The AAMFT Blog

Advocacy Fly-In Day

On Tuesday, September 29, AAMFT held a fly-in day in support of legislation in the house and senate that would allow MFTs to be reimbursed by Medicare. AAMFT flew members from Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Connecticut and New Jersey to Washington, DC. We provided in-depth training on how to conduct a Hill meeting and then members and AAMFT staff spent the day on the hill meeting with their Senators and Representatives to ask for support for H.R.2759 — The Mental Health Access Improvement Act of 2015 and  S.1830 — Seniors Mental Health Access Improvement Act of 2015. Both of these bills would allow licensed Marriage and Family Therapists and Mental Health Counselors to be able to be reimbursed by Medicare Part B.

AAMFT members met with 24 congressional offices in both the House and Senate. In addition, we initiated a grassroots social media push on the same day with the hashtag #MFTsInMedicare. AAMFT members from around the country were tweeting their representatives to support MFTs to be included in Medicare.  We also had members make phone calls and post on Congressional Facebook pages to get the word out.

Please continue to reach out to Congress - find sample scripts and posts here. 

AAMFT members met with the following offices:

Sen. Debbie Stabenow

Sen. Tammy Baldwin

Sen. Rob Portman

Sen. Gary Peters

Rep. Jim Himes

Sen. Sherrod Brown

Sen. Tim Kaine

Rep. Scott Garrett

Sen. Ted Cruz

Sen. Ron Johnson

Sen. Mark Warner

Rep. Pat Tiberi

Sen. Bob Menendez

Rep. Tim Ryan

Rep. Robert Hurt

Sen. Richard Blumenthal

Rep. Marcia Fudge

Sen. Chris Murphy

Rep. Mike Bishop

Rep. Don Beyer

Rep. Michael Conaway

Rep. Mark Pocan

Sen. Cory Booker

The response from our AAMFT members involved in the fly-in was overwhelmingly positive. Keep an eye out for more opportunities like this as we continue to work to ramp up the AAMFT Family TEAM! 

Support MFTs in Medicare

Today, September 29, AAMFT is holding an unprecedented Capitol Hill grassroots event focusing on the inclusion of MFTs in Medicare reimbursement, and we want you to be a part of it. 

We are urging Congress to support the bipartisan bill S. 1830, Seniors Mental Health Access Improvement Act of 2015, and HR 2759, the Mental Health Access Improvement Act. This legislation would allow Marriage and Family Therapists to be covered by Medicare.

Please take ten minutes of your day to use the sample scripts below and ask your Senator and/or Representative to support this legislation that would positively impact MFTs. 

Click here to find your Senator and Congressperson by zip code. 

For further help in how to advocate, visit the AAMFT Fly-In Day webpage.

Sample Email Scripts

Senate Bill

Hello, this is [NAME/TITLE] from [YOUR INSTITUTION/TOWN], and I am writing to urge [YOUR SENATOR'S NAME] to co-sponsor S. 1830, Seniors Mental Health Access Improvement Act of 2015. This legislation would finally allow Marriage and Family Therapists to be covered by Medicare. Currently, the federal government recognizes five mental health disciplines as core mental health professionals. These are psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical social workers, psychiatric nurse specialists, and marriage and family therapists. Of these five groups, only marriage and family therapists are not recognized by Medicare.

Many Medicare beneficiaries live in mental health professional shortage areas. The shortage will get significantly worse as the Baby Boomers enroll in the program and current mental health service providers retire. Furthermore, Depression is the number one mental health problem among older adults, and evidence shows that if a senior is treated for their depression, they are more likely to take care of their other medical problems.  This can lower costs for Medicare for everyone. 

The U.S. Senate has twice passed legislation recognizing MFTs under Medicare (S 1 in 2003 and S 1932 in 2005), while the House also has twice passed such legislation (HR 3162 in 2007 and HR 3962 in 2009).

I urge the Senator to co-sponsor the S. 1830, Seniors Mental Health Access Improvement Act of 2015. Thank you for your time and consideration of my request.

House Bill

Hello, this is [NAME/TITLE] from [YOUR INSTITUTION/TOWN], and I am calling [WRITING] to urge [YOUR REPRESENTATIVE'S NAME] to co-sponsor HR 2759, the Mental Health Access Improvement Act. This legislation would finally allow Marriage and Family Therapists to be covered by Medicare. Currently, the federal government recognizes five mental health disciplines as core mental health professionals. These are psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical social workers, psychiatric nurse specialists, and marriage and family therapists. Of these five groups, only marriage and family therapists are not recognized by Medicare.

Many Medicare beneficiaries live in mental health professional shortage areas. The shortage will get significantly worse as the Baby Boomers enroll in the program and current mental health service providers retire. Furthermore, Depression is the number one mental health problem among older adults, and evidence shows that if a senior is treated for their depression they are more likely to take care of their other medical problems.  This call lower costs for Medicare for everyone. 

The U.S. Senate has twice passed legislation recognizing MFTs under Medicare (S 1 in 2003 and S 1932 in 2005), while the House also has twice passed such legislation (HR 3162 in 2007 and HR 3962 in 2009).

