Scope of Practice Impact on Employability in New York State: Director and Counselor Views

An exploratory survey revealed the effects of New York State's Licensed Mental Health Counselor Law on hiring Licensed Mental Health Counselors. The state Office of the Professions interpreted the absence of the word diagnosis in the law as indicating that LMHCs are ineligible to diagnose menta...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Mental Health Counseling 2013-10, Vol.35 (4), p.360-376
Main Authors: Kassirer, Steven J, Delaney, Nicholas M, Goldstein, Loren M, Taylor, Megan E, Dobmeier, Robert A, Hernandez, Thomas J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Behavior
Counselor Training
Counselors
Definitions
Directors
Educational Legislation
Emotional Disturbances
Employment
Ethics
Government regulation
Health services
Laws
Laws, regulations and rules
Licenses
Mental disorders
Mental health
Mental health counselors
Mental Health Workers
Modeling (Psychology)
Personnel Selection
Professional Identity
Professional Personnel
Professions
Psychiatric counselors
Psychological Services
Psychotherapy
Resistance (Psychology)
Social workers
Studies
Citations: Items that this one cites
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:An exploratory survey revealed the effects of New York State's Licensed Mental Health Counselor Law on hiring Licensed Mental Health Counselors. The state Office of the Professions interpreted the absence of the word diagnosis in the law as indicating that LMHCs are ineligible to diagnose mental disorders. Directors of mental health agencies (n = 22) reported that LMHCs are qualified to work in state-licensed programs and are satisfied with the quality of their work, yet they hesitate or are unwilling to hire LMHCs due to reimbursement obstacles arising from the law. LMHCs (n = 23) reported being denied opportunities for employment, promotion, and insurance reimbursement and that consumer access to care is being restricted. It is advised that licensed professional counselors advocate for inclusion of the term diagnosis in the law in New York and in other states where the practice of professional counseling is unduly restricted.
ISSN:1040-2861
2163-5749
DOI:10.17744/mehc.35.4.2kt6203330647077