselors Association.
The National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) is calling for the Veterans Administration to implement a new law designed to deal with the mental health care crisis facing American veterans.
Kristi McCaskill, counseling advocacy coordinator for the Greensboro-based organization, presented the case for hiring counselors in testimony prepared for the health subcommittee of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs on Capitol Hill Thursday (Oct. 18).
For the hearing titled “Health Care Profeessionals – Recruitment and Retention”, McCaskill cited a presidential task force study that estimated a fourth of all veterans returning from Afghanistan and Iraq have suffered psychological injuries.
However, she said, the study also found the number of licensed clinical psychologists serving service men and women has fallen 22 percent. This has left 1,839 VA psychologists available for 24.3 million veterans from previous wars plus the growing number from current conflicts.
McCaskill said NBCC is ready to help establish “a mechanism to allow licensed counselors to serve veterans who not only have given of themselves to protect our country, but who now need our help.”
“NBCC is prepared and capable of connecting licensed counselors with the VA so that together we can provide for the increasing mental health needs of veterans,” McCaskill said.
But first, she said, the VA must create a formal job classification for counselors so they can be hired in compliance with federal employment requirements. A law authorizing VA employment of counselors passed last December but has never been implemented.
More than 42,000 counselors in the United States hold NBCC certification. The voluntary credential signifies that the counselor has demonstrated mastery of the skills and knowledge needed at the highest levels of the profession.
Media contact: Ross Harris (336) 908-7171
Paris – NBCC has used its official status with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to advocate for counseling as a component of the agency’s education policies and programs.
Executive Vice President Ted Iliff represented NBCC at the biennial General Conference held at UNESCO headquarters during the last half of October. NBCC was invited to participate in the conference because of its status as a non-governmental organization (NGO) partner in official relations.
While attending the Education Commission strategy and planning meetings, Iliff noted that UNESCO documents and statements concerning its keystone “Education for All” (EFA) initiative spoke of a holistic approach to fostering education. However, they made almost no reference to any form of guidance or counseling.
During the commission’s debate on EFA, Iliff raised the issue of counseling’s benefits to the more than 60 national delegations attending the session.
“Counseling is a set of skills that can be taught at various levels of complexity to fit a school’s cultural, social and economic environment,” Iliff said.
“Training in counseling skills can help teachers and other school personnel identify signs of stress, trauma, depression, addiction, abuse and many other mental health problems that threaten a child’s development. Add career or vocational counseling, and you enter into the realm of sustainable development.”
Iliff quoted from a UNESCO report on EFA progress that cited concerns about gender inequality, poor attendance and high drop-out rates, among others. He said counseling can help educators deal with all those problems.
UNESCO’s new assistant director-general for education, Nicholas Burnett, later told Iliff that he welcomed the comments about the value of counseling and would consider those points as he formulates new policies related to achievement of EFA goals.
WASHINGTON – A bipartisan group of House and Senate members wants the Veterans Administration to explain delays in implementation of a law requiring the credentialing and employment of mental health counselors by that agency. NBCC spearheaded the effort to build interest and support for the letter.
The 2006 legislation (pl 109-461) was intended to help the VA meet a growing demand for mental health services to veterans. In a letter dated Oct. 7 to VA Secretary James Peake, two senators and four congressmen raised questions about his agency’s implementation of the law, citing “the delays and seeming misdirection it has taken.”
The law ordered the VA to create a new job classification specifically for mental health counselors within the list of professions approved by the federal Office of Personnel Management. The letter accused the VA of resisting the will of Congress while preserving “the status quo, which has resulted in counselors not being able to provide clinical services to our veterans.”
As an example, the letter cited a VA survey of veterans’ centers and mental health facilities asking about the need for counselors, in effect ignoring the congressional mandate to hire more of them.
“We want to see the VA move expeditiously to implement the law and begin employing counselors in independent clinical positions," the letter said. “We believe the employment of mental health counselors will be a positive step towards ensuring our nation’s bravest are provided the care that they so justly deserve.”
The letter was signed by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), Sen. Gordon Smith (R-OR), Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), Rep. Jim Ramstad (R-MN), Rep. Zachary Space (D-OH), and Rep. David Hobson (R-OH).
The National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC), based in Greensboro, NC, has been active in drawing attention to the VA’s response to the law.
Nearly a year ago, Kristi McCaskill, NBCC’s counseling advocacy coordinator, testified before a House subcommittee on the VA’s inaction regarding the law. Since then, NBCC has been working closely with members of Congress to ensure that the VA understands the intent of Congress and implements the law accordingly.
More than 42,000 counselors in the United States hold NBCC certification. The voluntary credential signifies that the counselor has demonstrated mastery of the skills and knowledge needed at the highest levels of the profession.