SCMHCA Members,
I’m writing to share key updates from recent FMHCA Government Relations Committee and Chapter 491 board meetings:
1. We continue to move forward with advocating for the bill that would change the current title “Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern” to “Registered Mental Health Counselor Associate.” That bill has been drafted and is pending filing. We are hopeful it will be strongly supported, but plan to continue to educate our legislators on the benefits of this change for public clarification of the credentials and qualifications of our practicing RMHCI’s. The change in this language would also eliminate the need to have a LMHC on-site while a RMHCA is practicing.
2. Our president of the government relations committee, Dr. Aaron Norton, presented at the last Chapter 491 meeting to propose adding language to our policies that further protects us from having to release sensitive psychological testing material when clinical records are requested. This brought to light that there was some misunderstanding of our Licensees being able to provide Level C psychological testing. This allowed for the opportunity to educate and clarify our qualifications for testing and recognize psychological testing as fundamental to our profession. They agreed to do further research and follow-up on the topic.
3. I would like to bring to your attention a common theme that presented itself during cases reviewed at the Chapter 491 board meeting. It is the Supervisee’s responsibility to submit AND confirm the supervisor approval form has been received and approved by the board before any supervision hours will be accepted. Any hours completed prior to that approval will not be accepted, no exceptions. If a supervisor submits the form, the supervisee will still need to confirm the approval was granted. There were lots of tears and sad stories of interns having to re-do hours that were not approved.
4. There is a scam going around again where a fake police officer calls stating it is urgent that he speaks to the counselor regarding a recent case. If you receive one of these calls, you can report it to Anthony.jusevitch@flhealth.gov as they continue to investigate the people behind this scam.
5. Applications for Counseling Compact privileges to practice are expected to open in 2025. You can follow those updates HERE.
Upcoming dates and ways you can get involved:
• The GRC will be holding a live meeting at the upcoming FMHCA annual conference on Thursday, January 31st @ 6:30pm. You are welcome to join us if you would like to observe how these meetings are run.
• I will be sending a follow-up email very soon with a call to action for advocating prior to the upcoming legislative session scheduled to start in March. In the meantime, if you have not done so already, be sure to check out the webinar that FMHCA has generously developed on Dos and Don’ts of Lobbying for the Counseling Profession. This is a critical skill as we advocate for our professional license and scope of practice.
I encourage you all to take advantage of this free webinar. It’s an invaluable resource, especially for those new to lobbying. The live session was recorded on November 13th and remains available on demand for viewing.
• This is a friendly reminder of the importance of FMHCA membership. Not only does it provide numerous benefits to you as a professional, but your dues directly support the advocacy efforts that protect our profession.
• The next Chapter 491 meeting will be held February 6, 2025-February 7, 2025. The location is still TBD.
Thank you for your time in reviewing these updates. Please reach out if you have any questions about the above updates or would like additional information.
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