On Tuesday, November 12, the American Counseling Association’s CEO, Richard Yep, was interviewed by CBS’s local affiliate in Washington, DC, WUSA-9. Topics of discussion: the Affordable Care Act, increased access to mental health services through the Act, and how professional counselors are available to help those in need.

This morning, Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius announced final rules for the 2008 Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act at a mental health conference at the Carter Center in Atlanta with former first lady Rosalynn Carter.

ACA's CEO, Richard Yep, was recently interviewed by Boston radio station, WERS-FM, regarding cyber-bullying. In the segment, “A Safe Place: The new breed of bully,” Yep, along with Katie Davis of MTV’S “A Thin Line” and Felicia Vargas of Boston Public Schools, discuss how technology has transformed bullying.

Richard Yep, ACA Executive Director and CEO, recently explained the vital role professional counselors play in combating cyberbullying. Read his Huffington Post byline, which was featured in the Impact section on October 18, 2013.

On October 12, 2013, ACA participated in a Creating Community Solutions discussion on mental health. Convened by Washington D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray, the town hall event was part of a national dialogue to promote solutions to the challenges faced by those with mental health issues. Over 400 participants – students, family members, concerned residents and service providers – joined together at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in D.C. to discuss critical issues on complex challenges relating to mental health issues and services.

CACREP and its corporate affiliate CORE have released the newly adopted Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling Standards (ClRC) for immediate use by master’s degree counseling programs seeking to become accredited.

American Counseling Association president, Dr. Cirecie West-Olatunji, was recently interviewed by RT-TV America as part of a news story addressing unemployment and suicide. In the segment, which aired on Monday, October 2, 2013, in Washington D.C., Dr. West-Olantunji explains the link between jobs, our identity, and mental health, and provides sound advice for coping in uncertain times.

David Kaplan, PhD, ACA's Chief Professional Officer, spoke to 99.1 WNEW in Washington, D.C. on the 12th anniversary of the September 11th attacks. During the interview, Dr. Kaplan discussed how to help children and communities deal with large-scale traumas and disasters.

Counselors should be aware that 2013 has brought important new changes to HIPAA and that September 23, 2013 is the compliance deadline for many of these new regulatory requirements.

ACA's Art Terrazas, grass-roots advocacy coordinator, recently spoke with a reporter from U.S. News & World Report regarding the recommended student to counselor ratio and the impact of cuts to school counseling programs. "One area that can be impacted by the added burden counselors take on is students' mental health."