FA =
Families Anonymous is a Twelve-Step, self help, recovery and fellowship of support groups
for relatives and friends of those who have alcohol, drug or
behavioral problems
FAAAS =
Families of Adults Afflicted with Asperger Syndrome
FACES = a memory device
to remember the five areas to explore in forming a relationship,
including: Family
dynamics and background, Attitudes and
actions of the conscience, Compatibility,
Examples of other
relationships, and Skills.
(See also: acronyms, RAM & PICK.) [Thanks to Angela Kennedy in
her Counseling Today article "How to Avoid Marrying a Jerk,"
July 2005.]
FACT =
The National Fair Access Coalition for Testing
a coalition of more than 30 organizations which represents more than
half a million mental health professionals united in their opposition
to attempts by clinical psychologists to restrict psychological
testing to their profession. FAIR members hold that freedom to
administer tests should be based on a mental health professional's
competency rather than their license.
FAFSA =
free application for Federal Student Aid [
on-line form ] [more information]
FAH =
Federation of American Hospitals
FAPA =
Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association
FAQ =
Frequently Asked Questions A list of questions and
answers in a brochure or web page that prepared in advance in hopes of
answering common questions.
FAS =
fetal alcohol syndrome is the leading preventable cause of mental retardation. It is defined by four criteria: maternal drinking during pregnancy; a
characteristic pattern of facial abnormalities; growth retardation; and brain damage, which often is manifested by intellectural difficulties or behavioral problems. (See also: ARND)
FAVO = Federacion de
Asociaciones Venezolanas de Orientadores (Federation of Venezuelan Counseling
Associations).
FBA =
Functional Behavioral Assessment or
Functional Behavioral Analysis [Thanks to John MacDonald, Poulsbo, WA]
FDA =
US Food and Drug Administration
FEHBP =
Federal Employee Health Benefit Program
FFT =
Functional Family Therapy, developed by
James F. Alexander [mentioned in ACA publication, Counseling Today, March 2003]
FH+ = with a Family
History of a particular problem under discussion, for example: alcoholism.
FH- = without a Family History
of a particular problem under discussion, for example: alcoholism.
FHCP = Faculty of
Healthcare Counsellors and Psychotherapists, a division of the
BACP that provides a forum for those
involved in counselling in GP Surgeries, hospitals and other healthcare settings
in the United Kingdom.
FICO =
Fair, Isaac and Co,
developers of the credit scoring system used by credit grantors of mortgage and other types of loans. Your FICO score is a factor in whether you get your home loan.
FIPA = the
Fellow of the International Psychoanalytic
Association credential indicates that the practitioner
has fully satisfied all educational requirements for qualification
as a psychoanalyst and for membership in the International
Psychoanalytical Association, the oldest and largest international
psychoanalytic organization and the world's primary accrediting and
regulatory body for psychoanalysis.
FKA or f/k/a =
formerly known as...
FLAN =
the Federal Legislative Advocacy Network,
an AMHCA grassroots advocacy network. To join, contact Beth
Powell, Director, Public Policy & Professional Issues, AMHCA at
1-(800) 326-2642, Ext. 105.
FLE =
Family Life Education. This appears to be a generic acronym for
a person who has a degree and and course work in all ten family life substance
areas, but does not have certification from the National Council on Family
Relations. See: CFLE. [Acronym suggested by Jenne Alderks.]
FMHCA =
Florida Mental Health Counselors Association.
FMHE =
Forensic Mental Health Evaluator, a special psycho/legal
certification offered by the National Board of Forensic Evaluators,
Inc. (NBFE).
FMLA =
Family and Medical Leave Act, a federal law permitting workers 12
weeks of leave without pay but with full medical benefits.
Fndn =
Foundation [This has nothing to do with counseling
but in my site statistics, I found that in the last three months 34
unique visitors had entered the site looking for the abbreviation for
the word,"foundation."
Now they have it and can get on with their lives.]
FOO =
refers to family of origin issues, used to indicate a problem area for the client or a practice specialty of a counselor.
FOT =
Focusing Oriented Therapy is a treatment for PTSD, which
can be used alone or integrated into a variety of other treatment
methods.
FPE =
Forensic Psychological Evaluator, a credential offered by the National Board
of Forensic Evaluators
FPI =
Federal Prison Industries, an inmate labor program.
