Recent Federal Policies Resources

Individuals Impacted by Recent Federal Policies

The last few months have been a time of rapid change and stress, especially for communities that are already marginalized and underserved. Explore this list of documents, organizations and additional resources that may be helpful to counselors and clients.

Explore resources that may be helpful to counselors and clients during this time of uncertainty.

This page is dynamic, and resources will continue to grow as we expand our offerings. We also recommend visiting ACA’s Working with Marginalized Communities page for additional resources.

Advocacy

Use your voice to advocate for the world you want to see.

Contact your legislators

Look up your legislators and their contact information.
Join ACA initiatives like our action alert about recent executive orders.

Schedule meetings with your legislators

This is one of the most impactful ways to advocate. Contact the Government Affairs and Public Policy team at advocacy@counseling.org for mental health and counseling advocacy tips.
Check out our Advocacy 101 for general advocacy Dos and Don’ts.

Attend a Hill Day

All ACA members are welcome to attend our Congressional Hill Day this fall (keep an eye on our Advocacy Newsletter for registration information).
Your ACA Branch or Region may also be holding a Hill Day, contact your ACA Branch to learn more.

Stay informed

Attend local town halls and subscribe to your legislators’ newsletters.
Follow reputable news sources.
Participate in ACA’s monthly Advocacy Power Hour (APH) meetings (every third Thursday at 3 p.m. ET) to learn more about our advocacy efforts and policy developments impacting counselors.
Routinely check the ACA Take Action page for new action alerts.

Ethics

ACA Ethics Consultations are available for ACA members.
Read the current ACA Code of Ethics.

Federal Employees

Democracy Forward

Resources for Civil Servants has information on civil service protections, court cases, whistle blowing, and updates as they happen in real time.

Maryland

Resources for Maryland’s Former Federal Employees and Other Workers Impacted by the Federal Government Transition provides information on resources like unemployment insurance benefits, career guidance, and reemployment support.
Montgomery County’s Resources has various resources to support affected individuals. This page offers essential information to assist with employment, basic needs and health services during this challenging time.

Updates and news about federal employees

See the American Federation of Government Employees, National Treasury Employees Union, and Federal News Network.

Virginia

Virginia Has Jobs list numerous job openings that may interest former federal employees.

Washington, DC

The 51st has compiled discounts and free services for impacted federal workers in D.C.

Many local and federal officials host town halls in their districts and states. Learn more on your legislator’s website. Look up your legislator’s contact information here.

Immigrant Communities

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) - Know Your Rights: Immigrants’ Rights
Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) - Know Your Rights Information on ICE Raids collection of Know Your Rights resources to help prepare parents, community members, and attorneys on ICE raids
National Immigrant Justice Center - Know Your Rights has know your rights resources for various immigration related situations
Network for Public Health Law - Undocumented Immigrant and Patient Privacy Laws issue brief explores relevant federal and state health privacy laws and how they apply to undocumented immigrants.

LBGTQIA+ Communities

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) - Know Your Rights: LGBTQ Rights
Lambda Legal - Help Desk provides general legal information and resources relating to discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, and HIV status.
Trevor Project - They have a 24-hour crisis line to support LGBTQ+ youth. Text ‘Start’ to 678-678, call 866-488-7386, or chat. They also offer peer support for LGBTQ+ young people and offer online LGBTQ+ suicide prevention trainings .

Legal

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Know Your Rights resources for a variety of communities that often face discrimination
Legal Services Corporation - the largest federal funder of legal aid offices around the country. Look up your legal aid office. These offices offer free legal services to qualifying individuals. These services can vary by legal aid office.
American Bar Association - ABA Free Legal Answers is a virtual legal advice clinic in which qualifying users post civil legal questions at no cost to be answered by pro bono attorneys licensed in their state.

Contact Our Advocacy Team

advocacy@counseling.org