ConnOTA LEGISLATIVE ALERT
HELP US OPPOSE
Art and Music Therapy Licensure
It’s time tostand up for the OT profession!
PLEASE CONTACT YOUR STATE REPRESENTATIVE TODAY!
Askyour State Representative toplease
OPPOSE
Amendments to House Bill 6980 (House Calendar # 34)
"AN ACT CONCERNING ART AND MUSIC THERAPISTS."
Recently the Connecticut House of Representatives introduced amendments to House Bill 6980, “An Act Concerning Art Therapists”. These amendments would create licenses by the Department of Public Health for both art and music therapists, bypassing the Scope of Practice Review process and without having had a public hearing before the legislature. These amendments to House Bill 6980 (House Calendar # 34) are now pending before the State House of Representatives and could be called for a vote any day now if occupational therapists don’t push back and contact your state Representative to oppose these amendments which infringe upon the scope of practice of occupational therapy and OTs uses of art and music as treatment modalities.
This legislation could interfere with the diligent work of OTs and put the vulnerable at risk. Specifically, the legislation defines that art and music therapists are suited to address the “treatment and amelioration of developmental, behavioral, cognitive or emotional problems or conditions of an individual, family or group”. Occupational therapist have a proven track record of giving quality care and this could put your work potentially at risk as well as cause confusion regarding the OT scope of practice.
(To learn more about the legislation, you may click here for a link to the amendment)
To contact your State Representative, please go to:
https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/menu/cgafindleg.asp
Input your address and click “submit”. Based on your address, the name of your ConnecticutLegislatorsincluding your State Representativewill be generated.(Please consider inputting both your work and home addresses, as you may have a different State Representative for each location).
Locate the name of your STATE REPRESENTATIVE (it should be the first name listed). If you click on thehyperlinked text “State Representative, District” after their name, under the column where it says Title (Contact),it shouldopen up an email form.
Or, if you click on your STATE REPRESENTATIVE’s NAME (Web), it will take youto their website where you can clickon a“Contact” tab. In addition to emailing, you can also obtainyour State Representative’sphone number from this section to make a personal phone callto their office.Please consider both emailing AND calling (you will most likely speak to your Representative’s aide or have to leave a voice message). A phone call in addition to or following up on an email will help make a big difference!
Simply tell your State Representative who you are and that you are asking them to pleaseOPPOSEthe amendments to House Bill 6980 (House Calendar # 34), “An Act Concerning Art and Music Therapists”.
Whencontacting your State Representative,here areadditionaltalking pointsconsider:
1. Occupational Therapy is anevidence-based, science driven,provendisciplinethat properlyaddresses mental health issues, psychotherapeutic principles, and administers the modalities of art and music through therapy. It is inappropriate at this time given the lack of education and clinical training for art and music therapists to infringe on the scope of OTs and other mental health practitioners. ***IN ADDITION THEY HAVE NOT MOVED LICENSURE OR LANGUAGE IN SCOPE VIA DPH PROCESS - THIS IS THE SAFEST AND BEST PRACTICE TO GO THROUGH DPH.
2. Allowing art and music therapists to become licensed to offer “diagnosis” and treat patients dealing with “stress or traumatic experiences, enhancingcognitive abilities or identifying and implementing therapeutic interventions” can impact the role and scope of other health professionals and potentially risk patient safety.