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Our Battle for your Legal Rights
For over 20 years, PSU has been fighting for the rights of non traditional therapists and pastoral counselors to practice. In the past, we organized State actions and initiatives into Red and Green States: States actively closing doors on PC's with unconsitutional legislation, and States neutral or even friendly to PCs.
During the (Bill) Clinton era, most States remained neutral, and during the two Bush terms, many backed off from new legislation. Unfortunately, with recent inroads by much more Liberal DC legislators and candidates, religion is again being attacked by secular progressives and atheists, and there are many new laws in the works in many previously neutral States.
With the new attacks on individual counselors by traditional psych organizations, liberal universities, jealous psych practitioners and "professors" (who seem to have a lot of time on their hands to attack others, including us), we have instituted a new "yellow" State category, for States like Washington that are planning Draconian new legislation against PC's and other non-traditional counselors such as sex therapists, alternative nutritionists, and others.
Sadly, the "yellow" group has many previously green States like WA joining this trend, and is growing at an alarming rate. PSU is forming non profit PACs to fight this unconstitutional legislation. Even "strange bedfellows" like ACLU, typically liberal, have looked at the legal ramifications of going after PC's at the State level from the "flip side" of separation (if they truly support separation, logic says that both prayer in schools, and States regulating PC's are both unconstitutional, from their somewhat odd standpoint).
Red States: For many years, New York, Eastern PA, California, Eastern Florida and other liberal and secular cities and States, especially on the Eastern Seaboard, have been RED, anti-PC, and have used money, influence, traditional Psych organizations, and even "strawman" PC accrediting organizations that are puppets of their own flawed standards and associations, to attack, limit and try to force their own oppressive educational and credentialing standards on many classes of counselors, some bordering on ludicrous, like job counselors.
Green States: States with heavy traditional Christian values such as Georgia, Tennessee, Utah, Colorado, etc. have previously been friendly to PC's, upholding separation, and refraining from traditional psych, APA and other political activist efforts to impose psych establishment and liberal atheistic university new standards on PC's and other non traditional counselors.
Yellow States: Once only a few, there are now over a dozen States slating new legislation to impose traditional psych establishment controls and State regulation on religious counselors and many other non-traditional counselors including even nurses, sex therapists, nutritional counselors, etc. These include Washington State, Ohio, Michigan, Florida, New Hampshire, and even Virginia! Previously "divided" States like Virginia and Massachusetts that had at least a small glimmer of small government and anti-regulation spirit left are now joining the Left in their crusade against PC's, which really amounts to inroads of money from traditional Psych organizations, liberal universities and wealthy therapists.
The Feds: Up to now, the feds have refused to get into this battle, calculating that with the current Supreme Court, PC would be upheld. Traditional PA and NY based organizations and individuals have tried to complain to the Feds, but the attorneys there have seen this as a waste of taxpayer money and a State issue. With DC changing rapidly, 2009 will be an interesting year, to say the least, unless we act now to protect our rights. If we end up with a left leaning Supreme Court, it will be a sad day for religion in general, not to mention PC.
What We can do
In addition to supporting legal defense, PSU is continuing the battle legally against new regulation, and is enlisting the support of many other advocate organizations to protect PC. You can write your Congressperson or Senator if you're in a battleground (Yellow) State.
We also are seeing many new categories of previously non-religion associated counselors seek the umbrella protection of PC and new secular credentialing programs, including nutritionists, sex therapists, marriage counselors, addiction center counselors, etc. PSU's secular adds programs are a POWERFUL NEW ANTIDOTE to the looming spectre of additional regulation at both State and DC levels. In addition, they provide significant new income to your practice.
IMPORTANT NOTE! The more we try to protect PC, the more atheists and other traditional therapists and their organizations, associations and universities try to slam PSU with false accusations and web-based attacks. Without exception, we are using our legal resources to counter these defamatory, libelous and slanderous attacks. If you see a website, university, association or individual professor attacking us or PC, please email us to let us know, so we can take legal action.
This battle is to protect YOUR right to counsel! These cowards are "picking their battles" and trying to skirt around others, like AA, that they would like to see shut down, but are (so far), too powerful to take on. We NEED to get those sister organizations to join this battle, before it is too late! Our attorneys have gotten dozens of these websites to either remove their message, or moderate their tone to an objective, pro-con approach.
Think about it: these organizations who supposedly espouse the "scientific method" over the Living God, are even violating their own principles by vehemently arguing only one side of the story with emotional passion (to "protect patients"). Where is THEIR pro-con scientific attitude, ANOVA trend studies of the effectiveness of PC vs. tradtional therapy, and BALANCED rhetoric? Answer: psych is their new "religion" -- and has NOTHING to do with objectivity OR science!
Let's beat them at their own game, get our secular add credential, then ask them to show US their certification when they attempt job, financial or credit counseling! Let's ask them how 10 of their sessions on childhood trauma solve a deep credit or job loss problem! Let's solve the practical problem, then challenge THEM for wasting time and endangering patients by talking about their reaction to financial stress instead of solving and educating about the underlying financial ratios.
If there answer is they "do" treat the underlying credit issues, let's ask to see THEIR certification as credit counselors, and report them to their State banking departments and SEC, for giving financial advice without a license!
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