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At every ACA Conference, counselors are able to become trained in disaster mental health response through the American Red Cross. Here is information from the American Red Cross if you, or another counselor you know, is interested in deploying to Texas to help with Harvey.
The American Red Cross has activated a Direct Deployment process to recruit new Disaster Mental Health (DMH) volunteers to assist with hurricane relief efforts. Volunteer recruitment information for health and mental health professionals can be found at http://www.redcross.org/…/hurricane-harvey-health-professio… Please consider becoming a Red Cross volunteer and assisting the people and communities affected by this devastating storm. Disaster Mental Health (DMH) volunteers must have a master’s degree or higher and be licensed or certified in a mental health profession (if retired, they must have held a license/certificate within the past 5 years). The Red Cross will provide training, transportation, food and lodging. It is expected that DMH volunteers will serve on the operation for one week or longer, plus two travel days. Dear CSJ community,
I want to share with you how we’re working to respond to the recent events in Charlottesville. The CSJ board is working on an official statement as well as a online meeting for those interested in developing ways to respond. We have also created a folder within ACA Connect where I invite you to post resources, personal reflections, or anything else that you’d like to share with our community. To access the folder, log into ACA Connect, go to the CSJ Community page, click on the Library tab, select the “Charlottesville and Related Resources” folder, and upload documents using the “New” button on the left under Folder Contents. Many of us were likely not entirely surprised by the events Charlottesville, since we are under no the illusion that white supremacy, bigotry, misogyny, xenophobia, Islamophobia, and more aren’t common in our country. I am, however, sad and angry and scared, as I am almost every day when I hear about some new, terrible hate crime, violent act, or bigoted rhetoric or policy. And I’m relatively safe as a straight white cis woman. I hope that this wakes more people up and that people of conscience work together for justice and against bigotry — both the overt forms we are seeing as well as the more subtle and insidious forms of bigotry. I hope we work in solidarity with all groups targeted — people of color, immigrants, Muslims, Jews, women, the LGBTQ community, and more. I hope we are outraged and that it spurs us to action. I had the opportunity to join some of the protests in Washington, DC this weekend, and being in community with those on the side of justice was energizing and heartening. I hope we will speak up when and where we can, because, in the words of Audre Lorde, “Your silence will not protect you.” Thank you for being part of our community. Please reach out if you would like to be part of our efforts. —————————-- Rachael D. Goodman, PhD, LPC President (2017-2018), Counselors for Social Justice, a division of the American Counseling Association Associate Professor, George Mason University email: [email protected]  Statement in Response to Charlottesville Incident August 2017 In response to the recent racially driven violent event in Charlottesville, the members of Counselors for Social Justice division of the American Counseling Association, make this statement. We abhor the senseless acts of violence and displays of hatred towards our brothers and sisters. We “value an inclusive society where people are accepted regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, culture, physical ability, religion, age, or sexual identity. Any discrimination is harmful to the well-being of the individual and our society (ACA, 2017).” As a division that works to promote social justice in our society through confronting oppressive systems of power and privilege that affect professional counselors and our clients and to assist in the positive change in our society, we respond to this event with this statement and social justice action. We will be providing lists of ideas of actions that can be undertaken in response to this act soon. In response to the recent racially driven violent event in Charlottesville, the members of Counselors for Social Justice division of the American Counseling Association, make this statement.
We abhor the senseless acts of violence and displays of hatred towards our brothers and sisters. We “value an inclusive society where people are accepted regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, culture, physical ability, religion, age, or sexual identity. Any discrimination is harmful to the well-being of the individual and our society (ACA, 2017).” As a division that works to promote social justice in our society through confronting oppressive systems of power and privilege that affect professional counselors and our clients and to assist in the positive change in our society, we respond to this event with this statement and social justice action. We will be providing lists of ideas of actions that can be undertaken in response to this act soon. In light of the recent discussion about the bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, the members of the Counselors for Social Justice (CSJ) division of the American Counseling Association (ACA) offer this statement to share our concerns.
