Blog Viewer

With Gratitude and Warm Regards

By Joel Miller posted 04-28-2021 14:12

  

Dear AMHCA Members,


This communication is to inform you that I have decided to retire as Executive Director and CEO of the American Mental Health Counselors Association, effective July 9, 2021.

 

It has been my honor to lead AMHCA these past eight years and serve the thousands of clinical mental health counselors around the country who in turn serve as primary mental health providers for your clients.  I have had only one overarching mission: To address the needs and promote the interests of AMHCA members every single day.  The services you provide on behalf of your clients are so critically important to alleviate suffering and distress, that I have found myself so fortunate to be associated with such a special, exceptional profession with so many distinguishing attributes.  Your dedication to the mental health and emotional well-being of all individuals has a profound impact on the quality of life of Americans, and especially so over the last year during the worst health care crisis in a century. 

 

I am extremely proud of what we have accomplished as a team on behalf of our members as we have pursued the interests of the clinical mental health counseling profession, and to bring value to our members we represent and the stakeholders we work with throughout the AMHCA enterprise.

 

Over the last year, we have endured through a major – and ongoing – pandemic that has challenged us in many ways, but we learned and adapted to provide even more support and benefits to you during an emotional and challenging period.

 

During the last eight years, the AMHCA team has turned the organization from a sleepy, unknown entity where we had no voice, to a force on behalf of the clinical mental health counseling profession and a force for good in the behavioral health community in the legislative, policy and program arenas at the national level.  We are at the table on many fronts.  Moreover, we went from a basic lack of engagement with the members to putting in place several ongoing programs and communication mechanisms, where we are now operating on multiple networking platforms with our members that we hope have made a difference in your lives and practices.  To augment our operations, we have streamlined many procedures with the goal of becoming more efficient and effective.

 

I am convinced that AMHCA will continue to be an increasingly strong force in the behavioral health field and improving the lives of our members, and will bring forward innovative ideas and create significant value for AMHCA’s members.

 

It has been my privilege to work with an exceptionally dedicated and skilled team of staff directors who lead their respective areas on behalf of the members.  I have never seen in all my years in the association field a more hard-working and creative group of individuals.  I am exceedingly grateful for all the long hours and hard work they have put in to boost AMHCA to improve the lives of our members, and be an association leader in the clinical mental health counseling community and behavioral health sphere.  These are not accomplishments a CEO can make happen alone.  These are achievements that require a committed team of tenacious individuals who come together to work relentlessly for a common goal.

 

I could not have asked for a more supportive Board of Directors -- and the eight Presidents I have closely worked with during this tenure.  You all are incredibly dedicated volunteers who care so deeply about AMHCA and the profession.  Thank you for your commitment and dedication -- and guidance on so many critically important issues and challenges that AMHCA has faced. I treasure the friendships I have cultivated with each of my fellow Board members. 

 

A special thanks to all of the AMHCA Committee Chairs and members who volunteer their time and devotion to so many key strategic projects in the areas of ethics, clinical practice, public policy and advocacy, event planning, graduate student programs, public awareness, and continuing education and credentialing. And thanks to all the AMHCA state chapter leaders on the front lines representing the clinical mental health counseling profession before so many stakeholders at the local level.

 

Thank you for the opportunity to serve as your CEO these last eight years, and thank you again for all your support for AMHCA, and all you do for your clients and our nation.

 

With gratitude and warm regards,

Joel

 

0 comments
15 views

Permalink