FPL =
federal poverty level
FRACS =
Fellow of Royal Australasian College of Surgeons
FRCP =
Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians
FRCPC =
Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, Canada
--a Canadian medical specialists certification. [Thanks Dr. David Hinton]
FSAD =
female sexual arousal disorder
FSD =
female sexual dysfunction (or disorder)
FSS =
Financial Services Specialist,
the DSHS worker who accepts initial applications for the Food Assistance program and DSHS financial and medical assistance programs and determines
whether the applicants are financial eligible for participation in the programs..
FSSS =
The Foundation for the Scientific Study of Sexuality is a nonprofit
organization devoted exclusively to supporting scientific research related to
sexuality. Created in 1985 by SSSS, the goal is to to establish a perpetual pool
of funds (via endowments) to facilitate the scholarly study of sexuality.
See SSSS.
FST or FSTs =
field sobriety test(s) include a variety of
physical and verbal tasks that a police officer may ask a driver to
perform in order to check for impaired driving.
ftf or
f2f = face to face
(an actual meeting of two people as opposed to meeting on line or on the telephone.
FTM = Female to Male--A
person assigned 'female' at birth, but who identifies as male: the
person may or may not seek or desire surgery. A transgendered person
whose gender identity (sense of being mal/female) differs from their
assigned birth sex....also those whose behavior, identity or
appearance is not congruent with their assigned birth sex. [Adapted
from "Transgender 101," Counseling Today, February 2008, a ACA
publication.]
FTO
Program = Field Training Officer Program
(supervised on-the-job training)
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Contact Us.
-G-
GA =
General Assistance (see GA-U, below).
GAD =
generalized anxiety disorder
GAIN = Global
Appraisal of Individual Needs. "The GAIN is a progressive
and integrated series of measures and computer applications designed
to support substance abuse treatment practices, including initial
screening; brief interventions, and referrals to ancillary services.
The GAIN provides a standardized clinical assessment that providers
use in the diagnosis, placement, and treatment planning process for
people receiving services."
GAL = Guardian Ad Litem,
an attorney or other trained person who is appointed by the court to
represent the interest of a child or disabled person in a pending
court case--commonly used to represent children in a divorce there
are allegations of domestic violence or child abuse or custody is
contested.
GAM =
gay Asian men
GAU or GA-U =
General Assistance--Unemployable a category
of state public assistance paid to persons who are unable to hold a
job due to mental or physical disabilities. [Washington State]
Effective July 1, 2010, the name of the General Assistance -
Unemployable (GAU) program will change to "Disability Lifeline."
The program will be different from GAU in a number of ways.
See: DL.
GBL =
a manufacturing precursor to GHB. GBL converts to GHB in the body and has the same effects and cautions as with GHB, but GBL is more potent.
GC-C
= Grief Counselor, Certified (Certified Grief
Counselor), American Academy of Grief Counseling, American Institute of Health
Care Professionals.
GCDF =
Global Career Development Facilitator
(1997). This is the international version of the CDF. The Career Development Facilitator
is a paraprofessional credential offered by the Center for Credentialing and Education (CCE),
an affiliate of NBCC. The credential began its growth in the United States and is now being offered internationally as the Global Career Development Facilitator (G-CDF)
and (as of 2008) has been used to develop the career guidance
certification programs in nine counties.
GCFP = Guild-Certified
Feldenkrais Practitioner. (Somatic Education) The
Feldenkrais Method is often regarded as falling within the field of
integrative or complementary medicine and is designed to improve
entire range of movement and expand and refine the use of the self
through awareness and thereby reducing pain or limitations in
movement and promoting general well-being.
GCMH =
Global Council for Mental Health (a new WHO
organization, 2004).
GFAS =
Gay Fathers Association of Seattle.
GHB =
gamma-hydroxy-butyrate
is a naturally occurring metabolite found in the hypothalamus, it's classified as a sedative-hypnotic or CNS depressant.
GLBT =
Gay, lesbian bisexual transgender
GLBTQ =
Gay, lesbian bisexual, transgender and questioning.
[or alphebically: BGLQT.
GLMA =
Originally founded in 1981 as the American Association of Physicians for Human Rights, the national
Gay and Lesbian Medical Association is a non-profit organization working to end homophobia in health care. GLMA, 459 Fulton Street, Suite 107, San Francisco, CA 94102.
