Group 5: Audrey Doidge, Rebecca Baughman, Hannah DeJong


Comments

  1. I appreciate the tips you mention in the History section about how to write an effective letter. Given that legislators must receive many letters daily on various issues, it's important to stand out. Additionally, given that in this day and age, technology is increasingly preferred over older forms of communication, it was interesting to see that letters are preferable, and I wonder why that is. I also like how you point out that there is a need for providers that is capable of being fulfilled by the hundreds of thousands of skilled LPCs, and that the missing link is getting the bill passed. Your poster shows the bill is crucial in helping a vulnerable population, and what makes said population stand out. ---Michelle Urquhart

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    1. Thank you for your comments Michelle! The article I read said that letters are still preferred because they are more likely to receive attention, as legislators receive more emails in comparison. ---Audrey Doidge

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  2. I did not realize that medicare would not cover counseling, This makes me sad because older people are a vulnerable population and need professional help. Bills like this definitely need to be brought to people's attention so they can get passed. It is also sad that people can age out of counseling with their current counselor. It would be so hard for those people to build up that same relationship with a different counselor if they had to switch.

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    1. Hi Meghan. Yes, I agree. I think it might even be enough of a discouragement that some individuals may not seek out finding a new counselor, thereby prematurely ending the therapeutic process.

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    2. Thank you so much for addressing the limited emotional health provisions that the government currently endorses for our country's elderly population. I believe this speaks to the need for advocacy from counselors to voice the implications that not passing this bill has for aging populations.- Hannah Minton DeJong

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  3. Thanks for covering such an important topic. I like that you explained where the bill is currently at in the House of Representatives. I have seen several bills now that have not had an action taken on them in months. I'm curious how bills are being prioritized, or if there is a limit on how long a bill can sit still? -Katie Fimbrez

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  4. My group also covered this bill but I really appreciate that y'all chose to include how exactly it will amended (because we did not)! I think this provide a lot of specificity that can be helpful to those that have not read more extensively about it. Wonderful job and presentation of information!

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    1. Grace, thank you so much for the compliment! We wanted to capture all of the implications that the bill had for our country in order to inform our readers in a well rounded well. We are passionate about helping to open more doors for individuals who are seeking mental health services!-Hannah Minton DeJong

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  5. To Katie: I'm not an expert, but from what I read whenever a new Congress convenes (in January every 2 years), all the bills from the past 2 years that have not been signed into law are considered "dead" at that point. However, bills can be re-introduced--apparently it is not uncommon for a bill to be reintroduced 4 or 5 different times. Hope this helps!

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  6. Very professional poster! I appreciate the advocacy tips you all included, such as to write a letter over email. In our technological age, I would think to send a letter as a last resort. However, it makes sense. A letter is a physical call to action, whereas I can easily ignore thousands of emails. (Out of sight, out of mind.) In addition, a letter feels more personal given it takes effort to send versus and email that is simpler. So thank you for making me think about the best way to advocate if I want the highest chance of being acknowledged. Furthermore, I think it is an important note you all made regarding the positive impact this bill would make for medicare clients in rural and under-served areas. I grew up in a small town in West Texas, so I googled to see if there are any counselors in the area. My search revealed one. Needless to say mental health care services are lacking. One fourth of the county is age 65+, so that is at least one fourth of the population with significantly limited access to professional mental health counseling. Wow. I also did not consider your point that many clients have to switch over to Medicare, while they are seeing a counselor. I would be devastated to terminate with a client/help them find another counselor solely because they had to switch insurances. Therefore, I completely acknowledge and support the notion for Medicare to cover counseling. Thank you all for your hard work!

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  7. This was such a well written and formatted poster! I appreciate just how dense it is with information and the history describing the bill. I think that outreach for mental health care is invaluable to any community and this bill would directly assist this. I liked that you guys spoke of the different consequences that could occur by not implementing this legislation to show the gravity of the situation. I believe that there is a shortage of readily available LMFTs and by having more trained LMFTs available to communities would help build many families up and keep them together through conflicts that happen through marriage.

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  8. Issabella Rivera-OddeApril 6, 2020 at 6:42 PM

    I love the look of your poster! It’s so clean and easy to read while also looking fun and engaging. I also really appreciate your inclusion of a history and impact section for the public policy. As for the public policy itself I was shocked to learn that mental health counselors and marriage and family therapists were not covered providers under Medicare, so I appreciate your poster presentation bringing this issue into awareness. Access to mental health care is as vital as medical care and it always alarms me the more I learn about barriers in place especially given how many people are dependent on Medicare.

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    1. Thank you for your positive feedback! We also felt a sense of sadness when realizing the lack of mental health access that Medicare patients currently are allowed. I appreciate your point that a large portion of our population is dependent on Medicare. By not passing this bill into law, the government seems to be disregarding the individuals welfare that placed them into political office.- Hannah Minton DeJong

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  9. My group also covered the same bill (it's the Hannah's we think alike haha) and I appreciate that another group tackled this bill because that just shows how much more important this bill is. I believe that elderly groups not able to receive mental health services because it is not covered in medicare is truly a barrier in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Once that issue can be overcame by senators agreeing to present this bill to senate with a push from emails and calls to the right representatives, it will help maintain clients who "age out" with their therapeutic relationships, but see an increase in elderly populations going to counseling in general. -Hannah Kearns

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    1. Hi Hannah. I agree! I was heartened to see that there are now over 100 cosponsors of the bill, especially since the most recent 4 signed on in March 2020 (so, even though the bill was introduced in January 2019, there is still movement happening). Thanks for your comments!

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  10. What a great poster! It is really sad that mental health is not covered by medicare providers. This just shows that there is still over emphasis of physical issues and there is still a stigma in regards to mental health issues. I know one of the main reasons I personally was not able to to go to counseling previously was because of money and costs. This shouldn't be a reason for people not to be able to have access to mental health services. This is an important issues and I enjoyed reading and learning about this public policy. -Jennifer Kim

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  11. I thought it was very interesting that the ideal ratio is 1:250 students for counselors. I’m curious if the ratio changes depending on wether it’s elementary, junior high or high school because it seems like each age group would come with their own unique set of Needs for a school counselor to help with. I read in an article once that even with the availability of school counselors and quality Counsleing Materials and Assessments, jt was most impactful when it was personalized to the demographics of The student population. I would hope that and increase in mental health training would encourage this kind of personalization.

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