Legislative Policy Fellowship Program

Eligibility and Criteria

Applicants for the program must be:

• Licensed Professional Counselor, Counselor Educator, Counselor Supervisor, or Counselor-in-Training

Applicants should:

• Have an interest in public policy and advocacy.
• Want to use their professional and lived experiences for advocacy.
• Be committed to completing a 4-month fellowship.

Program Structure and Objectives

The ACA Legislative Policy Fellowship has been designed for working professional counselors. Details of the program structure are outlined below:

• Four (4) months
• Four (4) learning modules
• Monthly instructor-led, live 90-minute virtual sessions
• Two asynchronous learning assignments each month
• Two (2) cohorts offered annually, limited to 25 participants for the inaugural cohort

The inaugural cohort will run from March-June 2027.

Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion of the fellowship, participants will be able to:

• Describe the federal and state legislative and regulatory process and explain their impact on the counseling profession and behavioral health field.
• Analyze federal and state legislation by identifying its purpose, sponsors, key stakeholders, fiscal implications, and potential impact on the counseling profession and behavioral health field.
• Articulate the roles of the White House, Congress, federal departments and agencies, and other key decisionmakers in proposing and implementing policies that impact the counseling profession.
• Identify state legislators, policy makers, relevant committees and committee chairs and describe their roles in advancing the counseling profession.
• Build advocacy skills by preparing for congressional briefings and state legislative meetings, developing advocacy materials and locating and utilizing legislative and policy resources.
• Develop an effective advocacy strategy by identifying policy goals, engaging key decisionmakers, and outlining steps to influence legislative and regulatory decisions.