Guest guest Posted May 9, 2006 Report Share Posted May 9, 2006 If we leave things to the powers that be as Tomar suggests, the world will be in even worse condition than it is now. We may not be addressing painful global needs such as the nightmare in Dafur, but we can make a difference in New York State. Here are the names of the members of the senate committees on higher education and mental health. You can find out if any of them represent you by clicking on http://www.senate.state.ny.us/senatehomepage.nsf/senators?OpenForm .. If you are a constituent, write from that perspective. If your senator is not on any of the committees write to him or her and to Bruno. Explain the alternate route dilemma. Dani Fraenkel Higher Education Wednesday 10:30 Room 806 LOB Chairperson: LaValle Members: Seward Stavisky Rath Oppenheimer Maltese Balboni Flanagan Krueger Robach Serrano Alesi Valesky Winner Coppola Young ittee: Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Wednesday 9:30 Room 801 LOB Chairperson: Morahan Members: Libous Padavan Montgomery Volker Schneiderman Marcellino Connor Young Thania Acaron wrote: Thank you for your responses! Right now I think getting information about who it is that has the power to change this would be helpful. I think Dani is in Hong Kong right now and I don't know what lobbying options she has explored. I would like to also know who is in the same predicament. I think there are more people than we think and numbers are important to have. I formed an Alternate Route Yahoo Group, but dont know who is practicing in NY. It also didn't include other CATs. Here is the email just in case: ardmt-subscribe . For Joan Ingalls, who asked what my situation was, I received my DTR last april, have the 1500 hours, and my master's is in Dance Education. Grandfathering is not for CATs who have been in the field for long only, because those who graduated last year from approved programs and have the 1500 hours will receive their licenses. The only provision for Alternate Route CATs practicing for less than 7 years is Alternate Pathway 1. I copied it in this email for review: [Alternate Pathway One. You must verify that you have completed a master's or higher degree in creative arts therapy or a related field, from a college registered by the Department or the equivalent, with the course content specified in regulations (Form 2 and transcript) and submit evidence that you have completed 1,500 hours of post-degree experience in creative arts therapy, acceptable to the department using Form 4 and Form 4B or 4C.] Link: http://www.op.nysed.gov/mhp-apply-faq.htm ] The one thing we can lobby for is that the Alternate Route centers are approved as equivalents. I don't think there are any approved by the Department and I don't know why this is. Exploring the equivalent requirements gives us some leeway. I received an email that my educational requirements were approved, but that they didn't qualify for an equivalent so I had to submit under Pathway 2, which is the one that requires 7 years experience. But again, who has the power to do this? What is the procedure? Well, that's all for know. Keep the discussion going. Thanks again, Thania Acaron, MA DTR --- Joan Wittig wrote: Dear CATS, I am pleased to see this dicussion on the listserve. Some of you know that I have had very strong feelings about this. The 3 CATs on the mental health professionals board (myself included) fought hard to get alternate route education recognized. I can tell you most assuredly that we who worked toward licensing made sure the legislation was drafted in such a way to recognize alternate route training. However SED has opted to interpret the bill differently, and I have been informed they are within their rights to do so. I encourage the CAT community to continue to pursue this issue, and any others that are important to you. As board members we will support you in any way we can; and we will do what we can from our perspective. But at this point it will mainly be up to you, the CAT community, to actively pursue what is important to you. The board exists to protect consumers and SED puts some definite limits on what we can do without creating a conflict of interest. Stay active in NYCCAT. Nothing is permanent. Yours, Joan Wittig ----Original Message----- --- "Joan S. Ingalls" wrote: Date: Tue, 09 May 2006 08:35:37 -0400 Subject: Re: [nysadta] Inaction is not an option To: Thania, I am sorry to hear about how you feel. Maybe this will help: Do you understand that this is, right now, is a grandfathering process only? I don't hear that in what you are saying. You are saying that you are not eligible for grandfathering but does that mean that you can't earn a license once the grandfathering period is over? Is there a reason why you can't continue to work under supervision or take another course - whatever is required for the license after the grandfathering - so that you do qualify under what will become a normal licensing process? Grandfathering is for those of us who have been in the field for over seven years and for which more training would be a hardship, and not necessary because in our years of experience, it is assumed (my guess), we have learned something. What do you think? I'd like to know more about your situation. Joan Re: Inaction is not an option Thania, I wrote to you and to the list in April about receiving by LCAT and LMHC as an alternate route ADTR. Have you been rejected outright? As far as I know, you do not have to have practised in NY for 7 years, but have had to be in the field for at least 7 years. I do think that something is off about their approval process for education. The LCAT licensing people do not seem to be recognizing the Masters level education of alternate route people, but the LMHC Educational approval committee did. I was approved on Alternate Route I for LMHC, but Alternate route 2 and 3 for LCAT. This was very weird for me and the LCAT people couldn't really explain it. What suggestions do you or Dani have in terms of lobbying? Have you or anyone else spoken with people on the Licensing approval committee? How about Joan Wittig? She is the ADTR on the committee ( I think). If you, or other folks think there are ways we can help, I would be glad to try. Pamela Faith Lerman As the Licensure talk slows down, I imagine most of the CAT field is in the process of receiving their licenses throughout the year. I wanted to bring some attention to the people who are sure they are not receiving their licenses: the alternate route CATs. I am one of those people and this email also gathers others in my same position. This also applies to Art, Drama and Poetry Therapy as well. We are the people who had so much passion for this field that being a bystander was not enough, so we went beyond our master's degrees to gather additional courses anywhere we found them. We are the ones that didn't have the protective bubble of an university, who paid for this career with our own money because student loans wouldn't cover it, who don't have an university reunion to go to in conferences, who struggled to find their own internships and contacts and who traveled to become a part of this field. But if you are in NY and have practiced for less than 7 years, you will NOT get licensed. For most of us, a change in career is not an option. So I ask, what is being done? Where are the credentials committees that approved us, the lobbyists for this license, the Alternate Route Centers that taught us? Dani Fraenkel from Kinections can't do it alone. Why have we not heard these voices? I don't think we really understand that there are some people's careers and homes at stake. And sitting back and saying "those poor Alternate Route CATs wont get it" or brushing us under the rug is not a way to show support to professionals who have fought to be a part of this field. I thank the people who have listened and gave their time to our emails and applications. But going back and getting a master's in CAT or a different field is not an option for many. I invite anyone who has an interest in this issue to come forth with options and solutions. I know all of us worked really hard to get those applications together, which was a nightmarish process. But the work is not over. Let's not forget there are some of our colleagues left behind. Inaction is not an option. Thania Acaron, MA DTR __________________________________________________ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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