<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
</head>
<body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 14px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', sans-serif;">
<div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 14px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', sans-serif;">
Dear Counseling Community, </div>
<div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 14px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', sans-serif;">
<br>
</div>
<div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 14px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', sans-serif;">
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. </div>
<div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 14px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', sans-serif;">
These two pieces of legislation were quickly introduced without input from counseling professional organizations and would enact a consolidation of social work, pscyhology, school psychology, chemical dependency, marriage and family therapists, and counselor’s
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. </div>
<div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 14px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', sans-serif;">
<br>
</div>
<div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 14px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', sans-serif;">
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 <u>one seat for a marriage family therapist OR a professional licensed counselor.</u> </div>
<div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 14px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', sans-serif;">
<br>
</div>
<div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 14px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', sans-serif;">
Here are links to the bills: </div>
<div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12.8px; font-family: -webkit-standard;">
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> </span><a href="https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/legislation-summary?id=GA131-HB-617" target="_blank" style="font-size: 12.8px; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://www.legislature.ohio.<wbr>gov/legislation/legislation-su<wbr>mmary?id=GA131-HB-617</a><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> </span></div>
<div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12.8px; font-family: -webkit-standard;">
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> </span><a href="https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/legislation-summary?id=GA131-HB-366" target="_blank" style="font-size: 12.8px;">https://www.legislature.ohio.<wbr>gov/legislation/legislation-su<wbr>mmary?id=GA131-HB-366</a><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> ). </span><br>
</div>
<div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12.8px; font-family: -webkit-standard;">
<br>
</div>
<div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12.8px;">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. . </div>
<div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12.8px;">Here is a link to find your State Senator: <font face="Times New Roman" style="font-size: 14px;"><a href="http://ohiosenate.gov/members/contacting-your-senator" target="_blank" style="font-size: 14px;">http://ohiosenate.gov/members/<wbr>contacting-your-senator</a></font></div>
<div><span style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Here is a linke to find your State </span>Representative:</span><u> </u><a href="http://www.ohiohouse.gov/index">http://www.ohiohouse.gov/index</a></div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12.8px; font-family: -webkit-standard;">
Below is verbage based on a letter by Victoria Kress that can be sent as an email or voice mail message to your Ohio Senator and Representative: </div>
<div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><font face="Times New Roman" style="font-size: 13px;">"November 17, 2016</font></div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><font face="Times New Roman" style="font-size: 13px;">RE: O<b>pposition</b> to HB 617 and SB 366</font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><font face="Times New Roman" style="font-size: 13px;"> Dear Legislator:</font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size: 13px;">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 pieces of legislation that could greatly affect
the counseling profession in Ohio. I strongly oppose this legislation. </span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><font face="Times New Roman" style="font-size: 13px;">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<b>. A counselor would not be guaranteed a seat on the Behavioral Health Professionals Board. </b></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><font face="Times New Roman" style="font-size: 13px;">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.</font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><font face="Times New Roman" style="font-size: 13px;">Respectfully, "<img class="gmail-ajT" src="https://ssl.gstatic.com/ui/v1/icons/mail/images/cleardot.gif"></font></p>
</div>
<div class="gmail-yj6qo gmail-ajU" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">
<div><font size="2"><span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;"><br>
</span></font></div>
</div>
<div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 14px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', sans-serif;">
<br>
</div>
<div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 14px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', sans-serif;">
Thank you to everyone for taking time to address this issue. </div>
<div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 14px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', sans-serif;">
<br>
</div>
<div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 14px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', sans-serif;">
Sincerely, </div>
<div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 14px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', sans-serif;">
<div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Times">Tamarine Foreman, PhD, LPCC-S, NCC</font></font></div>
<div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000" face="Times">Assistant Professor, Practicum & Internship Coordinator</font></div>
<div><span style="font-family: Times;">Dept. of Counseling & Higher Education</span></div>
<div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000" face="Times">Patton College of Education, Ohio University</font></div>
<div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Times">Phone: 740.593.4395</font></font></div>
<div style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><br>
</div>
</div>
</body>
</html>