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By Madeleine Stevens, PhD, LPC (PA), LPCC-S (OH)

On June 1, members spent the day at the Pennsylvania (PA) State Capitol. We met with state legislators and staff to advocate for policies that strengthen the counseling profession and improve access to quality mental healthcare. As chair of the I was proud to work alongside counselor advocates from across the Commonwealth to advance several legislative priorities affecting counselors, clients and counseling students.

A major focus of this year’s Hill Day was expanding the behavioral health workforce, which would ultimately expand access to mental healthcare across the state. Meetings with legislators included discussions about PA’s entry into the This advocacy contributed to a victory for PA counselors, because and PA Governor Josh Shapiro signed the Compact into law July 12.

Other Hill Day discussions focused on increasing financial support for counseling students and strengthening loan forgiveness opportunities for substance use disorder counselors. We also discussed legislation to establish grant funding that would support the education of future licensed professional counselors, licensed clinical social workers and licensed marriage and family therapists.

We continued our advocacy for (dependently licensed counselors completing their post-master’s supervised work requirement) and their insurance credentialing opportunities. PCA is eager to continue collaborating with our legislative allies on legislation that would regulate private payers’ corrections of overpayments on claims (also called a “takeback”), mirroring the passage of

Recognizing the rapid growth of artificial intelligence and its implications for mental healthcare, PCA also advocated for stronger safeguards within proposed AI legislation . Our recommendations included requiring AI chatbots to refer users to appropriate resources when abuse, violence or mental health crises are disclosed, and prohibiting AI chatbots from validating or encouraging suicidal or homicidal ideation.

Beyond profession-specific priorities, counselors also encouraged lawmakers to consider policies that support PA’s most vulnerable communities. Conversations included promoting legislation that protects LGBTQ+ Pennsylvanians, educating legislators about the potential loss of healthcare coverage for individuals facing reduced insurance subsidies and the supporting immigrant communities’ access to essential services and protections. Finally, we discussed the need for professional counselors to be part of PA statutes eliminating non-compete clauses from employment contracts.

Hill Day demonstrated the important role counselors play in shaping public policy. This is evident in the recent passage of SB 604, the Interstate Counseling Compact. We worked tirelessly with bipartisan legislators and PCA members to advocate for this legislation, and we are grateful to Senator Lisa Boscola and Representative Jennifer O’Mara for their leadership on the bill. By bringing our clinical expertise and our firsthand knowledge of clients’ needs directly to legislators, we continue to strengthen the counseling profession and advocate for healthier communities across PA.