News Archive for 2008

The most important benefit in any membership organization is the ability to run for office and/or participate in the annual election of an organization's leadership. The American Counseling Association, its divisions, and affected regions will be conducting its annual election process December 2008 through January 2009.

The webinar discussion, Treating Returning Servicemembers: Are Mental Health Professionals Ready?, which was webcast live in October, can now be accessed online at your convenience.

Those living in the Gulf Coast states continue to be in our thoughts as they recover from Hurricane Ike.  The past month has not been kind to the region as it has faced the destructive forces of Hurricanes Gustav, Hanna, and Ike.

ACA accepted an invitation to attend the September 11, 2008 dedication of the Pentagon 9/11 Memorial and was represented by Chief Professional Officer David Kaplan. The ceremony included remarks from President Bush and Secretary of Defense Gates. Each of the 184 individuals killed when Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon had their names read aloud, followed by the sounding of a bell.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Ike, the American Red Cross is in great need of licensed mental health professionals. If you are interested and available for a national deployment for 10 days to 3 weeks, please contact your local Red Cross chapter.

More than 600 ACA members responded to a late August call by Heritage of America, a designated disabled veteran owned company, to provide compensated counseling services to veterans who have served in Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries.

ACA President-Elect Lynn Linde is seeking nominations for American Counseling Association committee appointments. She will be appointing professional members for each committee who will serve a three-year term and a student representative to each committee for a one-year term.

The American Red Cross is in great need of disaster mental health volunteers following Hurricane Gustov's landfall in the Gulf Coast region this past weekend.

The ACA Ethics Committee will soon begin accepting registrations for the 5th Annual Ethics Case Study Competition-open to master's and doctoral level students in Counselor Education Programs.

Almost 100 percent of American Counseling Association (ACA) members who completed a Capella University survey on military mental health issues have taken action to increase their understanding of post-combat and re-entry issues of returning servicemembers.

ACA members were recently invited to complete a Capella University-sponsored survey about military mental health issues. The results are now available.

Before adjourning for its August recess, Congress passed H.R. 4137, legislation to reauthorize programs under the Higher Education Act. The legislation includes language establishing a loan assistance program for individuals-including school counselors!-working in high-need areas. The legislation now heads to the president for his signature.

Judy and Dennis Shepard lived the nightmare of a hate crime. Their son, Matthew, died following a brutal attack determined by authorities to be a hate crime.

ACA's monthly publication, Counseling Today has won six Communications Concepts APEX Awards for Publication Excellence and three Magnum Opus Publication Management Awards. Submissions were reviewed by judges from the Missouri School of Journalism and other leaders in the custom publishing industry.

The latest issue of ACA eNews is online! In this issue: Judy Shepard, Adolfo Bermeo to Keynote 2009 ACA Conference * COPARC to Meet in Late July * ACA Best Sellers: Ideal for Summer Reading * Reliable Resource: Online Tool Promote Opportunities for Students With Disabilities * And More...

Responding once again to a traumatic incident on a college campus, the American Counseling Association, in collaboration with the Illinois Counseling Association, has organized an effort to provide free counseling sessions for students of Northern Illinois University who will be away from school for the summer.

The Red Cross has asked ACA to put out a call for currently certified Red Cross Disaster Mental Health Volunteers in Indiana, Iowa, and Wisconsin who can respond to the massive flooding and displacement that has occurred in these states.

From May 5 to May 15, 2008, a group of 15 professional counselors, led by Dr. Courtland Lee, and representing the American Counseling Association, journeyed to Vietnam and Cambodia under the auspices of the People to People Citizen Ambassador Program.

Two high priority issues are on the Congressional agenda: passage of a budget resolution for the year, and proposals to block a scheduled multi-billion dollar cut in physician payment rates under Medicare.

The Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC) and the Council On Rehabilitation Education (CORE) Announce Their Partnership to Advance State Licensure and Educational Standards for Rehabilitation Counseling.

Over the last several weeks, Capitol Hill has been the setting of several mental health briefings and events in observance of May as "Mental Health Month." On May 14th, the House of Representatives passed by a vote of 421-0 House Resolution (HRes.) 1134 supporting the goals and ideals of "Mental Health Month."

Dr. Patrick J. "Joe" McDonough, ACA’s sixth executive director passed away Friday, May 9. He was 76. Dr. McDonough, who was Executive Director from 1983-1990, served with dedication, commitment, and the desire to move the profession to new heights.

A new report from the National Center for Educational Statistics finds contemporary parents setting high educational attainment goals for their children. According to the report, about 9 in 10 students (91%) in grades 6 through 12 have parents who expect them to continue their education beyond high school.

