Environmental & Political Challenges in Counseling

by tonyastro 2:22:00 PM

Numerous environmental, political, economic, and societal events have occurred worldwide over the past several years that have had an impact on the functioning of society as a whole and as a result, on the counseling profession.

1 Comments

Tony, Samuel Fredrick and Myla said…

Economic turmoil is real, and it feeds fear among us says the Philadelphia Inquirer headline and so is the entire country / citizens are apprehensive. This will definitely increase anxiety among clients and hence need for more creative counseling. The demand for therapist may increase but their ability to recompense the insurance requiring premium may also increase. The ability of counselors to accommodate and effectively counsel the demanding nature of counseling may negatively affect both clients and counselors.

The current election campaign and eventually who will be winning this election affects the counseling world in terms of accommodation of our clients through Medicare and Social Security issues of both candidates platform.
Legislative changes must take place on health plans that deals with our licensed professional counselors. The American Counselors Association seeks help in contacting our Congressman and vote for the right candidate in the upcoming election.

Despite being widely recognized by private sector health plans, licensed professional counselors have yet to be recognized under Medicare. When a client turns 65, counselors lose both their business and their income, and too many counselors are denied hospital jobs because they cannot bill Medicare. This issue affects the recognition of and respect for the counseling professions throughout the country--from rehabilitation and school counseling to professional counseling. (American Counselors Association)

Reference:
American Counselors Association website. Retrieve on October 19, 2008 at http://capwiz.com/counseling/issues/alert/?alertid=11789001

December 2, 2008 at 2:25 PM