We support efforts to strengthen and stabilize our nation’s health care system and extend insurance coverage and protections. We oppose the legislation as introduced in light of the adverse impact it will have on Americans, particularly those with mental health and substance use disorders. An estimated 11 million Americans with incomes below 138 percent of the federal poverty level currently have coverage for mental health and substance use disorders, provided at parity with coverage for general medical services through Medicaid expansion plans. This bill would reduce mental health and substance use coverage for millions of Americans enrolled in Medicaid and contribute to the loss of coverage for millions more individuals (Cohn & Young, 2016). The current bill, called the American Health Care Act, would remove the requirement for Medicaid benchmark plans to cover essential health benefits, including mental health, substance use and behavioral health services. Severe work-reducing disabilities result from these diagnoses and treatment empowers them to work. Removing this requirement would cause the loss of coverage to millions of Americans for these life-saving treatments and challenge our nation’s health and economic strength (Vecchio, 2017). The bill prohibits funding for reproductive health services under Medicaid. This limitation would cuts off access to care for many low-income women and sexual and gender minorities leaving a large portion of our population without reproductive health coverage. CSJ engage in open dialogue and advocacy to promote equity, fairness, and inclusion in public policy and in our communities. ACA advocacy competencies advise action with and on behalf of clients, students, and communities at both micro and macro levels. CSJ suggest the following action ideas. Micro level interventions (with clients and students) include teaching self-advocacy skills, confronting barriers, connecting clients to advocacy groups, and developing alliances with other social justice organizations. Macro level interventions (with communities and social/political systems) include creating a vision for change, disseminating information via social media, providing psychoeducation, and learning about this bill and lobbying against it. In light of the recent discussion about the bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, the members of the Counselors for Social Justice (CSJ) division of the American Counseling Association (ACA) offer this statement to share our concerns.
We support efforts to strengthen and stabilize our nation’s health care system and extend insurance coverage and protections. We oppose the legislation as introduced in light of the adverse impact it will have on Americans, particularly those with mental health and substance use disorders. An estimated 11 million Americans with incomes below 138 percent of the federal poverty level currently have coverage for mental health and substance use disorders, provided at parity with coverage for general medical services through Medicaid expansion plans. This bill would reduce mental health and substance use coverage for millions of Americans enrolled in Medicaid and contribute to the loss of coverage for millions more individuals (Cohn & Young, 2016). The current bill, called the American Health Care Act, would remove the requirement for Medicaid benchmark plans to cover essential health benefits, including mental health, substance use and behavioral health services. Severe work-reducing disabilities result from these diagnoses and treatment empowers them to work. Removing this requirement would cause the loss of coverage to millions of Americans for these life-saving treatments and challenge our nation’s health and economic strength (Vecchio, 2017). The bill prohibits funding for reproductive health services under Medicaid. This limitation would cuts off access to care for many low-income women and sexual and gender minorities leaving a large portion of our population without reproductive health coverage. CSJ engage in open dialogue and advocacy to promote equity, fairness, and inclusion in public policy and in our communities. ACA advocacy competencies advise action with and on behalf of clients, students, and communities at both micro and macro levels. CSJ suggest the following action ideas. Micro level interventions (with clients and students) include teaching self-advocacy skills, confronting barriers, connecting clients to advocacy groups, and developing alliances with other social justice organizations. Macro level interventions (with communities and social/political systems) include creating a vision for change, disseminating information via social media, providing psychoeducation, and learning about this bill and lobbying against it. Dear CSJ Community,
We want to address the recent results of the presidential election and the impact that it may have on many of us, our families, and the communities we serve. The new president elect’s rhetoric and policies are examples of the bigotry that continues to exist in this country, despite the hard fought progress for social justice. We want you to know that we stand in solidarity with those targeted by this hateful rhetoric and policy. We will continue to work to build CSJ as a strong social justice organization that can support us all and our work. We hope the CSJ community can serve as a source of support and encouragement, as well as a vehicle for action. We thank you for your commitment to social justice, as this election clearly illustrates that urgent and serious need for our work. Sincerely, Your CSJ Board Members —————————-- Rachael D. Goodman, PhD, LPC CSJ President Elect Associate Professor, George Mason University —————————-- |
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