Why It Matters
The American Counseling Association faces a deepening mental health workforce crisis threatening its core advocacy goals. The VA lost more than 200 psychologists in 2025 alone—its first hiring decline in over a decade—while school districts scrambled to retain counselors after the Trump administration terminated roughly $1 billion in federal mental health grants. Meanwhile, 39.7 percent of high school students now report persistent sadness or hopelessness, up from 26.1 percent a decade earlier.
The ACA’s lobbying strategy targets this crisis across three fronts: securing more licensed professional counselor positions at the VA through competitive pay legislation; protecting federal appropriations for school-based mental health services; and maintaining Medicare reimbursement for LPCs. With workforce shortages projected to reach 88,000 counselors by 2037, the organization aims to embed professional counselors more deeply into federal healthcare, education, and veterans’ systems.
By the Numbers
The American Counseling Association spent $180,000 on in-house lobbying during the last quarter of 2025. Since 2003, the ACA has spent $6,427,550 across 129 lobbying disclosures.
This quarter’s filing continues the ACA’s internal lobbying strategy under Guila Todd, the sole in-house lobbyist. Todd has filed 50 disclosures since 2014, representing $4,023,050 in expenditures focused on Medicare reimbursement, VA hiring, and workforce development. The ACA previously hired external firms but now relies exclusively on internal capacity.
The fourth quarter spending remained consistent with historical quarterly averages, suggesting no major strategic shift. The organization maintains its traditional five-issue focus unchanged since its lobbying inception.
The Agenda
The American Counseling Association lobbies on five core issues: expanding LPC employment within the VA and federal agencies, securing federal mental health appropriations, promoting school counselor policies, maintaining Medicare coverage for LPCs, and addressing workforce shortages.
The organization’s efforts align with significant congressional activity. The BRAVE Act of 2025 would mandate VA market pay surveys for mental health counselors. The Increasing Access to Mental Health in Schools Act proposes competitive grants for school-based providers in low-income districts. The Mental Health Excellence in Schools Act would help cover graduate school costs for mental health professionals.
The ACA’s advocacy comes as Congress grapples with budget conflicts over school mental health funding and ongoing VA staffing shortages.
Broader Context
The ACA’s last quarter lobbying unfolds against a severe national mental health workforce shortage. The VA system faces critical staffing, with more than 4,400 severe shortages reported in fiscal 2025—a 50 percent year-over-year increase.
The youth mental health crisis has intensified political attention. More than 70% of youth with major depressive episodes receive no treatment, and California faces a shortage of roughly one-third of needed psychiatrists and licensed therapists.
However, the political environment has grown volatile. Federal grant disruptions threaten pipeline development the ACA has advocated for, creating both urgency for workforce expansion legislation and uncertainty about funding durability.
Between The Lines
Congress is actively engaged in debates directly relevant to ACA’s priorities. The Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee has held hearings on veteran mental health and VA workforce challenges. The BRAVE Act of 2025 directly addresses ACA’s VA staffing goals.
School counselor funding has emerged as a major bipartisan flashpoint. Lawmakers including Senator Tina Smith and Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro have condemned cuts to federal mental health grants. Relevant legislation includes the Mental Health Access Improvement Act and Veteran Overmedication and Suicide Prevention Act of 2025.
Competitive Landscape
The ACA faces growing competition in mental health advocacy. The Carter Center lobbied in 2025 on overlapping priorities including mental health appropriations and workforce development. LUKE Staffing hired Ballard Partners for veterans mental health staffing, directly competing in the ACA’s core VA advocacy space.
The competitive landscape reflects the urgency of the national workforce crisis. Multiple organizations are mobilizing around overlapping policy priorities as the VA faces its worst psychologist staffing shortage in a decade and school mental health initiatives collapse due to federal funding cuts.
The Bottom Line
The American Counseling Association spent $180,000 on lobbying in the last quarter of 2025, maintaining its focus on expanding counselor roles in federal healthcare and schools. The organization’s advocacy addresses genuine crises—record VA shortages, terminated school grants, and deteriorating youth mental health—but faces an unstable political environment for sustaining federal commitments. While well-positioned as a voice on workforce issues, the shifting funding landscape creates uncertainty about translating legislative gains into durable improvements.
Access the Legis1 platform for comprehensive political news, data, and insights.