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<img usemap="#rade_img_map_1438719774362" src="https://amhca.site-ym.com/resource/resmgr/Media/AMHCAlogoREFLEX.jpg" height="103" width="75" style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid;"></p>
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<span style="font-family: sans-serif;"><strong>Press Release</strong>
<p styleclass=" style_ContentMinWidth" style="margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: right;">
<strong>For Immediate Release:</strong> August 2, 2015<br>
Contact: Whitney Meyerhoeffer<br>
800-326-2642<br>
<em>wmeyerhoeffer@amhca.org<br>
www.amhca.org</em></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><strong><em>AMHCA, ACES and NBCC Jointly Endorse Plan for Licensure Portability</em></strong><strong></strong></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: left;"><strong>ALEXANDRIA, Va</strong>. - The American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA), the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES), and the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)
have jointly endorsed a plan for counselor licensure portability. This plan from leading counselor organizations establishes a regulatory platform allowing licensed counselors to move between and practice in multiple states.</p>
</span><span style="font-family: sans-serif;">
<p style="margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: left;">The <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/1N82pj6" style="color: rgb(9, 53, 148); text-decoration: none;">AMHCA-ACES-NBCC portability plan</a> is built on sound principles of quality assurance and national
standards. The plan will promote acceptance of a license from another state when the individual holds a degree from a clinically focused counselor preparation program accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling & Related Educational Programs
(CACREP), holds certification as a National Certified Counselor, or meets standards adopted by the state board of counseling.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: left;">Dr. Keith Mobley, president of AMHCA, states: “The AMHCA leadership commends the efforts of NBCC and ACES for collaborating on this agreement, as it demonstrates strides toward professional unification and portability
of licensure. It has been the long-standing goal of AMHCA to seek consistently high standards among credentials for clinical mental health counselors so that our profession may benefit by achieving status equivalent to other practitioners in federally funded
programs and gain license portability among states.”</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: left;">The sentiments are echoed by ACES President Dr. Tarrell Portman, who says: “the counseling profession has too long suffered from inconsistency in education and training standards. These varying requirements
have hampered the growth of the profession and the ability of counselors to move across state lines. ACES is excited to be part of this strategic partnership to establish a national education and training standard for licensure portability.”</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: left;">“This portability plan is a tremendous step forward for the counseling profession,” says NBCC’s Board Chair, Dr. Kylie Dotson-Blake. “The adoption of a CACREP degree or the NCC will give licensure boards the
quality control they need to recognize out-of-state licensees. NBCC applauds the AMHCA and ACES leadership for uniting behind this pioneering plan.”</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: left;">Mobley summarizes the views of all the organizations when he says, “We are grateful for the collaboration and shared vision for licensed professional mental health counselors and invite other organizations and
leaders of our profession to participate.”</p>
<table class="" height="322" width="612">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="font-family: Lato, sans-serif; padding: 5px 3px;"><img src="https://amhca.site-ym.com/resource/resmgr/Media/kmsignature2.jpg" style="width: 168px; height: 48px;"> </td>
<td style="font-family: Lato, sans-serif; padding: 5px 3px;"><img src="https://amhca.site-ym.com/resource/resmgr/Media/tpsignature.jpg" style="width: 154px; height: 48px;"><br>
</td>
<td style="font-family: Lato, sans-serif; padding: 5px 3px;"><img src="https://amhca.site-ym.com/resource/resmgr/Media/kdbsignature.png" style="width: 151px; height: 48px;"> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="" style="font-family: Lato, sans-serif; padding: 5px 3px; vertical-align: top;">
<p style="margin-bottom: 10px;">Dr. Keith Mobley, <em>President</em></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><img src="https://amhca.site-ym.com/resource/resmgr/Media/AMHCAlogoREFLEX.jpg" height="48" width="35"> </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 10px;">American Mental Health Counselors Association</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><em>The American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA) is the leading national organization for licensed clinical mental health counselors.</em></p>
</td>
<td style="font-family: Lato, sans-serif; padding: 5px 3px; text-align: left;">
<p style="margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">Dr. Tarrell Portman, <em>President</em></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;"><em><img src="https://amhca.site-ym.com/resource/resmgr/Media/aceslogo.png" height="48" width="143"></em></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">Association for Counselor Education and Supervision</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;"><em>The Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES) is the premier organization dedicated to quality education and supervision of counselors in all work settings.</em></p>
</td>
<td class="" style="font-family: Lato, sans-serif; padding: 5px 3px; vertical-align: top;">
<p style="margin-bottom: 10px;">Dr. Kylie Dotson-Blake,<em>Chair</em></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><em><img src="https://amhca.site-ym.com/resource/resmgr/Media/nbcclogo2.jpg" height="48" width="126"></em></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 10px;">National Board for<br>
Certified Counselors</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><em>The National Board for Certified Counselors is the premier certification organization for the counseling profession.</em></p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</span></div>
<p><br>
</p>
<div id="Signature">
<div><font size="2" face="Tahoma">Nikol Bowen, PhD, PCC</font></div>
<div><font size="2" face="tahoma">Assistant Professor</font></div>
<div><font size="2" face="tahoma">Counseling and Higher Education</font></div>
<div><font size="2" face="tahoma">Patton College of Education</font></div>
<div><font size="2" face="tahoma">Ohio University</font></div>
<div><font size="2" face="tahoma"><a href="mailto:bowenn@ohio.edu">bowenn@ohio.edu</a></font></div>
<div><font size="2" face="tahoma"></font> </div>
