Professional Advocacy
(Room Washington A)
25 Jul 15
8:30 AM
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9:45 AM
Many, if not most, ILT attendees have never held a sit-down, face-to-face meeting with an elected official. Research shows that face-to-face visits with legislators have a stronger impact than any other form of communication. This result, although unsurprising, highlights the importance of Thursday’s lobbying visits as prime opportunity for shaping lawmakers’ positions on counseling-related issues. And while the ILT lobbying visits are important, they are not the end-point of the advocacy process for counseling leaders, or for ACA. The fact is that there is no end-point: legislative advocacy is a continuous, never-ending process of engagement with policymakers to ensure that the needs of the counseling profession and its clients are met. This session will give attendees the knowledge, skills, and confidence necessary to lead an effective lobbying visit on the issue of their choice and will explore the objectives and options ACA and counseling leaders have for building on the lobbying visit throughout the rest of the year.