GMHS = "geriatric mental
health specialist" is defined by WAC 388-865-0150 which
applies to an agency that is licensed by the Mental Health Division
as a Community Mental Health Program. This would not apply to an
individual in private practice. [Thanks to Washington State DSHS,
Mental Health Division, (360) 902-0787.] While the mental
health professional is employed by the agency the meaning is
as follows: WAC 388-865-0150 Definitions. "(2) A 'geriatric
mental health specialist' is defined as a mental health
professional who has the following education and experience: (a) A
minimum of one hundred actual hours (not quarter or semester hours)
of specialized training devoted to the mental health problems and
treatment of persons sixty years of age or older; and (b) The
equivalent of one year of full-time experience in the treatment of
persons sixty years of age or older, under the supervision of a
geriatric mental health specialist."
GSA-NCC = Graduate
Student Application for the National Certified Counselor
credential program, allows advanced students in participating
counselor preparation programs at colleges and universities to to
take the National Counselor Examination for Licensure and
Certification (NCE) and start the certification process while their
"book learning" is fresh. [Thanks to The NCC, Spring
2007, page 20, a publication of the NBCC.]
To top
-H-
H1N1 = the
swine-flu virus, officially influenza A(H1N1), that caused
world-wide concern about a possible pandemic in 2010.
H5N1 = the avian-flu strain circulating in
poultry Indonesia, Egypt and China. Since 2002, international health
authorities have feared that it will become pandemic (2009).
HA =
health assessment (brief physical exam)
HAADAC =
Hawaii Association of Addiction and Drug Abuse Counselors
HAART =
highly active anti-retroviral therapies, the
so-called AIDS cocktail drugs introduced in 1996.
HACEG =
Hawaii Association for Counselors and Educators in
Government
HALT =
a memory device for persons in recovery from addictions: "Don't let yourself get
too
Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired."
HAV =
Hepatitis A virus, usually transmitted by fecal contamination, causes a common liver disease. Good personal hygiene and proper sanitation can help prevent hepatitis A. Vaccines are also
available for long-term prevention of hepatitis A virus infection in persons 2 years of age and older.
HBCE =
HypnoBirthing® Childbirth Educator, this is a training
facility certification indicating that the practitioner has attended
a "4-day, 2-part Childbirth Educator Program consisting of a
16-hour, Introduction to Hypnosis for Childbirth or Introduction to
Birthing Basics, and a 16-hour, Certification Workshop for
HypnoBirthing®."
HBLU =
Healing from the Body Level Up, a brief
therapy technique "that engages a mind/body/spirit methodology to help
clients struggling with grief and loss, along with other physical and
emotional conditions." Developed by Judith A. Swack, Needham,
Mass. [Thanks to ACA "Counseling Today" July 2003.]
HBP =
high blood pressure, usually defined as a
blood pressure reading higher than 140/90 millimeters of mercury.
HBV =
Hepatitis B virus,
a blood borne infection. is a serious disease caused by a virus that attacks the liver can cause lifelong infection, cirrhosis (scarring) of the
liver, liver cancer, liver failure, and death. Immunization is recommended for health care professionals and now for all children as part of their childhood shots.
HBWD
= Health Benefits for Workers with Disabilities
HCA =
Hawaii Counseling Association, a state chapter of the
American Counseling Association.
HCDA =
Hawaii Career Development Association
HCFA =
Health Care Financing Administration is now called the
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
The HCFA acronym is found on "Form HCFA-1500" claim forms which are still
used by mental health practitioners when submitting claims to insurance companies.
HCH =
Healthcare for the Homeless
HCP =
health care provider,
as in "See a HCP routinely for evaluation of your liver."
HCV =
Hepatitis C virus
infection is the most common chronic blood borne infection in the United States.
HEC or
HECB =
Higher Education Coordinating Board, a Washington state
agency governed by a 10-member citizen board. Charged by state law
with representing the "broad public interest" in higher education,
HECB is calling for consolidation of three state agencies into one
strong statewide governing board and a 20% increase in the number of
students who graduate from college by 2010.
HEN =
Hakomi Education Network is an international community of teachers dedicated to
sharing the essence of Hakomi through a variety of experiential workshops and trainings.
