Advocating for the counseling profession paper

Advocating For The Counseling Profession

In this assignment, you will determine strategies to advocate for the counseling profession by developing a position statement. A position statement, like a white paper, is a report that presents both facts and opinions on a particular issue to inform readers and influence them. Often, a position statement concludes with a call to action and provides recommendations for the next steps.

In this assignment, you will gather facts and make inferences to formulate a well-supported argument for a position and make advocacy recommendations regarding a specific policy influencing professional credentialing (in other words, certifications or licenses) of clinical mental health counselors.

To prepare your assignment, gather facts and formulate a well-supported argument that counselors' scope of practice should be expanded in some way (for example, extending Medicare provider status to mental health counselors, extending the Indian Health Service to recognize professional counselors as health care providers, or urging state counseling licensure boards to adopt the requirement of graduation from a CACREP-accredited counseling program for licensure to improve license portability across state lines).

This assignment has two parts:

The first part will be a brief introductory paper entitled Advocating for the Counseling Profession.
In this section of the assignment, describe the need for professional counselors to advocate on behalf of the profession.
Instructions for this part of the assignment are included in the Template.
For the second part of the assignment, you will construct a Position Statement and Advocacy Recommendations paper.
Focus on an issue impacting the credentialing (certifications, licenses, accreditation, and portability of licensure) of clinical mental health counselors.
Make a well-supported argument that counselors' scope of practice should be augmented or expanded so that counselors and clients can be better served.
Include your Position Statement and Advocacy Recommendations as Appendix A at the end of your Advocating for the Counseling Profession paper. The template shows how to include an appendix in an APA-style paper.
Your Position Statement and Advocacy Recommendations paper should have the following sections:

Topic and Background: Identify the topic and summarize what has been done in the past. Then succinctly describe the current state of affairs with respect to the issue.
Arguable Viewpoints: Briefly state at least two points of view on your topic.
Viewpoint: State the position you advocate.
Supporting Reasons: State your reasons for supporting your chosen position.
Call to Action and Advocacy Recommendations: Describe a process for counselors to follow in advocating on an issue that impacts their credentialing (licensure, certifications) and scope of practice. Include specific recommendations for action steps counselors can follow in advocating for the profession on this issue.

Additional Requirements
Written communication: Communicate your thoughts in a manner that conveys the overall goals of the assignment and is consistent with APA standards for style and professionalism.
Length of paper: The paper including both parts of the assignment should be between 3–4 pages in length, not including the title page or reference page.
References: The paper must include a reference list. Include a minimum of two references from professional literature and two from other sources. Cite your sources and include full references on the Reference page.
APA formatting: You must use proper APA style in listing your references. Refer to the APA Style and Format resources on Campus for more information.
Font and font-size: Times New Roman, 12 point font.

[Running Head: BRIEF VERSION OF PAPER TITLE, ALL CAPS] 1

[BRIEF VERSION OF THE TITLE, ALL CAPS] 2

Advocating for the Counseling Profession

[Author First Name MI. Last Name]

[COURSE NUMBER & NAME]

[Date]

Capella University

Advocating for the Counseling Profession

[Delete the following instructions after reading.] This is your paper’s introduction (one paragraph). Replace this text with a brief paragraph in your own words stating what will be included in this paper, thus cuing the reader as to what will follow. Describe why advocating on behalf of the profession is an important role for professional counselors.

Next, describe public policy. Describe and evaluate an example of how public policy can impact counselors’ scope of practice through licensure laws or other types of professional counseling credentialing. Refer to the topic in your Position Paper and Advocacy Recommendations that will be presented in Appendix A.

Next, make recommendations for how counselors decide when and how to advocate for a change they decide will benefit the profession. Describe processes through which you could advocate on behalf of the profession on an issue that impacts the credentialing (licensure, certifications) or the scope of practice of clinical mental health counselors.

Conclude with a paragraph describing the role that advocacy for the profession will play in your future as a clinical mental health counselor. Construct your concluding paragraph so that your reader feels motivated to become involved.

References

[Here, include the sources that you cited, using hanging indentation. The references below provide example citations for an article, book, and website. See your course syllabus, as well, for examples of how to cite the assigned and optional resources you have used.]

Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (year). Title of article. Title of Periodical, volume # (issue #), xx–xx.

Erford, B. T. (2018). Orientation to the counseling profession: Advocacy, ethics, and essential professional foundations (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Pearson.

Mental Health America. (2019, January). Position statement 17: Promotion of mental wellness. Retrieved from http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/positions/promotion

Appendix A

Position Statement and Advocacy Recommendations

[Delete these instructions after reading. This position paper format is designed to quickly brief other professionals on an issue and then make recommendations for action. In it, you will formulate an argument to support a change in professional practice. Focus your Position Statement and Advocacy Recommendations on an issue that impacts the counseling profession related to the credentialing (certifications, licenses, portability of licensure) or expanding the hiring/ scope of practice of clinical mental health counselors so that a population can be better served. Your Position Statement and Advocacy Recommendations should be succinct— no more than two double-spaced pages.]

Topic and Background: [Identify the topic and summarize what has been done in the past. Then describe the current state of affairs with respect to the issue. Cite your sources and include full references on the References page.]

Arguable Viewpoints: [Briefly state at least two points of view on your topic.]

Viewpoint: [State the position you advocate.]

Supporting Reasons: [State your reasons for supporting your chosen position.]

Call to Action and Advocacy Recommendations: [Here, you will describe a process for counselors to follow in advocating with respect to the issue you identified above. Include your specific recommendations for action steps counselors can follow in advocating for the profession on this issue.]