Can we talk for a short minute about Human Physics 101: ADVOCACY = Your Voice + Synergy + Inertia
33+ yrs ago, no states had professional licensure for counselors. Today, all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico have a form of counselor licensing. With the many other professional advances made; no progress has been attained without the voice of advocates working together with a goal and persistence. All over the U.S.A., counselors work to help the people that they serve learn to persevere, to learn to be resilient and to survive the many challenges of life. The U.S. military uses a motto -"Improvise, Adapt and Overcome" as a mantra for service members to stay focused, stay the course thru hardship, and resolve despite the harshest of adversaries to accomplish the mission.
Why "YOUR VOICE"? Why "SYNERGY"? Why "INERTIA"?
Let's do this backwards and do last things first.
Inertia is both our friend and our enemy. INERTIA- "a property of matter by which it continues in its existing state of rest or uniform motion in a straight line, unless that state is changed by an external force". Without counselor advocacy, the present state of inertia, (status quo) will remain the same. Right now, we are not Medicare providers and without action, the current state of inertia will continue - just exactly the way it is now. However, with an external force (YOUR VOICE), this effort and action will change the course and inertia will begin to carry our ADVOCACY efforts towards our goal - Medicare Provider status.
Now, let's move onto "YOUR VOICE" and "SYNERGY".
Can we agree that the present course will stay the same without any action?
What needs to be done to alter the present course and create INERTIA in another direction? YOUR VOICE.
USE YOUR VOICE:
STEP #1 - Contact your elected officials and those running for office. Call and/or e-mail - NOW.
And STEP #2 - Speak with them. Request to meet with them. Set up appointments to meet with them. Let Jim Finley know. Every legislative contact helps alter the present course of inertia.
CREATE SYNERGY: "The interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects."
STEP #3 - Call your fellow clinical mental health counselors, your friends, your family and your neighbors. Just like how Facebook, GoFundMe, Instagram, Twitter etc. works, when you initiate contact with your State Chapter, you colleagues, family and friends, createsSYNERGY.
YOUR VOICE can help create the critical INERTIA and SYNERGY necessary to gain Medicare Provider status. If we combine all of our many advocacy voices with all of our AMHCA State Chapters, Counseling Grad programs and other counselor connections, we can re-write history.
Alright now, Human Physics 101 is over for today. Time for homework. Are you ready So what are you waiting for? Remember - inertia won't change itself. USE YOUR VOICE!
My very best - SUZANNE