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2023 Virtual Hill Day | American Counseling Association

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Overview of ACA’s 2023 Virtual Hill Day

The American Counseling Association (ACA) 2023 Virtual Hill Day brought together ACA leadership, government affairs staff, congressional/public policy experts, and state lawmakers. The goal was to encourage counselors to advocate for mental health policy at both federal and state levels.

The event emphasized that counselors’ lived experience with clients makes them credible sources for policymakers, and that ACA’s advocacy efforts require widespread member participation.

1) Why counselors should advocate

  • ACA leadership messaging: CEO Shawn Boyne and President Dr. Kimberly Frazier argued that legislators rely on constituents for expertise. They warned that silence can lead to uninformed policy decisions with long-term consequences.
  • Connecting advocacy to real policy battles: The discussion linked counseling advocacy to immediate issues such as:
    • mental health funding
    • Medicare inclusion
    • state-level measures affecting LGBTQIA communities
  • Broader civic roles: Advocacy was also framed as part of larger public leadership, including running for office.

2) Federal legislative priorities and what’s being pursued

ACA highlighted seven key federal pieces of legislation/priorities:

  1. Medicare provider status for counselors

    • ACA credited counselor activism for achieving Medicare status for counselors in December 2022.
    • ACA is working with CMS to support smooth implementation so older adults can access mental health and substance use disorder services.

  2. Veterans mental health

    • Support for a bill to expand Vet Centers capacity, including underserved regions, due to demand exceeding current service availability.

  3. Students / school-based mental health

    • Legislation intended to improve access to graduate programs in school-based mental health counseling to build the school counseling workforce.

  4. Teacher and education staff mental health

    • A bill aimed at improving federal agency coordination and providing multi-year grants to build mental health resources and resilience for educational professionals.

  5. Maternal mental health and disparities

    • A proposed SAMHSA grant program to partner with community organizations.
    • Focus: groups experiencing elevated maternal mortality and perinatal outcome disparities, while expanding and diversifying the behavioral health workforce serving this population.

  6. Career counseling / workforce support (Navigating to Success Act)

    • A bill modeled on Project Quest (San Antonio) to provide personalized training and wrap-around supports such as tuition, housing, childcare, utilities, tutoring, and continuing education.

  7. Loan repayment to address workforce shortages

    • Support for the Mental Health Professionals Workforce Shortage Loan Repayment Act, which would repay up to $250,000 in eligible loans for professionals serving mental health professional shortage areas.

  8. Health equity / access protections

    • Support for a federal health equity approach establishing enforcement and oversight mechanisms, framed around nondiscriminatory, equitable care and improved data collection.

3) State advocacy and the Counseling Compact

A central theme was that counseling policy momentum is increasingly occurring at the state level, including in politically dynamic environments. State lawmakers and ACA’s state portfolio leadership highlighted:

  • Counseling Compact progress

    • Enacted in 28 states, with additional states expected to enact by year-end.

  • Senator Cleary (North Dakota)

    • Emphasized coalition-building to pass the compact despite state legislative constraints (North Dakota meets every other year).
    • Used real-world need to drive support—for example, a constituent describing challenges accessing counseling for someone affected by a workplace death.

  • Representative Marie Leavitt (Washington)

    • Positioned behavioral health as a key bipartisan issue in Washington’s 2024 policy environment, alongside workforce housing and public safety.
    • Described rapid passage of multiple workforce interstate compacts in Washington, including mental health counseling.
    • Offered advocacy tactics, including:
      • targeting residents over non-residents in constituent outreach
      • using strategic testimony
      • providing virtual support during hearings
      • maintaining coalition engagement across chambers and agencies

4) Federal/executive advocacy tactics from Capitol Hill staff and policy leaders

A later panel of federal and policy-experienced contributors provided guidance on advocacy:

  • Organize your message

    • Be clear, consistent, and structured—especially during time-limited meetings—so leadership and staff can easily carry the message forward.

  • Relationships and the “right person” matter

    • Real constituent experiences helped drive action on major initiatives such as 988, and increased engagement on other bills.

  • Real stories and follow-up

    • First-hand accounts (client stories, impacts from disasters, workforce shortages, and access barriers) were repeatedly cited as especially persuasive.
    • Because staffers hold many meetings, meaningful follow-up (emails, policy papers, requests for member participation, and continued visibility) helps proposals stand out.

  • Be flexible and understand process nuances

    • Expect tradeoffs and possible modifications; focus on achievable policy outcomes.

  • “Don’ts”

    • Don’t make promises you can’t guarantee (e.g., implying someone will sign).
    • Don’t overlook state staff and ethics considerations—state/local staff can be key messengers to members.

5) Call to action and next steps

ACA closed by directing members to:

  • Schedule legislator meetings soon and complete visits by end of July (with a virtual feedback form afterward).
  • Continue advocacy even without in-person meetings by using ACA’s Take Action resources and submitting messages through ACA’s website.
  • Monitor upcoming ACA government affairs communications, including a newsletter recap.

Presenters / contributors

  • Shawn Boyne — CEO, American Counseling Association
  • Dr. Kimberly Frazier — ACA President
  • Gila Todd — Government Affairs and Public Policy Manager, ACA
  • Christine Blackwood — Legislative and public policy practice counsel; ACA federal legislative priorities presenter
  • Dominique Marsalek — Lead, state portfolio, ACA
  • Senator Cleary — North Dakota State Senate
  • Representative Mari Leavitt — Washington State Legislature
  • Kat — Representative Leavitt’s staffer; spoke as “Rep Leavitt” representative during Q&A
  • Sydney Sinclair — Government affairs coordinator, ACA
  • Lisa Pino — Aspen Institute health innovation fellow
  • Mara Boggs — Senator Joe Manchin staff; ACA member
  • Layla Brooks — Senior legislative assistant, U.S. Rep. Troy Carter
  • Brian Banks — Chief of Government Affairs and Public Policy Officer, ACA
  • Dominique Marsalek — also appears in the opening/state segment as host/lead

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