AMHCA
May 2010 AMHCA Survey
(in a national survey with 1,250 counselors responding)
"
AMHCA Survey Results: Concerns Cited With Managed Care, and With Funding Retirement 09/01/10," by Joan Normandy–Dolberg,
LPC, Past President, VACC, as reported on the American Mental Health Counselors Association website.
..."Of those who responded, 36 percent are between
51 and 60 years old, and 22 percent have been in practice 25 years or longer. Seventy-five percent of
those who responded are female, and 59 percent own their own practice. Ninety-one percent work with
adults, 83 percent do individual therapy, and 63 percent of those responding work with couples.
"About 50 percent of those who responded participate
with health insurance or managed care, with equal numbers (about 33 percent) filing their own claims
by mail and electronically by an office administrator. Clinicians’ major concerns cited are the long wait on the phone to get
authorization for a new client (70 percent spend between 10 and 30 minutes per client) and the long wait for
reimbursement (50 percent wait between two and four weeks). These concerns may be why fully half of
those responding (50 percent) do not participate with managed care.
"Of those who responded, 30 percent work between 31 and 40 hours a
week. Despite our extensive training, salaries are not commensurate with education levels. Thirty-seven
percent earn $50,000 or more per year, 10 percent earn over $80,000, while only 3 percent earn over
$100,000 per year. Salaries reported are before taxes.
"Not surprisingly in these difficult economic times, over 75 percent are
moderately to very concerned about funding retirement, and over 90 percent are considering continuing to see clients after retiring.
"Over 74 percent of those who responded had attended or are currently attending CACREP-accredited
programs, and many belong to several professional organizations including AMHCA and the American
Counseling Association (ACA). Fifty-six percent belong to their state associations.
"The four most important legislative issues that
counselors would like AMHCA to advocate for are:
•Medicare coverage of counselors;
•The ability to practice independently under TRICARE:
•Counselor inclusion in the Department of Transportation’s Substance Abuse Professionals (SAP) program; and mental health parity."
Source: American Mental Health Counselors Association website:
http://www.amhca.org/