FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Des Moines, Iowa, September 30, 2019
Iowa Counseling Organizations Issue Joint Response to Proposed Rule Changes by the Iowa Board of Behavioral Sciences
The Iowa Mental Health Counselors Association and the American Counseling Association of Iowa Unite as IBBS Prepares to Issue Revisions to Proposed Rule Changes
Full statement was pulled from online modalities:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 30, 2019
CONTACTS: See End of Release
Iowa Counseling Organizations Issue Joint Response
to Proposed Rule Changes by the Iowa Board of Behavioral Sciences
The Iowa Mental Health Counselors Association and the American Counseling Association of
Iowa Unite as IBBS Prepares to Issue Revisions to Proposed Rule Changes
Des Moines, Iowa, September 30, 2019 —On September 12, 2019, members of the Iowa Board of
Behavioral Sciences (IBBS) gathered in Des Moines, IA to review and discuss, among other agenda
items, public comment for the proposed rule changes to Chapters 31 and 32 of the Iowa Administrative
Code. Both ACA of Iowa and the Iowa Mental Health Counselors Association (IMHCA) submitted
comments prior to the September 1st deadline voicing conflicting perspectives and providing
justifications for those positions. While these comments were in stark opposition of one another, they
were nonetheless derived from the same underlying desire to support the interests of mental health
practitioners throughout the state while ensuring that Iowa consumers have access to qualified and
ethically competent clinicians offering only the highest levels of care. Members from each
organization’s executive leadership team were present to defend their positions during the meeting.
ACA of Iowa and IMHCA listened respectfully as each organization presented their comments during
the September 12th meeting; both acknowledging that as professional associations with similar goals
and many overlapping members, although our positions may differ at times, there is far more that
connects us, than divides us. Driven by this shared belief and a desire to act in the best interest of the
profession and the members we represent, IMHCA President Courtney Ackerson, IMHCA PastPresident Kacey Peterson, and ACA of Iowa President Rich Stapleton, opted to put differences aside
and present several compromises to the proposed rule changes for consideration by the board;
changes that we are confident members from both organizations can support.
After discussing the edits and reviewing facts about the potential impact of their decision on factors
ranging from license portability to Medicare recognition at the federal level, the board voted to
incorporate the recommended changes and issue another notice for public comment on the revised
proposal. It is unclear when this notice and the edited proposal will be posted for public comment, but
you can count on IMHCA and ACA of Iowa to continue monitoring the situation and keep you informed
as things move forward.
In closing, we would like to address some of the comments shared publicly through social media in the
days prior to the September 12th meeting, and remind you, our friends and colleagues, that as mental
health professionals we are often (and rightfully so) held to a higher standard of behavior than most.
This is true of our actions, as well as our words.
As volunteer board members and your elected leaders, we spend countless hours away from our
homes, our families, and our jobs to promote and advocate for all mental health counselors; serving as
your voice, eyes, and ears whenever possible and representing our profession, along with our
IMHCA Contact: Courtney Ackerson ACA of Iowa Contact: Rich Stapleton
Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX
Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]
Website: www.imhca.net Website: www.counseling.org/iowa/
respective associations, to the best of our abilities. We will undoubtedly disagree from time to time, but
if we work together our disagreements do not have to divide us. Through a commitment by all to listen
and engage in a thoughtful and respectful manner, opposing perspectives can ultimately serve as
important and necessary catalysts for growth and change not only within the profession, but within
ourselves. After all, it is rarely the stance we take that people remember in the end; it is how we choose
to respond to the opposition that sets us apart from the rest.
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If you would like more information about this topic, the American Counseling Association of Iowa, or
the Iowa Mental Health Counselors please call or email the representatives listed below.