Government Relations

We hope it’s comforting (and exciting) to hear that the long-term solution to the incident-to billing issue of being granted a licensed associate professional counselor license is closer than ever to becoming a reality. This week, the House’s Professional Licensure committee unanimously voted the bill (HB 1564) out of committee and onto the House floor. The Senate’s Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure committee will hopefully do the same when they vote on their version of the bill (SB1019). The fact that we have been able to make tiered licensure happen so quickly (within a month’s time!) is unprecedented – we’re so proud of this work!

Please encourage your circle to use the advocacy letter template here to write your elected legislators and ask their support of the bill during their respective chamber’s vote.

Information on this page:

 

State Policy and Legislation

One of the Pennsylvania Counseling Association's primary objectives is to lobby state legislators and administration officials in Harrisburg for laws and policies that are favorable to professional counselors and the clients that they serve. Advocacy initiatives need to be waged. To learn how you can help, contact the PCA Government Relations Committee at the contact information below.

Contact information:

Madeleine Stevens, Chair
advocacy.pca@gmail.com

The PCA Government Relations Committee is committed to keeping PCA members updated on relevant legislation moving through the Pennsylvania legislature.

To view current legislation of the PA House of Representatives and Senate, click below:

Click Here for Current Counseling-Related Legislation in the PA General Assembly

The GRC updates this spreadsheet at least three times a month.

 

Advocacy Resources

1. Find Your Legislators by clicking here: Find Your Legislator  

2. Use this writing Guide as an example to contact your legislator: Writing Your Legislator

3. Consider this sample Letter: PCA Example Letter

4. The LPC Brochure (PDF PCA)

5. The Effectiveness Of And Need For Counselors (PDF ACA)

6. A Vision For The Future Of Counseling The 20/20 Principles For Unifying And Strengthening The Profession: The 20/20 Principles for Unifying and Strengthening the Profession. David M. Kaplan and Samuel T. Gladding ( PDF)

7. PCA Advocacy Day Informational Slides

 

Current Concerns & Advocacy Efforts

Government Relations sends out monthly legislative updates to all current PCA members.  These updates serve to educate the Association about current legislative issues and support advocacy efforts in the Commonwealth.  

The Counseling Compact
The Counseling Compact is an interstate compact, or a contract among states, allowing professional counselors licensed and residing in a compact member state to practice in other compact member states without need for multiple licenses (National Center for Interstate Compacts, 2024). For more information about the status of the Compact in Pennsylvania, click here. Send a letter supporting the Compact to your local legislators with this template.

Tiered Licensure in Pennsylvania Tiered licensure would be an incredible step in the evolution of our profession in the Commonwealth which would legally permit billing as per Title 40 of Insurance Law.  This advance would open up a number of opportunities for practice and client accessibility to care.  For more information about the status of Tiered Licensure, click here.

Send a letter supporting tiered licensure to your local legislators with this template.

Government Relations sends out monthly legislative updates to all current PCA members.  These updates serve to educate the Association about current legislative issues and support advocacy efforts in the Commonwealth.  If you would like the most recent version, please contact the chair at advocacy.pca@gmail.com or join PCA to get them regularly.  

Federal Policy and Legislation

PCA parent association American Counseling Association (ACA) is working on a number of federal policy issues to advance professional counseling and better serve clients. These issues include, but are not limited to, Medicare coverage for mental healthcare consumers seen by professional counselors, the Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act (HIPAA) privacy law and regulations, mental health parity, and federal funding for school counseling programs. Your help is needed! To find out how you can help move us forward, or for updates on key federal legislation, visit the ACA's Government Affairs and ACA Legislative Action Center web pages.