[Counselor_Educ] Fwd: Ohio Legislative Advocacy

[Robinson, Mona]

Sent from my iPad

Mona Robinson, PhD, LPCC-S, LSW, CRC
Professor and Chair
Department of Counseling and Higher Education
Ohio University
The Patton College of Education
N252 Lindley Hall
Athens, Ohio 45701
(740) 593-4461 phone
(740) 593-0477 fax
robinsoh at ohio.edu<mailto:robinsoh at ohio.edu>

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Erby, Adrienne" <erby at ohio.edu<mailto:erby at ohio.edu>>
Date: November 18, 2016 at 4:20:59 PM EST
To: "Erby, Adrienne" <erby at ohio.edu<mailto:erby at ohio.edu>>
Cc: "Bhat, Christine" <bhatc at ohio.edu<mailto:bhatc at ohio.edu>>, "Bowen, Nikol" <bowenn at ohio.edu<mailto:bowenn at ohio.edu>>, "Byrne, Andrew" <byrnea at ohio.edu<mailto:byrnea at ohio.edu>>, "Foreman, Tamarine" <foremant at ohio.edu<mailto:foremant at ohio.edu>>, "Pillay, Yegan" <pillay at ohio.edu<mailto:pillay at ohio.edu>>, "Robinson, Mona" <robinsoh at ohio.edu<mailto:robinsoh at ohio.edu>>, Denise Lewis <dylewis97 at yahoo.com<mailto:dylewis97 at yahoo.com>>, "Patterson, Cornelia" <patterc1 at ohio.edu<mailto:patterc1 at ohio.edu>>, Jerry Olsheski <olsheskij at aol.com<mailto:olsheskij at aol.com>>, Jodi Jones <JJones at hopewellhealth.org<mailto:JJones at hopewellhealth.org>>
Subject: Ohio Legislative Advocacy

Hello Ohio University Counselor Education students and faculty. Please see the following email for a current area of legislative advocacy in our state:

Dear Counseling Community,

I wanted to alert you about the proposed Senate Bill 366 and House Bill 617 currently presented to the Ohio legislature that would greatly impact all of us.
These two pieces of legislation were quickly introduced without input from counseling professional organizations and would enact a consolidation of social work, psychology, school psychology, chemical dependency, marriage and family therapists, and counselors into ONE Behavioral Health Professionals Board.  The proposed Behavioral Health Professionals board does not guarantee that a counselor would have a seat to represent our profession on this board.

According to the information I have received, the bills create a single Behavioral Health Professionals Board that includes one seat for a licensed social worker, one seat for a school psychologist, one seat for a non-school psychologist, one seat for a chemical dependency/aod counselor, one seat for a chemical prevention specialist and one seat for a marriage family therapist OR a professional licensed counselor.

Here are links to the bills:
https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/legislation-summary?id=GA131-HB-617
https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/legislation-summary?id=GA131-HB-366 ).

I encourage all of us to unite and contact your local legislative member as soon as possible as the planned date for voting is December 8th. .
Here is a link to find your State Senator: http://ohiosenate.gov/members/contacting-your-senator
Here is a link to find your State Representative:  http://www.ohiohouse.gov/index

Below is verbiage based on a letter by Victoria Kress that can be sent as an email or voice mail message to your Ohio Senator and Representative:
"November 17, 2016
RE: Opposition to HB 617 and SB 366

Dear Legislator:

Thank you for all that you are doing.  Today, I am writing to encourage you to oppose House Bill 617 and SB 366, which is a companion piece of legislation that could greatly affect the counseling profession in Ohio.  I strongly oppose this legislation.

If enacted, these pieces of legislation would create a massive overhaul of professional licensing in Ohio by abolishing 11 licensing boards and consolidating them under three new boards and two existing ones. Under this proposal, counselors would be licensed by a newly created Behavioral Health Professionals Board. A counselor would not be guaranteed a seat on the Behavioral Health Professionals Board.

Such complex legislation needs to be thoroughly reviewed and discussed with all stakeholders. I urge you to oppose House Bill 617 and Senate Bill 366 as it is currently written.

Respectfully, "



Thank you to everyone for taking time to address this issue.

Sincerely,
Tamarine Foreman, PhD, LPCC-S, NCC
Assistant Professor, Practicum & Internship Coordinator
Dept. of Counseling & Higher Education
Patton College of Education, Ohio University
Phone: 740.593.4395


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