The
The Advocate
Website : www . amhca . org Phone : 703 / 548 – 6002 or Magazine
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Website : www . amhca . org Phone : 703 / 548 – 6002
The Advocate Magazine is published quarterly , by the American Mental Health Counselors Association ( AMHCA ). Issues are posted at www . amhca . org / advocatemag , where they can be downloaded as PDFs .
45 th AMHCA President , 2021 – 2022 , & Interim CEO / ED Beverly Smith , PhD , LPC , NCC , CCMHC , ACS , NCSC , CFT , HS-BCP , BCC , MAC , CPCS , BC-TMH , CCTP , BCPCC
Publisher Dr . Beverly Smith
Consulting Editors
Angele Moss – Baker , LPC , LMFT , MAC , DCMHS- COD AMHCA Past President , 2021 – 2022 44 th AMHCA President , 2020 – 2021
Aaron Norton , PhD , LMHC , LMFT , MCAP , CCMHC , CRC , CFMHE AMHCA Southern Region Director
Editor in Chief Whitney Meyerhoeffer
Editor Kathleen McCarthy
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From the President & Interim CEO / ED
By Beverly Smith , PhD , LPC , NCC , CCMHC , ACS , NCSC , CFT , HS-BCP , BCC , MAC , CPCS , BC-TMH , CCTP , BCPCC 45 th AMHCA President , 2021 – 2022 , and Interim CEO / ED
Reflections & Forward Thinking , Then Re-Imagine
Over the last half of this year , AMHCA has experienced transition and growth , and we continue to re-imagine AMHCA ( the theme of my tenure ). Our former executive director and CEO , Joel Miller , retired after eight years of leading the organization . I became the 45 th president of the association that same month , and with Joel ’ s departure , the interim CEO / ED of AMHCA .
Additionally , AMHCA has embarked on corporate strategic planning to ensure our vitality and sustainability . While we focus on AMHCA ’ s infrastructure , we continue to remain visible and active nationally and politically on issues that are important to our members and to the global profession .
Working for Licensure Portability
I am proud to have convened AMHCA ’ s first “ Counseling Compact Town Hall ,” which was held to promote passage of the “ Counseling Compact ” legislation . Once 10 states have passed the Counseling Compact , fully licensed professional counselors who gain the Counseling Compact license can see clients , in person or via telehealth , in their home state and in all other Counseling Compact member states . In other words , they will not have to apply for a license in other Counseling Compact member states in which they wish to practice . ( See “ What Is the Counseling Compact and Why Should You Care ?” on page 2 of the Summer Issue of The Advocate Magazine , and visit www . amhca . org / advocacy / counselingcompact for more information .)
Unlike most AMHCA webinars , the Counseling Compact Town Hall was open to the public in addition to being open to state leaders of the profession and counseling leaders in general . As AMHCA ’ s president and CEO , I felt strongly about educating as many individuals as possible as we focus on extending our reach through the Counseling Compact to meet the public ’ s growing need for clinical mental health counseling . I wanted to lead the way in helping members and counselors across the country understand the Counseling Compact and discuss how they can be effective advocates for its passage at the state level .
The town hall was very well-attended and featured various stakeholders ’ perspectives on how to move the Counseling Compact agenda forward , and on strategies for gaining legislative support and soliciting input from students and emerging professionals in counseling . Additionally , the town hall panelists represented diversity , equity , and inclusion from within the profession .
Our presenters were :
• Dan Logsdon , director of the National Center for Interstate Compacts
• Dr . Kevin Doyle , president of the American Association of State Counseling Boards ( AASCB )
• Dr . Jeri Stevens , former president of the Maine Clinical Mental Health Counselors Association
• Dr . Gray Otis , a former president of the American Mental Health Counselors Association continued on page 5
4 The Advocate Magazine Fall 2021 American Mental Health Counselors Association ( AMHCA ) www . amhca . org