We are changing the face of the mental health field in New York. As president of the New York Mental Health Counseling Association (NYMHCA) Metro Chapter, my email box is flooded with graduate students and recent graduates who want to work in their field, but continue to come up against impasse after impasse.  It is my hope that this letter will supply you with a foundation of  the standards required to become a mental health counselor and inspire you to join us in our efforts to expand the mental health field in New York.  

 

Mental Health Counseling is a distinct profession with national standards for education, training and clinical practice.  The American Mental Health Counselors Association is one of the national organizations that represents our profession, along with the American Counseling Association and the National Board of Certified Counselors.  The core areas of training required by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and related Educational Programs (CACREP) include: diagnosis and psychopathology, psychotherapy, testing and assessment, group counseling, human growth and development, counseling theory and supervised practicum and internships.  Before a mental health counselor can be licensed in New York, s/he must pass a national standardized examination and must earn 3000 hours of post-masters supervised experience.  These are national standards for the profession. 

 

Mental Health Counselors (MHC’s) are licensed in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam.  MHC’s practice in a variety of settings, including private practice, community agencies, managed care organizations, integrated delivery systems, hospitals, employee assistance programs (EAP’s), schools, substance abuse treatment centers, university counseling centers and more.  More than 90% of the nations managed care organizations either employ or contract with MHC's who are reimbursed the same as other masters level behavioral health clinicians.  MHC’s provide a full range of services including: assessment and diagnosis; psychotherapy/counseling with individuals, couples, families, and groups; treatment planning and utilization review; career counseling; alcoholism and substance abuse treatment; psycho-educational and prevention programs; and crisis management.

 

Mental Health Counselors  number over 110,000 clinicians across the country, nearly surpassing social workers as the masters-level field with the most licensed individuals.  The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 30% growth in the number of mental health counselors between 2006 and 2016.   Federally, counselors are accepted as clinicians in the National Health Service Corps and SAMSHA and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) recently approved the establishment of  new occupational categories for licensed mental health counselors and marriage and family therapists working within the Veterans’ Health Administration (VHA).

 

In New York, though things are progressing slowly, we are seeing progress!  LMHC's have been recognized by the New York State Education Department as one of four licensed mental health practitioner licenses since 2006.  Mental Health Counseling programs have been started at NYU, Columbia, Mercy College, Iona, and several CUNY schools including College of Staten Island, Hunter, and Brooklyn College.   Agencies working with the Office of Mental Health (OMH), Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (OMRDD), the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) are beginning to understand the importance of these highly qualified professionals and how their training (e.g., required internship and post-graduate experience) mirrors that of marriage and family therapists, social workers, psychologists, psychiatry residents, etc.   NYMHCA continues to work with these agencies and institutions to advocate for expanded opportunities in this burgeoning field.

 

A graduate student in mental health counseling is charged by their school to find a clinical practicum/internship site from 1-3 semesters.  At these sites s/he is allowed to perform many of the duties of a mental health counselor including psychotherapy, assessments, intakes, case management, etc, under the supervision of a licensed mental health practitioner (not including LMSW’s).  Upon graduation, the mental health counselor is eligible to apply for a limited permit that allows him/her to be employed in an approved setting under the supervision of a licensed mental health practitioner. During this time the Mental Health Counselor – Limited Permit (MHC-LP) is allowed to perform all of the duties of a mental health counselor. MHC-LP’s, like LMSW’s, are not yet qualified for independent practice. To become independently licensed the MHC-LP must obtain 3000 hours of experience in an approved setting with an approved supervisor and pass a standardized licensing exam to become a full Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC).

 

NYMHCA continues to work with its lobbyists at the state level on issues such as OMH restructuring, parity with other licensed masters level mental health clinicians billing Medicaid, job opportunities and more.

 

I hope that this helps to clarify some of the confusion over credentials that prevents highly qualified mental health counselors from becoming gainfully employed and from meeting the mental health needs of the people of New York.  Mental Health Counseling was rated 33rd on Money Magazine’s Top 50 Jobs in the country!  NYMHCA wants to see this reflected in New York. 

 

If you are interested in knowing more about NYMHCA or if you are interested in working with a mental health counselor, please do not hesitate to contact me.

 

Michael DeMarco, PhD, LMHC, LMFT– President

841 Broadway, Suite 302, New York, NY 10003

president@nymhcametro.org

www.nymhcametro.org