Article archive / April 1, 2014
Originally published: . Volume 5, No. 8. Source pages: 1, 6.
For the first time ever members of the mental health professions met to discuss their various positions on legislation that is being proposed for the 2014 Louisiana legislative session.
The Legislative Forum was co-sponsored by the Louisiana Counseling Association and the Louisiana Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, and held in Baton Rouge on March 21, at the Tatman Group Offices.
Representatives from the Louisiana Association of Clinical Social Workers, Louisiana Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, Louisiana Association of Nurse Practitioners, Louisiana Psychological Association, National Association of Social Workers, Louisiana Chapter, and Louisiana Counseling Association, attended the Forum. This, according to the press release from Carmen Weisner, LCSW and Executive Director of the Social Workers Chapter, and Cindy Nardini, LPC and Government Relations Chair for the Louisiana Counseling Association.
Forum participants reviewed 18 pieces of legislation for the 2014 session. The group shared Information on the history of the legislation, and discussed potential legal and regulatory issues, according to the news release.
Dr. John Fanning attended the Forum for the Louisiana Psychological Association. “The Behavioral Health Summit forum was excellent, in my opinion,” he said. “There was discussion of a wide range of bills, including several with which I'd been unfamiliar. While the goals and interests of the various groups varied, of course, there was a somewhat surprising degree of concurrence on many of the bills. The two bills which were most-discussed were those involving mandated suicide prevention training and criminalization of sex with patients.”
The behavioral health community has had a reputation of poor conflict resolution efforts with the state legislature.
In 2011, after the 2010 “Behavioral Health Professional Working Group,” failed to meet her goals, Senator Willie Mount, at that time Chair of the Senate Health and Welfare Committee threatened to consolidate boards in the community because of “constant bickering.” She wrote to the community in an open letter, “With the history of senseless conflict and fighting and the failure of the professions to take advantage of the opportunity provided by the working group, I am left with no other options other than to introduce legislation to consolidate these boards.”
In a talk to the Louisiana Psychological Association last year, Senator J.P. Morrell said that working with the different groups in the mental health area should be like working in a team, but instead, “It is like warring fiefdoms.”
One of the organizers of the Forum, Cindy Nardini, told the Times, "We [LCA] had a vision of getting the associations together to discuss and collaborate on the bills of interest to our members and clients and when possible speak with one voice to the legislators.”
“In past years our associations have been known for having conflict and being unable to work together,” she said. “Of all professional groups we, as behavioral/mental health groups, should be able to do better. We help our clients with communication and conflict resolution, but weren't using those same skills with the other associations. Shame on us,” she said, and noted that LCA was thrilled to have been part of the first annual Behavioral Health Legislative Forum.
Attendees at the first annual Legislative Forum. Left back to right front: Carmen Weisner of the National Assn of Social Workers, La Chapter, Lisa Bayhi, Louisiana Assn of Nurse Practitioners, Dr. John Fanning, Louisiana Psychological Assn, and Matt Morris, La Assn of Marriage and Family Therapy. Photo by Tatman Group
The first Legislative Forum was co-sponsored by the Louisiana Counseling Association (LCA) and the Louisiana Chapter of the National Association of Clinical Social Workers (LACSW) and held in Baton Rouge on March 21. The goals of the organizers were to allow community members to work collaboratively on issues before going in front of the state legislature. Attending are (from upper left around clockwise) Kristen Eckhardt, LCA, Keli Williams, LCA Lobbyist, Cindy Nardini, LCA, Gary Gintner, LCA, Deb Fernandez, LACSW, Maxine Cormier, LACSW Lobbyist, Tom Caffery, LAMFT (Louisiana Assn of Marriage and Family Therapists), Howie Brownell, LAMFT, and Eric Sunstrum, LAMFT Lobbyist. Photo courtesy of Tatman Group
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.