HEPP =
HIV & Hepatitis Education Prison Project
( reported in HEPP News ), sponsored by the Brown Medical School, Office of Continuing Education
HERE =
The Washington State Department of Health's Health Education Resource Exchange
HFA or HFAs =
high functioning alcoholics who hold an
outside life together (home, family, friendships, job) while
drinking alcoholically, and most often come into counseling for
school, work, relationship or marital problems, and see no
connection between their drinking and other problem areas.
HHS =
US Department of Health and Human Services.
HIDTA =
High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area
HIPAA =
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1997.
People who are changing jobs, having a baby, getting divorced, or going through other changes that can affect insurance
coverage stand to benefit. The National Partnership for Women and Families offers an easy-to-read "Guide to HIPAA." For professionals call HHS directly at 1-(866)-627-7748, TTY
1-(866)-788-4989. See
detailed guidance from the Office for Civil Rights website. [Additional Links]
HIPDB = National
Healthcare Integrity Protection Databank
created by federal law, contains records of disciplinary actions taken
against Health Care Providers by the various states.
HIPPA =
That's the way people pronounce it, but the correct spelling of the
acronym is HIPAA (see above).
HIPSO =
Healthcare Providers Service Organization, an ACA-endorsed
professional liability insurance for counselors.
HIT =
Health Information Technology.
HITECH = Health Information Technology for
Clinical and Economic Health Act of 2009. One new
modification to HIPAA rules gives State Attorneys General the
authority to bring civil actions for violations of the HIPAA Privacy
and Security Rules. The fines resulting from such State
actions may be retained by the State rather than by the Federal
Government. Expect significant increase in HIPAA compliance
audits as States recognize this significant new source of potential
revenue. [Thanks to Strom & Strom Legal and Marketing Services for
Mental Health Professionals, Aug 2011.]
HIV =
Human Immunodeficiency Virus,
a virus transmitted by body fluids such as blood or semen.
HJN =
The Health Justice Network
HMCDA =
Hawaii Multicultural Counseling and Development
Association
HMHCA =
Hawaii Mental Health Counselors Association,
a state chapter of the AMHCA.
HMO =
Health Maintenance Organization. HMOs usually pay flat fees (capitation )
to providers for all health care services, regardless of utilization. This is supposed to encourage providers to keep patients healthy at the lowest cost, and avoid
unnecessary procedures. Unfortunately, it also risks encouraging inadequate care. [Thanks to Richard F. Small, PhD, Pennsylvania.]
HOH =
hard of hearing.
HPQA =
Health Professions Quality Assurance is an office within
the Washington State, Department of Health, responsible for
protecting public health and safety by regulating the competency and
quality of nearly 300,000 health care providers.
HPV =
Human Papilloma Virus, there are "more than
100 strains of the human papilloma virus. About 30 types of HPV
are linked to genital infections, including genital warts. Other
strains cause warts on the hands, feet or mouth. HPV 16 can
trigger abnormal cell growth and is responsible for more than half of
all cases of cervical cancer." [Thanks to Seattle P-I, 11/2/04.]
HQA =
Hospital Quality Alliance. In December 2002, the American
Hospital Association, Federation of American Hospitals, and
Association of American Medical Colleges launched the Hospital
Quality Alliance (HQA), a national public-private collaboration to
encourage hospitals to voluntarily collect and report hospital
quality performance information. One outcome has been the "Hospital Compare" website that provides the public with information on how well the
hospitals care for all their adult patients [including people with
Medicare] with certain conditions or procedures.
HQCB = Healthcare Quality Certification Board,
(which administers the CPHQ exam) is part of the National Association for Healthcare Quality.
HRACC =
Hampton Roads Association of Clinical Counselors,
the largest and most active region of the Virginia Association of Clinical Counselors.
HRSA =
Human Resources and Services Administration
HRT =
Harm Reduction Therapy
HSAD =
hypoactive sexual arousal disorder
HS–BCP =
Human Services–Board Certified Practitioner. The Center for
Credentialing & Education (CCE) issues the Human Services–Board
Certified Practitioner (HS–BCP) credential. It is a credential for
individuals providing direct service to clients (human service
practitioners).
HSDOED =
Human Services Department Office of Economic Development
HSP =
highly sensitive people
HTML =
Hypertext Markup Language. Coding or tags that direct a
computer browser how to display a web page on your personal computer. To
view the HTML for a web page, click on the "view" button on your browser's
toolbar and then click on "source."
Hx =
history (as in: "client reports hx of depression).
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