I urge the Representative to co-sponsor HR 2759, the Mental Health Access Improvement Act. Thank you for your time and consideration of my request.

Sample Phone Scripts

Senate Bill

Hello, this is [NAME] from [TOWN IN YOUR DISTRICT], and I am calling to urge [YOUR SENATOR'S NAME] to co-sponsor the bipartisan bill S. 1830, the Seniors Mental Health Access Improvement Act of 2015. This legislation would finally allow Marriage and Family Therapists to be covered by Medicare.  As a Marriage and Family Therapist, this barrier to care for seniors results in higher costs for Medicare because if a senior is treated for their depression, they are more likely to care for their other medical needs. I hope [YOUR SENATOR'S NAME] will support this bill as it means a lot to me and my profession. Thank you so much for your time.

Hello, this is [NAME] from [TOWN IN YOUR DISTRICT], and I am calling to urge [YOUR SENATOR'S NAME] to co-sponsor the bipartisan bill S. 1830, the Seniors Mental Health Access Improvement Act of 2015. This legislation would finally allow Marriage and Family Therapists to be covered by Medicare. Currently, MFTs are the only federally recognized mental health profession that is excluded from treating Medicare patients.  With so many Medicare beneficiaries living in mental health professional shortage areas, this legislation is needed more than ever. I hope [YOUR SENATOR'S NAME] will support this bill as it means a lot to me and my profession. Thank you so much for your time.

House Bill

Hello, this is [NAME] from [TOWN IN YOUR DISTRICT], and I am calling to urge [YOUR REPRESENTATIVE'S NAME] to co-sponsor the bipartisan HR 2759, the Mental Health Access Improvement Act. This legislation would finally allow Marriage and Family Therapists to be covered by Medicare.  As a Marriage and Family Therapist, this barrier to care for seniors results in higher costs for Medicare because if a senior is treated for depression, they are more likely to care for their other medical needs.  I hope [YOUR REPRESENTATIVE'S NAME] will support this bill as it means a lot to me and my profession. Thank you so much for your time.

Hello, this is [NAME] from [TOWN IN YOUR DISTRICT], and I am calling to urge [YOUR REPRESENTATIVE'S NAME] to co-sponsor the bipartisan bill HR 2759, the Mental Health Access Improvement Act.. This legislation would finally allow Marriage and Family Therapists to be covered by Medicare. Currently, MFTs are the only federally recognized mental health profession that is excluded from treating Medicare patients.  With so many Medicare beneficiaries living in mental health professional shortage areas, this legislation is needed more than ever. I hope [YOUR REPRESENTATIVE'S NAME] will support this bill as it means a lot to me and my profession. Thank you so much for your time.

Sample Tweets

Representative [@name], please support HR 2759!  #MFTsinMedicare

Senator [@name], please support S. 1830!  #MFTsinMedicare

Thanks [@name], for supporting Family Therapists in Medicare! #MFTsinMedicare **

Support #HR2759 and #S1830 to include MFTs in Medicare. Protect our seniors! #MFTsinMedicare

Depression is the most prevalent mental health issue for seniors. Support #HR2759 and #S1830 to include MFTs in Medicare! #MFTsinMedicare

**These Senators and Representatives have already supported the bills:

House and Senate Bills
Introduced by @RepChrisGibson	Introduced by @SenJohnBarrasso
Supporting HR 2759	Supporting S. 1830
@RepThompson @repblumenauer @RepAdamSchiff @RepAnnaEshoo @chelliepingree @JaredHuffman @RepZoeLofgren	@stabenow @alfranken @KellyAyotte @SenatorTester @SenatorCarper @SenGillibrand

 

Sample Facebook Posts

Senate Bill

[tag Senator's name], please co-sponsor S. 1830, the Seniors Mental Health Access Improvement Act of 2015. This legislation would allow Marriage and Family Therapists to be covered by Medicare. As a Marriage and Family Therapist, this barrier to care for seniors results in higher costs for Medicare because if a senior is treated for depression, they are more likely to care for their other medical needs. Your support of this bill means a lot to me and my profession. #MFTsInMedicare 

House Bill

[tag Representative's name], please co-sponsor HR 2759, the Mental Health Access Improvement Act. This legislation would allow Marriage and Family Therapists to be covered by Medicare. As a Marriage and Family Therapist, this barrier to care for seniors results in higher costs for Medicare because if a senior is treated for depression, they are more likely to care for their other medical needs. Your support of this bill means a lot to me and my profession. #MFTsInMedicare

Courageous Conversations . . . With Our Clients

AAMFT welcomes members to share guest author MFT perspectives on  issues facing our world and profession today. In a continuation of the Courageous Conversations series, guest authors Danesha Deloatch and Theresa Wray explore discussing the impact of race and racism with clients.

Danesha B. Deloatch, M.S. MFT, is a recent graduate of the Valdosta State University Marriage and Family Therapy Program.  Her professional and clinical interests include working with victims of trauma, as well as with Veterans.  Ms. Deloatch is also dedicated to reducing stigma and improving access to high-quality clinical services.

