As we welcome in a new year I would like to take this opportunity to invite the feedback of all NHMHCA members. In this issue you will find a survey that seeks to identify issues and concerns of the membership. You can complete it on paper or submit it electronically (instructions will be provided) but however you choose to complete it, I strongly encourage your participation.
The NHMHCA board is very interested in making this organization even more valuable to Mental Health Counselors in the state. We continue to monitor legislation (such as the LADAC bill discussed in this issue), provide relevant continuing education opportunities, advocate on behalf of Mental Health Counselors to other guilds and organizations, and be active on the national scene through our association with AMHCA.
Also, as always, we welcome members who have interest to become more involved with the NHMHCA at the organizational level. If you are interested in joining a committee or running for a board position we want to hear from you!
Jeffrey Weir, MA LCMHC
President, NHMHCA
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As we welcome autumn and prepare for the coming winter I would like to take a moment to make you aware of what NHMHCA has in store for the coming year. Your board is working on several workshops that should prove to be interesting and timely. First, Judith Coleman will be presenting on trauma and addictions in November. The overlap between these two clinical issues is, of course, significant and great strides have been made in terms of concurrent treatment. Also, late winter will bring a workshop on the use of Yoga in affect regulation. Staff from the Trauma Center in Boston will present initial data on research being done there in using Yoga on a clinical population. It will be partially experiential so bring comfortable clothing!
On the state legislative front there is going to be a bill presented this session that would ensure access to mental health care for consumers free from the restriction of whether a clinician is “paneled” or not. So-called “Any Willing Provider” legislation has been passed in several states including Vermont. It has historically faced great resistance from NH insurance lobbyists. This year the Mental Health Coalition is hopeful that it will go farther than under previous legislatures.
Nationally, as always, we are watching the Medicare revisions in the House and Senate. AMHCA has worked tirelessly on this for many years and each year brings us a little closer to being Medicare providers. A federal Mental Health Parity law is also in the works and is being closely tracked by Beth Powell, our AMHCA Legislative Liaison.
Lastly, I would like to ask the membership to reach out to their board and let us know what is on your mind. We are always seeking input from our constituency so that we may better serve you. Please, feel free to call or email me or any other board member with questions, complaints and suggestions.
Happy fall!
Jeffrey Weir, MA LCMHC
President, NHMHCA
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What’s
coming to NHMHCA??
Looking
ahead to the Spring NHMHCA members can anticipate some very interesting professional
development opportunities.
In
April, we will be hosting a workshop on the neuroscience of mindfulness and
meditation. Presented by Dr. Jim Hopper, the day will provide cutting edge information
on brain studies related to mindful and meditative practice as pertains to affect
regulation and trauma in particular. Also, practical tools will be provided
that will help you and your clients.
The
NHMHCA Annual Meeting is right around the corner in June. We have invited Dr.
Dan Potenza to speak on the mental health effects on returning veterans of the
Iraq war. Don’t miss this chance to learn, network and become involved
in your professional association!
Jeffrey Weir, MA LCMHC
President
Also, check out this article
from AMHCA:
Mental
Health Parity Legislation Passes Senate Committee
Mental health parity
took its first crucial step toward enactment on February 14, 2007, with Senate
Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP) passage of S. 558, the
Mental Health Parity Act of 2007.
The legislation,
which passed by a vote of 18 to 3, was introduced on February 12, 2007, by Sens.
Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA), Pete Domenici (R-NM) and Michael B. Enzi (R-WY). The
passage of the bill, which AMHCA supports, is the first Congressional committee
approval of parity legislation since August 1, 2001.
Below are members
of the Senate HELP Committee who voted in favor of the legislation. Members
of AMHCA are encouraged to contact their offices and thank them for their vote.
