MVCA May 1998 Newsletter

PRESIDENT'S CORNER
Holly Welther

This is the last article I will write as president of the Miami Valley Counseling Association. My year as president has been eventful and exciting. MVCA developed a strategic plan, implemented several objectives, and become more focused on the future. Although much work has been accomplished, there remains more to do. You, as members of this professional organization, share the responsibility of continuing to move forward. There are many letters to be written, legislators to be contacted, and managed care companies to be educated. Serving on the MVCA Executive Council is one way of becoming involved and helping to chart the course for our future. Six years ago, I became involved by presenting a workshop, and was subsequently asked to serve on the executive council. What a difference it made for me professionally! I encourage each of you to attend an executive council meeting. Meetings are held the first Thursday of the month (except during the summer) at Womanline, 301 East Sixth Street in Dayton. Come join us!

FROM THE EDITOR
Jane Shirley

In the last newsletter, I stated the intent of introducing you to OCA and its divisions. OCA President, Eileen Self, generously provided me with brief job descriptions of each of the offices within OCA and an outline of activities of the divisions. In this issue, I will relay information on the duties of members of the OCA Executive Council. If you have wondered just what OCA officers do, I hope this information will help to answer your questions.

There are two paid part-time positions on the OCA Executive Council: Administrative Consultant and Legislative Consultant. Some of the Administrative Consultant's duties for this term are maintaining the OCA office, phone, records, and correspondence; providing daily administrative services and operations; processing membership applications and renewals; auditing the books; and pursuing participation in a pilot study with ACA Insurance Trust to provide liability insurance to OCA members.

The Legislative Consultant submits regular written reports to the OCA Executive Council that ensure they are informed of issues in the Ohio House and Senate that impact the counseling profession. This information is then disseminated to you via our Legislative Update column.

Elected, non-paid positions include the President and Treasurer. The treasurer keeps books, writes checks, makes deposits, and prepares monthly budget reports. Presidential duties are many and vary from year to year. Examples of functions performed by Dr. Self include: presiding at business meetings; planning All-Ohio Counselors Conference; conducting the annual Leadership Development Conference for OCA board; revising the leadership manual; developing the 1997-98 plan based on input from chapter presidents; recruiting members via letters and forms sent to all new licensees; maintaining a link with ACA via phone, letters, consultations, reports, strategic planning, etc.; initiating an Ohio Behavioral Health Professional Association Consortium with APA and NASW-Ohio for the purpose of collaboration to increase client and member services; creating a state-wide speakers' bureau;

updating the OCA membership brochure; conducting a needs survey that is being used for program planning; working with all OCA committees on tasks; and many other duties too numerous to mention here.

Other Executive Council positions are appointed by the president, and include the OCA secretary and chairs of the committees (Awards, Ethics, Government Relations, Professional Development, Public Relations, Membership, Bylaws, Newsletter, Archives, Finance, Nominations and Elections, and OCSWB Liaison.) Information about activities of the committees can be obtained via the OCA Newsletter and via the OCA Web Site at http://www.ohiocounselingassoc.com. Did you know that the OCA archives are housed at Bowling Green State University?

Letters to the editor can be sent to me, Jane Shirley, at the Preble County Counseling Center, 225 North Barron Street, Eaton, Ohio 45320, or FAXed to 937/456-5939.


LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
Kriss Haren

Three bills that are of interest to counselors have recently been introduced in the Ohio House of Representatives.

House Bill 699 was drafted by Rep. Jack Ford (D, Toledo) in response to the Ohio Supreme Court decision in the Morgan v. Fairfield County Family Counseling Center, which eliminated the immunity provisions of ORC 5122.34. This Bill would require that a therapist essentially either warn a third party of the potential threat of violence from a client or attempt to have the client hospitalized. A duty to protect is implicit in this Bill. The coalition of various mental health groups that resulted in response to the Morgan V. Fairfield County decision feels that this Bill is unrealistic and has drafted its own version.

House Bill 719, the coalition effort, drafted by Vesper (R-New Richmond) attempts to limit a therapist's duty to warn of the potential for violence by a client. This Bill allows a mental health professional to use any of the following steps in an attempt to warn a clearly identified potential victim: 1) Use any authority that he or she possesses to have the client hospitalized; 2) Establish and follow a treatment plan that is "reasonably calculated" to minimize the opportunities for the client to carry out the threat; 3) Communicate news of the threat directly to the potential victim(s), the potential victim's parent or guardian if the victim is a minor or has been adjudicated incompetent, or to a law enforcement agency in the appropriate jurisdictions. This Bill encompasses the concept of "appropriate standards of professional practice" as a measuring tool for any actions are taken, specifically in the formulation and implementation of an appropriate treatment plan.

House Bill 718, (Olman, R-Maumee) addresses insurance parity for mental illness treatment. This Bill essentially requires that insurance providers cover "severe mental illnesses" at a rate that is "no less extensive" than the coverage provided under health insurance contracts. These severe mental illnesses are schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and schizoaffective disorder.

As of March 19, 1998, there had been no hearings on the Bill introduced that would license art therapists in Ohio.

Please take time to write to your representative urging his or her support for House Bills 718 and 719! Your voice counts!