A lack of time and available money late last year prevented Congress from passing any substantial reforms to many of Medicare's antiquated policies, including the identification of licensed professional counselors as service providers. ACA and AMHCA have been pushing hard this year to make sure that Medicare's mental health benefit includes coverage of licensed professional counselors.

Earlier this year, a "Sound Off" poll in ACAeNews for Mental Health, Private Practice and Community Agency Counselors asked members to voice their opinion on consolidating licensure titles into one standard occupational title that would promote portability and reduce public confusion.

ACA is pleased to bring our members in the greater Detroit, New York, San Diego, and Washington DC, metropolitan areas a paid opportunity to assist the families of those serving in Iraq.

Thank you for your continued support of the American Counseling Association (ACA). As a valued member, I wanted to share with you some news about our organization and how it will benefit you as a professional counselor.

The Call for Programs for the 2009 Conference in Charlotte, NC is now open. All Proposals for both the Learning Institutes and the Education Sessions must be submitted using the Online Submission Site. The new Online Submission site is user-friendly and will guide you through the submission process with ease.

Despite the emergence of women in greater numbers in business, government, and other organizations, girls in the US seem to have lower leadership aspirations or want a different kind of future leadership role.

Achieve, Inc. has just released, Closing the Expectations Gap, 2008, a state by state report card on how high schools are doing in preparing graduates for the demands of college and careers.

ACA's record of producing first-class professional literature and outstanding textbooks for counselor training has taken another step forward with the recent publication of the best seller on solution-focused counseling.

We hope that you are getting as excited as we are about the upcoming conference in Honolulu! Here is some important information that may be useful as you plan your trip.

Dates: March 21-23, 2009; Submission Deadline is June 2, 2008, 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time

Dates: March 19-20, 2009; Submission Deadline is June 2, 2008, 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time

Representatives Jim Langevin (D- RI) and Vern Ehlers (R-MI) have sent a bipartisan "Dear Colleague" letter to the U.S. House of Representatives asking Members of Congress to sign on to a letter to House appropriators asking them to provide $61.5 million in funding for the Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program (ESSCP) in fiscal year (FY) 2009.

Last week the Department of Health and Human Services published its 2008 National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program information bulletin. The National Health Service Corps is a competitive program that recruits health professionals to serve in areas with inadequate access to health care (referred to as Health Professional Shortage Areas—HSPAs).

Congratulations to Amanda C. Healey of Old Dominon University, the winner of the 2008 ACAeNews Black History Month Quiz. View the questions and answers.

State School Counselor Certification/Licensure Agencies

Thirty-nine ACA members visited Washington, DC this week to advocate on behalf of Medicare coverage for counselors, federal support for school counseling programs, and mental health addiction treatment parity legislation.

Lynn E. Linde, EdD, a former professional school counselor, and currently professor at Loyola College in Maryland, has been elected president-elect of ACA. Her term of office as 58th president of ACA will be July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010.

The American Counseling Association wishes to express our sadness over the tragedy that occurred Thursday, February 14th on the Northern Illinois University campus in DeKalb, Illinois.

The American Counseling Association has been given a unique opportunity to contribute to the revision of the Strong Interest Inventory®. For the past 80 years the Strong Interest Inventory® has served as the most respected and widely used career counseling tool in the world.

Over its 11-year history the ACAF Graduate Student Essay Competition has produced some remarkable examples of scholarship and commentary. The 2008 Competition is now open!

Contributions doubled this year for the American Counseling Association Foundation (ACAF) 2007 year-end Counselors Care Fund Appeal.

Several departments of the federal government have put out a call for peer reviewers for grant programs relevant to counseling in the schools.

Nearly half (47%) of middle and junior high school youth in a recent US survey reported bullying and harassment as a problem of "somewhat" or "significant" proportion. Equally alarming is the finding that only 41 percent of this same age group feel safe in school.

A December report by Monitoring the Future reveals a continued fall in alcohol, tobacco and illicit drug use by American teenagers. Monitoring the Future is an ongoing study of the behaviors, attitudes, and values of American secondary school students, college students, and young adults.

ACA is proud to announce the Master's and Doctoral winners of the 4th annual Ethics Committee Student Competition.

The popularity of ACAeNews, this biweekly e-newsletter for ACA members and the counseling profession, has spawned four additional special focus newsletters that ACA will start rolling out in early 2008.

For many years, ACA and AMHCA have been working collaboratively to remove the physician referral requirements under which mental health counselors must practice for TRICARE.

As we move closer to the end of this valuable and insightful competition, there are important dates that you should be aware of.

Hawaii Prince is perfectly situated for any activity you desire. The hotel presents spectacular all-oceanfront accommodations and world-class service at one of the most desirable and convenient locations in Waikiki.