Theresa M. Wray, MA, LMFT, is the Founder and CEO of Synergy Consulting Services where she uses her background and training as a systems thinker to help mental health professionals navigate the healthcare system more effectively and efficiently.  The majority of her consulting work is with professionals and organizations who work with disenfranchised and underserved populations.

 

In the months since Dylann Roof attempted to incite a race war by murdering nine black people praying in the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, Marriage and Family Therapists have been discussing how we can best continue to counter racism and the marginalization of black people.

Through conversations we’ve held with peers and colleagues, we’ve learned that for some, this means going deeply within, examining personally held beliefs, experiences, and behaviors.  For others, this means having conversations with our peers in which we discuss issues, glean ideas, and gain support.  For others still, countering racism is best done by challenging our institutions and field-as-a-whole on the ways in which they both impact and are impacted by racism and white privilege.

While we fully support and recognize the considerable value in these courses of action, we also believe that Marriage and Family Therapists have a direct responsibility to counter racism by better serving the individuals, couples, and families who present for our help -- Clients who may not have experienced overt acts of racial violence, but are assaulted by the quiet, covert ways that racism and white privilege exist within and impact their lives and relationships.

Continued Courageous Conversations

In keeping with the sentiments of Dr. Beliard, Mr. Tichenor, and Dr. Harris-McCoy in their June post (found here) we must also have these Courageous Conversations directly with our clients.  We have found that this can be done best by:

1. Creating space to discuss the impact that race and racism has on the individuals, couples, and families who presents for our services.  As leaders in advancing social justice, we as MFTs are directly responsible for inviting clients to discuss their culture, ethnicity, and background.  We cannot assume that they will bring this up if it is important to them.  Just as we are curious about the concerns that bring them to work with us, we must also be curious about who they are, where they come from, and what they struggle with in relation to their racial and ethnic identity.

2. Respecting their decision to either share or not share their stories with us.  While some clients may want to share this piece of their lives with us, others may not - and we need to be okay with this.  We should invite them to share this part of their story with us should they choose, as well as respect their decision to change their mind.

3. Helping those clients who do share their unique stories with us to articulate and find meaning in them.  Understanding where our clients come from is an important factor in connecting with them and developing a relationship that will foster healing and growth. Undeniably our clients’ culture, race, ethnicity, nationality, and background shape their identity, perspectives, and experiences in a way that is totally unique to them.  We must challenge ourselves to capture the themes which exist in their lives while not generalizing or stereotyping across groups.

4. Considering how our own racial and cultural identity may impact our clients for better or worse.  Even when we share the race, ethnicity, or culture of our clients, we cannot assume that their perspectives and experiences are the same as ours.  Likewise, we must remember that it often takes clients who don’t share our race, ethnicity, or culture more time to open up and share different experiences with us.  Because they may feel we cannot truly relate or understand them, we must be sensitive to their pacing when inviting them to share their unique stories with us.  By asking our clients questions and allowing them to help us understand their stories, we are submerging ourselves in their experiences regardless of the similarities and differences between us.  Be willing to learn and experience new insights from everyone.

5. Considering the stories that have been told - or not told - about our clients.   As MFTs, we cannot assume that previous documents paint an accurate picture of the person in front of us today.  We need to approach any assumptions we develop from documentation with caution and curiosity - especially when sections about race, ethnicity, and culture are left blank or marked “not applicable.”  

So how about you?  How do you foster the change you wish to see in the world?  

Outside of discussions with peers and colleagues, how do you actively work to create a more equitable and socially just world through your work with clients?  

As a client, how would you want an MFT to help you explore your racial identity?

We invite you to share your thoughts below and keep the conversation going!

Understanding the Benefits of Marriage and Family Therapy

 

Marriage and Family Therapists are trained are trained in systemic, or relational, therapy and believe that throughout life we exist in a number of relationships that directly and indirectly impact our well-being. Our relationships with family, friends, co-workers and neighbors influence and create our individual experience. Find out more about how MFTs can help you navigate your journey.

Please share to make MFT a household name! 

 

AAMFT Foundation: Embracing the Past and Preparing for the Future

 

Today, there is a reawakening occurring within the AAMFT Foundation. Responding to the growing demand for evidence-based research, education, and global outreach within the Marriage and Family Therapy community, the Foundation’s focus is shifting from a reactive grant-making entity to a proactive catalyst for industry advancement.

As AAMFT and its Foundation prepare for their future, they remain unwavering in their commitment to the vitality and long-term success of the mental health industry. Aligned in mission and vision, AAMFT and the Foundation see new and exciting opportunities for the organization and the global Marriage and Family Therapy community.

The AAMFT Foundation is moving methodically forward to rigorously build capacity and strategically pursue research and education funding opportunities that provide MFT stakeholders with knowledge, tools, and guidance to improve client outcomes.

To learn more about the Foundation and its initiatives, please visit http://www.aamftfoundation.org/.