MichiganNews

Counselors cheer passage of bill protecting their jobs

FILE- In a Dec. 12, 2012 file photo, the state capitol building is seen in Lansing, Mich. Braced for a new era of divided government, lame-duck Republicans who have long controlled two upper Midwest states are priming last-ditch laws to advance their conservative agenda or to weaken the influence of Democratic governors-elect. The moves, which may spark lawsuits if they come to pass, would follow midterm elections in which Democrats swept statewide offices in Michigan and Wisconsin for the first time in decades but fell short of taking over gerrymandered legislatures(AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, FILE)

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan counselors are cheering after the initial passage of legislation aimed at safeguarding their ability to practice psychotherapy.

The state House voted unanimously this week to advance the bill to the Senate. It would clarify the scope of practice for Michigan’s 10,000 licensed professional counselors.

The measure is a response to a state department’s proposed revision of counseling rules.

A state spokesman says existing law does not give counselors the authority to diagnose and use psychotherapy technique. Counselors say they have been doing so for years, however, and the rule changes would have significant consequences for them and the 150,000 people they serve.

Republican Rep. Aaron Miller of Sturgis, the sponsor of the bill, says it is the “antidote” and a “simple solution” to let counselors continue working.

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