A Professional's Guide to Advocacy

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T H E I M P O R T A N C E O F A D V O C A C Y F O R P R O F E S S I O N A L S DR. NATAKIE CHESTNUT http://bit.ly/3DqwTia

DR. NATAKIE CHESTNUT

Counseling is a mission-based profession, which means that each of us chose it for a reason. Having the opportunity to make a difference for a particular population or setting was something we wanted to accomplish.

Advocates for counselors work to promote the profession, with a focus on removing or minimizing obstacles that prevent them from providing services. Professional advocacy has received less attention over the past two decades, as compared to efforts related to client and social issues advocacy, and has therefore made little progress.

All counselors felt the role of the counselor as a change agent. We advocate for and alongside our clients as part of our ethics codes and professional competencies.

we seldom consider our professional mission when we think about advocacy. To practice our profession effectively, we must care about parity (being paid the same as mental health professionals with comparable training), public recognition, accurate representation, and employment opportunities.

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A FEW EXAMPLES OF PROFESSIONAL ADVOCACY

Advocacy activities are essential for expanding counselor presence at the community, state, and national levels. Counselors should not underestimate the importance of taking action in their local communities to advance the profession. The profession of counseling is also promoted positively through professional advocacy activities.

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There are several barriers counselors face today when trying to provide care for their students, clients, and communities. A few of these barriers include the Medicare coverage gap, lack of licensure portability, insufficient funding for mental health treatment across settings, and lack of public awareness of counseling.

M O R E I N F O R M A T I O N
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R . N A T A K I E C H E S T N U T I S O N E O F T H E M O S T Q U A L I F I E D E D U C A T I O N A L C O N S U L T A N T S W E R E C O M M E N D I F Y O U A R E A L S O S E E K I N G A D V I C E . Y O U R R E A D I N G I S C O R R E C T , F O R S U R E .

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