Originally published: . Volume 6, No. 5. Source pages: 8.
The second Annual Behavioral Health Legislative Forum was held April 17 in Baton Rouge. This year the Forum was co-hosted by the Louisiana Counseling Association and the Louisiana Psychological Association, with the National Association of Social Workers Louisiana Chapter helping moderate.
Organizer and Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) Cindy Nardini told the Times that the goals of forum were to develop relationships between members of the behavioral health community on legislative issues and to identify bills that have been put forth for the current session. She said that the group discussed 21 bills.
“Overall our attendance was increased from last year,” she said. The new associations attending this year were the LASACT (Louisiana Association of Substance Abuse Counselors and Trainers), the LaBAA (Louisiana Behavior Analysts Association), and the LSPA (Louisiana School Psychological Association), she said.
Groups participating both years include the Louisiana Counseling Association, Louisiana Psychological Association, the National Association of Social Workers Louisiana Chapter, Louisiana Association of Clinical Social Workers, and the Louisiana Association of Marriage and Family Therapists.
Legislative Chair for the Louisiana Psychological Association (LPA), Dr. Lucinda L. DeGrange, said “The Mental Health Forum went very well and is an opportunity for all the various groups with the common focus of mental and behavioral health in the state to get together and discuss upcoming legislation.”
“I was very pleased to see the Louisiana School Psychological Association participating in the forum this year,” DeGrange said. “This is really Cindy Nardini's brain child and I applaud her for her vision and hard work to get the, now annual, function going.”
Executive Director for the Louisiana Psychological Association, Ms. Cindy Bishop, said,“Although each of the respective organizations have their own positions on House and Senate measures pending before the 2015 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature, it was a good review of the various bills.” The behavioral health community has had a reputation of poor conflict resolution efforts with the state legislature. The Forum is an effort to remedy that.
“In past years our associations have been known for having conflict and being unable to work together,” Nardini previously told the Times. “Of all professional groups we, as behavioral/mental health groups, should be able to do better.
Representatives from eight associations attended the recent Legislative Forum held on April 17 and hosted by the Louisiana Counseling Association and the Louisiana Psychological Association (LPA). Above, the LPA representatives to the Forum, Dr. Lucinda DeGrange and Dr. John Fanning, chat at a previous meeting.
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