NOMINATING COMMITTEE REPORT

MVCA Nominating Committee, Amy Eiler, chair, Eileen Self, and Doris Wilkinson, is pleased to present two fine candidates for the office of President Elect for 1998-1999. They are Vivienne Himmell and Carol Pohly. A ballot listing these candidates is included as an attachment to this newsletter.

Vivienne M. Himmell, LPC, LSW, served twenty five years with the Montgomery County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities. Her first thirteen years were spent as a school counselor working with preschool and school-age children, their parents, staff, and other agencies. She then worked with all age groups, serving as a Case Manager in the Department of Family Support Services, and as administrator with the Department of Adult Services coordinating intakes and eligibility of all adults entering board services. She is active in MVCA, Social Workers Guild, Professional Association for Retardation, and the League of Women Voters. She serves on the Community Advisory Board of the Rehabilitation Institute of Ohio, the Appeals Board of Project Mobility (RTA), Brain Injury Cluster of the Rehabilitation Services Commission, is hearing officer for the Ohio Department of MR/DD, and is a Certified Program Reviewer for the Ohio Department of Education. She recently received the Harold F. Hilty Humanitarian Award from UCP Rehabilitation Services, the Erin Ritchey Memorial Spirit Award from the Brighter Tomorrow Foundation, and the Social Work Distinguished Alumna Award from Wright State University Department of Social Work.

Carol Pohly, M.Ed., LPCC, LSW began her career in counseling in 1972 after completing her degree in Guidance and Counseling at Miami University, having been a teacher for several years. She worked as a school counselor in the Kettering school system for 18 years, with experience at the elementary, junior high, and high school levels. In 1982, Carol began working part time in private practice while continuing to work part time in the schools. She ultimately transitioned to full-time private practice and furthered her education in counseling. She spent three years in Transactional Analysis and Gestalt Therapy at the T.A. Institute in Dayton, trained for three years in Structural/Strategic Marital and Family Therapy at the Family Therapy Center of the University of Cincinnati, and has received specialized training in addictions and co-dependency. She completed academic work toward LPCC licensure at Wright State University. Carol is currently in private practice at Terlesky and Associates in Kettering. She has served on a committee of OCA that developed a brochure explaining qualifications of licensed counselors to be used to educate managed care companies, and is a member-at-large on the MVCA Executive Council.


SUB-COMMITTEE REPORT

A sub-committee of MVCA has been formed to promote the counseling profession. Members are Amy Eiler, Carol Pohly, and Eileen Self. This committee developed two form letters presenting the benefits of including LPCCs on their lists of qualified providers for third-party reimbursement. One letter was sent to managed care organizations and HMOs, and the other was sent to area employers. Letters were directed to individuals or departments that make decisions as to the providers covered by their insurance plans. MVCA and OCA co-sponsored these letters, which were signed by the organizations' respective presidents, Holly Welther and Eileen Self.

If you would like to send a copy of one of these letters to a company, please contact Amy Eiler at 937/435-1662 with the name and address of the person to whom the letter should be sent.

A flyer has also been developed that can be distributed in presentations to business organizations. The sub-committee plans to contact area organizations in the near future to request opportunities to present information at company meetings about the benefits of designating licensed counselors as providers. A copy of the flyer is included as an attachment to this newsletter. You may copy the flyer and distribute it in your efforts to promote the counseling profession. If you know of a company or organization that influences decisions on third party reimbursement and would like them to be contacted about an opportunity to present information, please contact Amy Eiler (937/435-1662) or Carol Pohly (937/434-6217). Special thanks to Deborah Dunlop, Sarah Dunlop, Valerie Sorosiak, Jessica Sorosiak, and Jo Pohly for their assistance.


ANNOUNCEMENTS

Domestic Violence is the topic of the next MVCA WORKSHOP, which will be held Friday, June 12, 1998 at the Holiday Inn, Fairborn, 2800 Presidential Drive (across from Wright State). The presenter is Barbel Adkins, LSW, Executive Director of the Miami County Family Abuse Shelter. Ms. Adkins has held her current position since 1981, and was previously a Deputy Sheriff in Miami County. Cost of the workshop is $50.00 for MVCA members and $65.00 for non-members. Six CEUs are pending approval by the Ohio Counselor and Social Worker Board. Registration hour is 8:00 - 9:00 A.M., with the workshop beginning promptly at 9:00, and ending at 5:00 P.M. To obtain registration information, contact Joyce Haywood at 937/512-5134.

The counselor support group still meets, and new members are welcome. Meetings are held the second Friday of every-other month, with the next meeting to take place June 12, 1998 at the office of Priscilla Mutter. If you wish to attend, please contact Priscilla at 937/890-9998 or Amy Eiler at 937/435-1662 to ensure that enough space will be set aside for the group.

OCA MEMBERSHIP

OCA members are professional counselors in Ohio working in a variety of settings, including schools, agencies, corrections facilities, and private practice. OCA dues support efforts to advance the counseling profession. By joining OCA, you also become a member of a local chapter, such as MVCA. Members receive OCA newsletters and information on training events, plus reduced fees for MVCA workshops. Membership starts the date you join. A membership application is attached to this newsletter. If you are not yet a member, why not join now?