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<img usemap="#rade_img_map_1438719774362" src="https://amhca.site-ym.com/resource/resmgr/Media/AMHCAlogoREFLEX.jpg" height="103" width="75" style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid;"></p>
<div styleclass=" style_ContentMinWidth" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: sans-serif;"><strong>Press Release</strong>
<p styleclass=" style_ContentMinWidth" style="margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: right;">
<strong>For Immediate Release:</strong> August 2, 2015<br>
Contact: Whitney Meyerhoeffer<br>
800-326-2642<br>
<em>wmeyerhoeffer@amhca.org<br>
www.amhca.org</em></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><strong><em>AMHCA, ACES and NBCC Jointly Endorse Plan for Licensure Portability</em></strong><strong></strong></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: left;"><strong>ALEXANDRIA, Va</strong>. - The American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA), the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES), and the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)
have jointly endorsed a plan for counselor licensure portability. This plan from leading counselor organizations establishes a regulatory platform allowing licensed counselors to move between and practice in multiple states.</p>
</span><span style="font-family: sans-serif;">
<p style="margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: left;">The <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/1N82pj6" style="color: rgb(9, 53, 148); text-decoration: none;">AMHCA-ACES-NBCC portability plan</a> is built on sound principles of quality assurance and national
standards. The plan will promote acceptance of a license from another state when the individual holds a degree from a clinically focused counselor preparation program accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling & Related Educational Programs
(CACREP), holds certification as a National Certified Counselor, or meets standards adopted by the state board of counseling.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: left;">Dr. Keith Mobley, president of AMHCA, states: “The AMHCA leadership commends the efforts of NBCC and ACES for collaborating on this agreement, as it demonstrates strides toward professional unification and portability
of licensure. It has been the long-standing goal of AMHCA to seek consistently high standards among credentials for clinical mental health counselors so that our profession may benefit by achieving status equivalent to other practitioners in federally funded
programs and gain license portability among states.”</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: left;">The sentiments are echoed by ACES President Dr. Tarrell Portman, who says: “the counseling profession has too long suffered from inconsistency in education and training standards. These varying requirements
have hampered the growth of the profession and the ability of counselors to move across state lines. ACES is excited to be part of this strategic partnership to establish a national education and training standard for licensure portability.”</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: left;">“This portability plan is a tremendous step forward for the counseling profession,” says NBCC’s Board Chair, Dr. Kylie Dotson-Blake. “The adoption of a CACREP degree or the NCC will give licensure boards the
quality control they need to recognize out-of-state licensees. NBCC applauds the AMHCA and ACES leadership for uniting behind this pioneering plan.”</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: left;">Mobley summarizes the views of all the organizations when he says, “We are grateful for the collaboration and shared vision for licensed professional mental health counselors and invite other organizations and
leaders of our profession to participate.”</p>
<table class="" height="322" width="612">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="font-family: Lato, sans-serif; padding: 5px 3px;"><img src="https://amhca.site-ym.com/resource/resmgr/Media/kmsignature2.jpg" style="width: 168px; height: 48px;"> </td>
<td style="font-family: Lato, sans-serif; padding: 5px 3px;"><img src="https://amhca.site-ym.com/resource/resmgr/Media/tpsignature.jpg" style="width: 154px; height: 48px;"><br>
</td>
<td style="font-family: Lato, sans-serif; padding: 5px 3px;"><img src="https://amhca.site-ym.com/resource/resmgr/Media/kdbsignature.png" style="width: 151px; height: 48px;"> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="" style="font-family: Lato, sans-serif; padding: 5px 3px; vertical-align: top;">
<p style="margin-bottom: 10px;">Dr. Keith Mobley, <em>President</em></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><img src="https://amhca.site-ym.com/resource/resmgr/Media/AMHCAlogoREFLEX.jpg" height="48" width="35"> </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 10px;">American Mental Health Counselors Association</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><em>The American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA) is the leading national organization for licensed clinical mental health counselors.</em></p>
</td>
<td style="font-family: Lato, sans-serif; padding: 5px 3px; text-align: left;">
<p style="margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">Dr. Tarrell Portman, <em>President</em></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;"><em><img src="https://amhca.site-ym.com/resource/resmgr/Media/aceslogo.png" height="48" width="143"></em></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">Association for Counselor Education and Supervision</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;"><em>The Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES) is the premier organization dedicated to quality education and supervision of counselors in all work settings.</em></p>
</td>
<td class="" style="font-family: Lato, sans-serif; padding: 5px 3px; vertical-align: top;">
<p style="margin-bottom: 10px;">Dr. Kylie Dotson-Blake,<em>Chair</em></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><em><img src="https://amhca.site-ym.com/resource/resmgr/Media/nbcclogo2.jpg" height="48" width="126"></em></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 10px;">National Board for<br>
Certified Counselors</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 10px;"><em>The National Board for Certified Counselors is the premier certification organization for the counseling profession.</em></p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</span></div>
<p><br>
</p>
<div id="Signature">
<div><font size="2" face="Tahoma">Nikol Bowen, PhD, PCC</font></div>
<div><font size="2" face="tahoma">Assistant Professor</font></div>
<div><font size="2" face="tahoma">Counseling and Higher Education</font></div>
<div><font size="2" face="tahoma">Patton College of Education</font></div>
<div><font size="2" face="tahoma">Ohio University</font></div>
<div><font size="2" face="tahoma"><a href="mailto:bowenn@ohio.edu">bowenn@ohio.edu</a></font></div>
<div><font size="2" face="tahoma"></font> </div>
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