All Senate offices can be reached by calling 202-224-3121:
Edward Kennedy,
Chair, (D-MA)
Christopher Dodd,
(D-CT)
Tom Harkin, (D-IA)
Barbara A. Mikulski,
(D-MD)
Jeff Bingaman, (D-NM)
Patty Murray, (D-WA)
Jack Reed, (D-RI)
Hillary Rodham Clinton,
(D-NY)
Barack Obama, (D-IL)
Bernard Sanders,
(D-VT)
Sherrod Brown, (D-OH)
Michael B. Enzi,
(R-WY)
Judd Gregg, (R-NH)
Johnny
Isakson, (R-GA)
Lisa Murkowski,
(R-AK)
Orrin G. Hatch,
(R-UT)
Pat Roberts, (R-KS)
Tom Coburn, M.D.,
(R-OK)
The following senators
voted against S. 558:
Wayne Allard, (R-CO)
Lamar Alexander,
(R-TN)
Richard Burr, (R-NC)
The legislation
closes loopholes enacted in the 1996 federal parity law and provides parity
for day and visit limits, co-payments, and deductibles. The new legislation
will protect the 113 million of Americans who have mental health coverage through
their employers, provided there are at least 50 or more employees. The bill,
however, does not mandate that companies provide mental health benefits.
Please stay tuned
to E-News from Washington, the Advocate, as well as other AMHCA publications
for updates and a sample letter of support for the new parity legislation.
For additional
information on this or any other issue, please contact Beth Powell, AMHCA’s
director of public policy and professional issues, at 800-326-2642, ext. 105,
or by e-mail at bpowell@amhca.org « Return to Home Page
I would like to take this opportunity to express my pleasure in taking over as President of NHMHCA. It has been a privilege to have served on the board so far and I am truly looking forward to the coming two years. Having attended the past five annual meetings of the American Mental Health Counselors Association I have always been proud to represent this membership and have found that we are indeed quite a mature organization that has made significant strides over the past couple of decades.
As Mental Health Counselors in the state of New Hampshire we owe a lot to those who have preceded us. Presently we enjoy a great deal of professional freedom and opportunity thanks, in a large part, to those who fought for quite some time to establish licensure for and maintain the professionalism of Clinical Mental Health Counselors in this state. This is precisely the reason I joined the board five years ago; it was one way I felt I could give something back.
I am reminded of the profound, albeit ubiquitous, statement made by John F. Kennedy over forty years ago…"Ask not what your country can do for you…" well, you know the rest. So what's the connection? When you drink from the well somebody else dug, you have a responsibility to maintain it.
I am very pleased with the fact that almost 40% of Licensed Mental Health Counselors in NH are members of the NHMHCA. This rivals the biggest and oldest mental health counselor associations throughout the country; very few states have this percentage. It is a testament to the level of professionalism and dedication of our membership.
One of my goals for the coming year is to try to engage this membership in a more active way. The survival of any organization depends a great deal on the vitality of its members and we are certainly no different. The question is, how to go about it?
First of all, I want to hear from you. I intend to send a survey to as many members as possible to attempt to gain a sharper understanding of the myriad concerns and goals of the membership. In conjunction with another goal, to increase the use of electronic communications, I hope to do this via email or other web-based modality. We have developed, and continue to tweak, our electronic capabilities and will make every attempt to help you negotiate them as needed. Presently we offer, or are in the process of developing, the list-serve, online renewal of membership, online registration and payment for continuing education opportunities, Find a Counselor registry, and other informational services via the web site.
In addition to increasing member activity, I would like to encourage all interested members out there to consider taking on more of a role in NHMHCA governance. We are always looking for engaged and enthusiastic people to join the Board of Directors or serve as committee chairs. This does not have to cost a significant amount of time; whatever people are willing and able to give is greatly appreciated.
And lest we forget, there is a national organization, of which we are a chapter, that continues to offer support, leadership and advocacy on behalf of all Mental Health Counselors in the country. As Chair of AMHCA's Professional Issues Committee I am eagerly anticipating the coming year's work toward Medicare reimbursement, improving national standardization and many other challenges to our profession.
In closing, let me say once again what a privilege it is to represent such a strong community of professionals. I would also like to publicly thank Adele Bradley, our immediate Past President. Adele has served for many years on the board and her past two years as President have been stellar. She is a gracious and dedicated professional and I have learned well from her example.
vPlease feel free to contact me with any questions, concerns or suggestions. Thank you for this opportunity!
Jeffrey Weir, MA LCMHC
President
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