Please sign this petition to advocate for mental health practitioners and agencies

Click here to sign petition: Petition link

http://www.capwiz.com/nysw/issues/alert/?alertid=14343196&type=ML&show_ alert=1

It will only take a minute of your time!

The issue: NYS Education Dept failed to predict the outcomes of professional licensing laws for social work and other mental health practitioners.

The result: Numerous agencies are in jeopardy of closing their doors due to being unintentionally brought into violation of licensing/corporate practice laws.

Practitioners like myself are not getting credit for YEARS of experience obtained in good faith towards licensure.

I have been advocating for this for the past two years.

If you or someone you know has ever been helped by a mental health professional and/or for LIF solidarity, PLEASE JOIN ME in signing this petition.

The form will automatically determine who your state reps are. Please FM me the names of your reps after the web site generates them for you so I can keep track of the contacts!

Also, feel free to spread the word and let me know if you have any questions.

Thank you!



Petition link


ETA: You do not need to be a social worker to participate. The first line can be edited to read "I am a constituent."


To compare it hypothetically, Imagine how devastated you would be if you worked your butt off for three years to get a degree and were then told--oh sorry, everything you did doesn't count because we have determined after the fact that your school is not an accepted setting so you don't get to graduate!

There was no prior notification to the field that certain work settings would not count!
And the Office of the Professions refuses to verify in advance whether a setting will count.

Message edited 2/2/2010 8:08:04 AM.

Re: Please sign this petition to advocate for mental health practitioners and agencies

The laws in NY are completely ridiculous. The same thing goes on with school counselors. We are trained as therapists, yet cannot work outside a school.

Message edited 2/2/2010 12:07:44 PM.

Re: Please sign this petition to advocate for mental health practitioners and agencies

I'm a bit confused? NYSOP is declining to grant licensure due to certain non approved settings? Do you have any more info on this issue? I don't live in NY anymore but still licensed in the state. Thanks

Re: Please sign this petition to advocate for mental health practitioners and agencies

Hi, done. I'm currently going for my MSW these news are disturbing. I haven't heard anything about it? will bring it up to my classmates and professor.


Your e-mail message was sent to:
Owen H. Johnson (R-NY 4th)
Philip M. Boyle (R-NY 8th)
Sheldon Silver

Re: Please sign this petition to advocate for mental health practitioners and agencies

Hi, thanks for your replies!

Some more information is available at this website:

NYS Coalition of Social Workers

although the web site is not that clearly presented.

The Coalition's listserv to discuss social work licensing issues is:

Message Board

and there is a lot of info in previous postings.

I forget exactly because I'm already signed-on but you have to click on something like "join this group" and be approved by an administrator. I think some time in March, they are converting it to Members-only ($100 for annual membership which goes for attorney fees) but for now, it's available to everyone for free.

And yes, please spread the word!!

Message edited 2/2/2010 11:19:08 PM.

Re: Please sign this petition to advocate for mental health practitioners and agencies

Also

NASW NYC Newsletter