Greetings SCPA Members!
This is your SCPA president here, Michelle Cooke, and I wanted to share some legislative updates, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid updates and general information and resources for you to access and improve your practice and understanding the developing behavioral health landscape of South Carolina. I also highly encourage you to follow the South Carolina Psychological Association on LinkedIn for continued updates about our conference, legislative activity and learning opportunities.
As always on behalf of SCPA, thank you for your continued membership and support.
Sincerely,
Michelle Cooke
President, SCPA
SC Allied and Behavioral Health Coalition (SCABHC): Legislation to Track
Again, you may download SC Legislature App to get more details on this abbreviated list of the legislation SCABHC is tracking:
State Agency Restructure Legislation
Executive Office of Health Policy (S. 915/H. 4927/H.3613)
Executive Office of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (S.0002)
Educational Legislation
Assault and Battery on Health Care Works (H.3093/ H.3480)
Assault on Educators (S.73)
SC Student Physical Privacy Act (H. 4538)
Mental Health in Schools Act (H.3478)
Designated disciplinary classrooms (H. 3209)
Parental Rights in Education Act (H. 3011)
Diversion Programs & Law Enforcement Training Legislation
Diversion Program for Persons with ASD/IDD (H3749)
Behavioral Health Conditional Dismissal Program (H. 3088)
Required Training for Law Enforcement for Persons with ASD (H.3285)
Provider & Educator Legislation
Healthcare Professional Loan Forgiveness Program (S. 847)
Work Experience Credit for Teachers (S. 305)
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Updates
We noted there were some questions surrounding Medicare changes and the in-person telehealth requirements on the listserv and we would like to provide the following links to address some of these questions:
Medicare Changes in 2025: https://www.apaservices.org/practice/reimbursement/government/2025-medicare-changes
Medicare in-person Telehealth Requirement:
2/14/25 APA Practice Update:
“If we desire a society in which men are brothers, then we must act towards one another with brotherhood. If we can build such a society, then we would have achieved the ultimate goal of human freedom”.
~Bayard Rustin, American Civil Rights Leader
The South Carolina Psychological Association (SCPA) stands against racism in all forms, as we acknowledge that racism can be both intentional and unintentional, can be institutional but also personal, and is pervasive throughout our society while often remaining unrecognized. As psychologists, we recognize that racism is damaging to the mental health of individuals and has also contributed to the collective trauma of generations. While some continue to view racism as a problem of the past that has largely been corrected over time, SCPA recognizes that the systemic effects of past and present racist practices and policies, from housing redlining to mass incarceration, continue to impact the youngest and most vulnerable populations in our country to this day. SCPA further acknowledges how our history of slavery, segregation, and Jim Crow laws here in the southeastern United States served to dehumanize entire groups of people in order to permit injustice and atrocities to coexist with the social order of the time. At this time, SCPA resolves to actively support practices, public policies and institutions that provide healing, promote change, create opportunities to people affected by racism, and seek to correct the socio-economic imbalance that has been racism’s legacy in our social structure.
SCPA asks our members to stand against racism in all forms and to commit to anti-racist action. We strive to support individuals and communities who seek our help due to racial injustice and racial trauma. We resolve to promote education among ourselves as psychologists, as well as to our clients and the general public. We encourage dialogues with governmental and community stakeholders and resolve to endorse public policies that seek to reverse the effects of racism. Additionally, below is short resource list for anyone seeking help or information on racism, anti-racism and racial trauma. Please contact SCPA directly if you are in need of a more in-depth list or specific resources. These efforts directly support the mission of SCPA to promote human welfare; foster high standards of practice, teaching and research; and make available to the public information regarding best practices in psychology.
Thank you for reading, your membership to SCPA and all that you do to help others in crisis and need.
Sincerely,
South Carolina Psychological Association Board of Directors
Resource List:
Unpacking the impacts of structural racism on youth – webinar – through APA website
The South Carolina Psychological Association was formed to advance psychology as a science, as a profession, and as a means of promoting Human welfare; to foster and maintain high standards of practice, teaching, and research in the field of psychology; and to make available to the public information regarding psychology as a science and as a profession.
SCPA Helped Me Build My Career!
I believe in the power of like-minded individuals who come together for the greater good, and I believe that psychologists have an active part to take in the pursuit of the greater good.
That is why I value my membership in SCPA: It allows me to connect with so many other wonderful psychologists to share ideas about the future of psychology in the state of SC as well as in the lives of ourselves and our clients. As an early career psychologist, I’ve reaped the benefit of high-quality seminars, trainings, and social gatherings via various SCPA meetings, and I wanted to be part of the great worth that is done on behalf of our profession.
As a psychologist in private practice the field can sometimes feel isolating, and SCPA allows me to have access to not only the CEU opportunities but also great social connections with others in my field, thus making the world of clinical work feel a little smaller and a little more friendly.
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