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Counseling
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It’s so important to have mental health professionals that can treat the person as a whole and understand where issues come from.
Adriana supported: Protect Cultural Competency in Texas Mental Health CareI am an LPC in Texas. I care about this issue because I believe this helps understand other cultures and ethnicities. It is an essential part of our learning!! I live in the south and work with people all over TX. This helps me out A LOT!!! Please keep this requirement! Thank you!
Araceli supported: Protect Cultural Competency in Texas Mental Health CareI am a graduate student in a clinical mental health counseling program and I signed this petition because I am taking classes on multi-cultural counseling. There is so much value in these classes and it does not stop in class. You have to take these classes and continue to do the work. By taking away the current language, you are making it "optional" to do the important work on your self as a counselor. It also takes away the representation that each community needs because there is not a clear space for those underserved communities to be thought about. I wish it was not the case and it would come naturally to people, but there needs to be clear, direct language that supports inclusivity and equity for all communities.
Ana supported: Protect Cultural Competency in Texas Mental Health CareI'm an LPC licensed in California, Arizona, and Nevada, a Nationally Certified Counselor, and a member of the American Counseling Association. The proposed rule changes by the Texas BHEC lowers the standards of cultural humility for members of our profession from Texas, and enables Texas licensees who hold racist, white supremacist, misogynist, and other hate-focused ideologies to damage Texas mental health consumers, denigrating the profession as a whole. I urge members of the Texas BHEC to use common sense and attend to your duty to protect consumers. Or freely admit you intend for Texas to continue promoting white supremacy and other forms of supremacist ideology in the mental health profession.
David supported: Protect Cultural Competency in Texas Mental Health CareI am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker Supervisor and Certified Sex Therapist. I am writing to express my strong opposition to the proposed rule that would remove the language regarding culture and diversity training from the continuing education requirements for social workers. Social work is inherently a profession that must reflect and respond to the diverse communities we serve, and the removal of this critical training would undermine our ability to provide effective, inclusive, and culturally competent care.
The NASW Code of Ethics, along with the Standards and Indicators for Cultural Competence in Social Work Practice, clearly outline our responsibility to recognize and respect the diversity of those we work with, and to continuously engage in practices that enhance our understanding of different cultures, experiences, and identities. It is essential for social workers to have ongoing education in cultural competence to address the complexities of the communities we serve and to provide services that are respectful and responsive to the unique needs of individuals from varied backgrounds.
Cultural competence is not just an optional skill; it is a core aspect of effective social work practice. Removing this requirement would reduce our capacity to serve marginalized populations and could perpetuate inequities in care. We must remain committed to learning about and embracing the diverse experiences of those we serve, which requires that we continue to prioritize culture and diversity education in our professional development.
I strongly urge you to reconsider this proposed rule and ensure that culture and diversity training remains a vital part of continuing education for social workers in Texas.
Cassandra supported: Protect Cultural Competency in Texas Mental Health CareAs a clinical social worker in Texas I believe cultural competency in the mental health field is not just important, it’s essential. Changing the language could promote less inclusivity and less competency in the field which will negatively impact populations who need help.
Mackenzie supported: Protect Cultural Competency in Texas Mental Health CareI am a Licensed Professional Counselor in Texas, and I serve therapy seekers across the state. The removal of language “cultural diversity or competency” from CEU requirements is a disgrace to the profession. Cultural competency in mental health care is essential for ethical, effective, and accessible treatment. Every client deserves to feel seen, understood, and supported by a therapist who respects their background and lived experiences. Limiting cultural competency training harms both providers and the communities they serve. For example, post Uvalde therapists flooded the area and the local community was not receptive because the offered therapy was not culturally aligned. Once the offering changed to a community project and communal meal then folks started to share and heal together. Without cultural diversity, we fail our clients and their lived experience. I stand in support of protecting cultural competency in Texas mental health care—because healing happens when people feel truly heard.
Aubrey supported: Protect Cultural Competency in Texas Mental Health CareI am a LPC-Associate in Texas. This proposed change increases confusion instead of preventing it. The categories that are going to be removed are essential for providing somewhat adequate care to people who are not well represented in the counseling profession. As a mental health client with experience in two of these categories that used to be protected by our country, I have experienced harm because of bias on the counselor’s part. This was at a time when these populations were protected and education clearly spelled out. To remove the specific categorical requirement creates a serious risk of harm to clients, violating every ethical code that I have read.
Cherise supported: Protect Cultural Competency in Texas Mental Health CareI am an LPC in Boulder, Colorado. The proposed changes to language could make it easier for some therapists to opt out of diversity training CEU's. This is not acceptable for any mental health licensing agency in the United States. The federal move to halt and dismantle DEI initiatives is to move our country in the direction of a white supremacist values system. The intentionally marginalized people in this country already suffer and will suffer more. Texas, and all licensing boards in the country need to be moving toward language that is very specific, so that licensing requirements make sure licensees are able to help those most in need i.e., people who are, trans, non-binary, immigrants, BIPOC, disabled, neurodivergent and so on.
Erin supported: Protect Cultural Competency in Texas Mental Health CareI am an LPC-Associate in San Antonio. It is critical to maintain the current language in our ce to continue to align with our ethical obligation to be culturally competent. This is dangerous to our profession as we are trying to grow our resources and advocate for our clients. Every interaction is a multicultural interaction which goes beyond what this administration defines as just race/ethnicity, which unfairly targets people who historically receive and have less access to mental health care at lower rates.
Lana supported: Protect Cultural Competency in Texas Mental Health CareYou’re not alone — a community of supporters is ready to back you.
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