ACA News

The White House Announces Millions of Dollars in New Funds for States to Tackle Mental Health Crisis

On October 18, 2022, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), announced a new funding opportunity, authorized by the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act ...

The Department of Education Rolls Out Student Loan Forgiveness Site [Updated]

The Department of Education is now ready for qualifying borrowers to submit their applications for loan forgiveness – up to $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients and $10,000 for federal loan holders. The federal website was launched on October 17, ...

AmeriCorps Recently Announced a New Round of Funding to Address Public Health Needs

Public Health AmeriCorps, launched in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is a $400 million investment to engage new communities and individuals in public health, recruiting, and building a new workforce ready to respond ...

ACA Named in ?Mental Health Matters? Legislation

The Mental Health Matters Act (H.R.7780), which mentions the American Counseling Association (ACA) by name, was officially reported by the House Education & Labor Committee to the full House and subsequently placed on the Union Calendar ...

Medicare Bill Moves One Step Closer to Becoming Law

On September 21, 2022 the House Ways & Means (W&M) Committee held a markup that included consideration of the Mental Health Access Improvement Act (H.R.432), as well as other Medicare improvement bills that were included ...

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health Announces New Funding Opportunity for Research on Fostering Behavioral Health Among Children in School

Developing effective school-based interventions is one important way to promote better mental, emotional, and behavioral health in children and youth.It is often stated that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated children and youth’s struggle ...

The ACA Submit Comments To CMS Regarding Impact On Medicare and Medicaid Programs: CY 2023 Payment Policies Under the Physician Fee Schedule and Other Changes to Part B Payment Policies; Medicare Shared Savings Program; et al.

The American Counseling Association (ACA), in addition to other mental health organizations, submitted comments to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on how the 2023 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule’s ...

The White House Issues Student Loan Relief for Federal Borrowers

On Wednesday, August 24th, President Biden released a three-part delivery plan to cancel up to $20,000 for low-to middle-income federal borrowers. Currently, the national cumulative federal student loan debt is at $1.6 trillion, accounting for nearly ...

ACA Member Update on CareDash

We have been informed that the health care provider review website CareDash.com has created thousands of profiles for mental health providers, including professional counselors, that are not associated with their platform without their consent or ...

Biden Administration to Address Mental Health Crisis in Youth

On July 29th, the Biden Administration announced actions to address the decline in youth mental health by awarding funds to increase access to comprehensive mental health services in schools and encouraging governors to take advantage of these funds. ...

CMS Proposed Rule Endorses Licensed Professional Counselors as Medicare Providers

Yesterday (July 7), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the Calendar Year 2023 Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) proposed rule. The rule contains several proposals intended to expand access to behavioral health services, including ...

Dr. Kimberly N. Frazier Begins Term as 71st President of the American Counseling Association

Dr. Frazier will begin serving as the American Counseling Association?s 71st president on July 1, 2022, after serving as ACA President-Elect for the last year.

American Counseling Association Expresses Opposition to Overturn of Roe v. Wade

The Supreme Court decision striking down Roe v. Wade abolishes women’s constitutional right to choose to have an abortion without the undue influence of government. This decision will trigger some state regulations, which will make abortions ...

Joint Statement on Gun Violence Crisis from 60 National Organizations

While mental health conditions are common across the globe, the U.S. is the only country where mass shootings are disturbingly commonplace. The American Counseling Association joined 59 orgs to express our deep concerns about false & harmful attempts ...

Statement on Gun Violence Crisis from 60 National Organizations

Our organizations write to express our deep concerns about false and harmful attempts to link mental illness and gun violence. The horrific school shooting in Uvalde, Texas that killed 19 children and two adults on May 24th is just one in a long ...

Statement of the American Counseling Association on the School Shooting in Uvalde, Texas

Today, our nation has begun learning about yet another mass shooting, this time at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, where 19 children and two adults were shot dead by an 18-year-old high school student. In the days, weeks, months and years ...

American Counseling Association Announces First New CEO in 23 Years

American Counseling Association Announces First New CEO in 23 YearsShawn E. Boynes, CAE, FASAE Named CEO Effective July 20, 2022 Alexandria, VA: May 19, 2022 – After a nationwide search, the American Counseling Association (ACA) today ...

President Biden Issues Mental Health Awareness Month Proclamation

On Friday, April 29, 2022, President Biden announced May as Mental Health Awareness Month.  The Biden administration has been committed to raising awareness of the importance of mental health and supporting programs and services for the mental ...

Mental Health Care and Our Nation's Veterans: GAO Report to Congress

On March 28th, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released the report, Veterans Health Care: Efforts to Hire Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselors (LPHMC) and Marriage and Family Therapists (MFT).GAO conducted this study as required ...

Report From Senate Finance Looks Good for Counselors

The American Counseling Association (ACA) commends the recent release of the Senate Finance Committee (SFC) report, “Mental Health Care in the United States: The Case for Federal Action” and their work to support bipartisan mental health ...