Against HB 454: Impact on Licensed Counselors in the State of Ohio

CW: This post discusses proposed anti-trans laws in the United States.

Photo by Oriel Frankie Ashcroft on Pexels.com

I connected with Lily Cunningham, M.Ed., LPCC-S, on Twitter. As you may have noticed, I take my ethical commitments seriously, especially when laws try to force me to contradict my ethics code. And you may have noticed that many states have been pushing for laws that would harm the trans community.

Lily practices in Ohio, where HB 454 aims to ban gender-affirming care. She is testifying about why this law is harmful and asking her state government not to pass it. (More information on gender-affirming care and the science behind it is available here. The short version is, gender affirming care improves mental health outcomes and significantly reduces suicide. As with many things, early intervention has the greatest impact on outcomes. Check out these studies to learn more.)

You can view Lily’s presentation here. If your state is pushing for this kind of law, use this as a template for speaking against it.

In the meantime, keep up with the news in your area. Call your reps. Tell them to stop making it illegal for us to do our jobs ethically.

Published by Dr Marschall

Dr. Amy Marschall received her Psy.D. from the University of Hartford in September 2015. She completed her internship at the National Psychology Training Consortium with specializations in assessment and rural mental health. Currently, she specializes in trauma-informed and neurodiversity-affirming care, and she is certified in telemental health. Dr. Marschall runs a private practice, RMH Therapy, where she provides individual and family therapy as well as psychological assessments across the lifespan. Dr. Amy Marschall is an author and professional speaker.

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