In response to the U.S. Department of Education notice: Negotiated Rulemaking Committee: Public Hearings​, CSJ, ALGBTIC, and AMCD make the following statement and call to action:

Read CSJ's official letter of opposition to the petition requesting endorsement of the National Counselor Licensure for Endorsement Process (NCLEP).

October 18, 2018
 
Jaime Hoyle, Executive Director
Virginia Boards of Counseling, Psychology, and Social Work
9360 Maryland Drive
Suite 300
Richmond, VA  23233
 
Subject:    Opposition of the Counselors for Social Justice (CSJ) to the petition for endorsement of the
                 National Counselor Licensure Endorsement Process

Dear Mr. Hoyle:
 
As a division of counselors committed to social justice, we stand in solidarity with the American Counseling Association in opposing the petition to the Virginia Board of Counseling requesting endorsement of the National Counselor Licensure for Endorsement Process (NCLEP).   
 
NCLEP creates unnecessary restrictions on counselors’ ability to relocate and practice in another state.  CSJ upholds the social justice principles of fairness, equity, and inclusion.  NCLEP is exclusionary and will deny the public access to care from thousands of qualified counselors who do meet the NCLEP standards.
 
Therefore, we endorse the more inclusive licensure portability model provided by ACA.  The ACA licensure portability model states:
 
“A counselor who is licensed at the independent practice level in their home state and who has no disciplinary record shall be eligible for licensure at the independent practice level in any state or U.S. jurisdiction in which they are seeking residence. The state to which the licensed counselor is moving may require a jurisprudence examination based on the rules and procedures of that state.”
—Approved by the ACA Governing Council, June 2016
 
We request that you oppose NCLEP in favor of more inclusive licensure portability regulations that ACA’s model affords.
 
Thank you
CSJ Members
6101 Stevenson Ave, Ste 600
Alexandria, VA 22304
800-347-6647

As our presidential year begins in 2018, we wanted to share with you a collective commitment to multiculturalism, diversity, advocacy, and social justice.
 
Beginning about 19 months ago, we began having conversations about how our divisions can join forces and collaborate to serve our members and promote the mission of our divisions and ACA.  From these conversations, this inter-divisional presidential statement emerged.
 
We are dedicated to:
 
1.         Joint webinars, once a quarter.
2.         Joint advocacy statements.
3.         Continued support for the task force addressing the “elephant in the room.”
4.         Joint service days at ACA conferences and expositions.
5.         Continued, collaborative and advanced support across divisions.
6.         Strong presence in the field and the governing council as a whole to promote mutual
            interests.
7.         Promoting and implementing our divisions’ endorsed competencies through clinical
professional practice and research.
 
It is our hope and presidential goals to promote unified support to our membership and clients who are experiencing oppression and marginalization related to political, social, and professional issues.
 
In our current divisive political and social climate, unity, respect and collaboration is needed now more than ever. As your president for 2018-2019, we provide this statement as our pledge to you that we will serve and lead in an equitable, inclusive, and competent manner that is grounded in the mission of each of our divisions and ACA.
 
In Solidarity,

In response to the recent events of gun violence in Florida and other areas of the country, the members of Counselors for Social Justice (CSJ) division of the American Counseling Association, make this statement and call to action. 
 
We call to action a plan to protect all individuals at risk from wanton violence by restricting access to weapons by those individuals who have been deemed to be a threat to themselves and to society.  As a society we cannot achieve the goals of social justice without developing a safe environment for everyone, which includes laws that protect people from gun violence.  The gun violence epidemic that afflicts our nation calls for a stand against corporations and institutions that promote indiscriminate access to weapons. 
 
The American culture’s infatuation with guns reflects a phenomenon that is reinforced through violent entertainment whose content promotes values that deny social justice and disregard for human life while glamourizing the perpetrators.  The indiscriminate access to these products often reaches the minds of vulnerable members of society who are then socialized to believe that violence, hatred, and discrimination are lawful means to redress their grievances.
 
The CSJ Advocacy Competencies advise action with and on behalf of clients, students, and communities at both micro and macro levels. CSJ suggests the following action ideas:

1. Create a document that includes data regarding mental health issues, access to guns, and gun violence outcomes/likelihood.
2. Share this document via social media.
3. Tweet President Trump, the NRA, and other pro-gun organizations to express your concern regarding access to guns, mental health, and community safety.
4. Create a template for contacting local leadership that addresses gun safety and mental health as social justice issues.
5. Work with mental health professionals, schools, and other community members and encourage them to write leadership using the template.
6. Develop localized task forces to educate communities about violence and mental health, encouraging the use of counseling services and other programs to decrease violence.