BHEC Council Meeting Outcome 8-23-22
Another BHEC Council meeting is in the books. The big topic on the agenda was the vote on the CE rules change proposal for the MFT and SW boards. I hardly know where to begin.
BHEC Council Meeting Outcome 8-23-22
Watch the recording and you tell me if you think the written submissions were read or if points made in those submissions were discussed. Was there adequate Q&A interaction between public and professional members, or was this a done deal before the meeting even started?
Here's What I Know
I know a lot of written comments were submitted, thank you very much.
I know that despite dozens of conversations with like-minded counselors in the past week or two, only 3 people showed up to present 3-minute comments opposing any aspect of the proposal. We gotta do better than that, and we can!
I know that the TCA President made an appearance to attempt to invalidate our concerns about how the changes would adversely affect our CE business revenue and that of hundreds of other CE providers (she dusted off Joe Citizen to make her case). More on this in a later piece we're working on.
I know that if counselors are in charge of 80% of their required ce hours then they will select the subject matter most appropriate for their clientele, and Joe Citizen will be best served.
I know that the Council passed the measure for both the MFT and SW boards.
I know that 95% of those boards' licensees have NO IDEA this train-wreck is heading their way or that they're laying on the tracks.
I know that I'm needing to see more transparency and public debate between professional and public members. I need to see public members get involved by asking the professional members more questions, reading the rulebooks, and studying the submitted comments. Right now 2-3 on each board are doing all the talking, steering the ship all by themselves.
Summary
I know that Darrel Spinks and his staff have done a fantastic job of cleaning up the DSHS mess, but I also know that our boards have a long, long way to go to reach "inclusive functionality".
In the meantime, we keep doing what we can within the system to affect the change we wish to see, presenting ourselves as a part of the solution. But we gotta do this together. That's a big hint; more on that down the line. Big LPC Board meeting coming up Friday Sept 9th so mark your calendar and plan to attend (probably starts at 9AM). Isn't your license, your livelihood worth 2-3 hours of your time?
We got this!
Plan Smart. Be Safe. Serve Others.
Kathleen Mills, LPC-S, CEAP
Got An Opinion?
These posts are my beliefs based on my a) 32 years of practice as a mental health provider and b) my own research. Whether you agree or disagree, please feel free to leave your civil, constructive comments below. I try very hard to back up my liberty-based statements with my own experience and/or verifiable facts and I would ask you to do the same. You do not need to be logged in to leave a comment.
The Counseling Landscape Workshop Series
The Counseling Landscape Workshop Series Everything we teach is based around The Counseling Landscape. That’s the body of information you need to know in order to run a successful practice, a lot of which is required by BHEC. Completing this series of workshops will put you in the top 5% of all mental health counselors trying to run a practice today and it will put you on a firm, safe foundation. Oh, and each…
I read your written comments prior to BHEC on August 23, attended virtually, and heard your public comments regarding rule changes under consideration. Although I can agree with some of your points, I must respectfully take exception to your position on the proposed CEU requirements. Rules are always a work in progress and require constant adjustment due to new technology, societal changes, legislative mandates, research, practicality, and most recently COVID. Specific requirements for CEUS ensure that licensed counselors stay abreast of current best practices and informed on new research, board rule changes, and renewed awareness of contemporary issues impacting our clients.
During the course of my experience, I have seen paradigm shifts in theory and practice for autism, depression in children, learning disabilities, early education, diagnosis and eligibility for special needs, and so much more. The requirement for multicultural counseling speaks to the reality that none of us can know everything about another culture and there is always more to learn, and we can choose areas of interest.
The TCA Executive Director Jan Friese has access and input from counselors throughout the state, and can offer objective insight from that source. Actually, Texas CEU requirements for each licensing cycle are less than those required by many other state regulatory boards.
Your concern about who may be qualified CEU providers could be overstated; universities, hospitals, government agencies (state or federal), professional organizations, large non-profits, etc. have a wealth of information, research, expert staff, funding for guest presenters, and oversight from credentialing bodies to ensure that integrity and reputation are maintained. It is my position that any individual offering CEUs SHOULD be vetted and approved first. In fact, your 3.0 CEU event on the Frisco Gun Range might not meet the criteria for approval.
An earlier email blog indicated your intent to share your own beliefs with your clients who might be confused about what to believe in today’s world. As one professional to another , please be reminded that ethically counselors do not judge, share, or impart their own views and philosophy on clients. I sincerely hope that I misunderstood your position, and this was never your intent.
Thank you for the opportunity to present an alternate view.
Gay McAlister, LPC-S
Thank you for your feedback, Gay.
I understand your points and they are well taken. I have no issue with the original multicultural efforts, I was referring to the diversity issues that have been attached to the multicultural category. A totally different conversation in my mind.
As far as our professional development social outings, we spend several hours after our social time together discussing many ethical issues that plague us all. We allow our attendees to determine, prior to the meeting, what the subject matter we discuss will be so, yes, our CE program does qualify. These events typically sell out and the evaluation feedback forms are very, very favorable. You should come join us sometime!
As to “sharing beliefs” it doesn’t sound like you actually read the blog post because its intended audience is other counselors, not our clients. We let our clients determine who they wish to see.
Again thank you kindly. I appreciate this dialogue very much.