In this issue readers will find:
- Women, Men, and Financial Stress: Key Trends
- ACA Foundation: Charity Beginning at Home
- NCES Report Reflects Data College Students with Disabilities and Services
- ACA Encyclopedia of Counseling as Certification and Licensure Exam Prep Tool
- San Francisco 2012 Conference & Exposition: Summer Registration Discounts End August 15
- Stress and the City: How Urban Living Relates to Mental Disorders
- CALL FOR PROPOSALS: Special JCD Issue on Men in Counseling
- Fast Facts: Average Age of Adults Using Social Media Rises to 38
- ACA Still Seeking JCD and Division Journal Back Issues for Digital Archive
- New Podcast Now Available: Coming Out After 40
- Public Policy Conference Call Thursday, July 7
- AMHCA, NECA, AACE, and ACES Conferences on 2011 Summer/Fall Calendar
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Women, Men, and Financial Stress: Key Trends
Financial stress has been identified as a leading cause of unhealthy behaviors like smoking, weight gain, and alcohol and drug abuse, as well as the subject of considerable concern in the American workplace. In fact, an estimated 60% of illness is caused by financial stress, according to a study by Financial Finesse Reports. Although the report shows some signs of curtailment in the general population, women are reported to be three times as likely as men to face "overwhelming financial" stress.
Responding to a workplace questionnaire in the first quarter of this year, a nationally representative sample of 1,000 respondents offered the following information:
- 9% of women reported "overwhelming financial stress," compared with 3% of men.
- 65% of employees stated that they had "some" financial stress, 21% reported their stress level to be "high" or "overwhelming," and 14% denied feeling any stress.
- Middle income employees are under more financial stress than low or high income employees.
- Married employees had lower levels of financial stress than single employees.
- Employees age 30-44 are most vulnerable to higher levels of financial stress.
- 17% of households with no children reported "no" stress, compared to 10% of households with children.
For both genders, anxiety and worries about money have lessened since 2009. That year, Financial Finesse found 97% of people surveyed said they experienced some stress over money matters, compared with 86% in the current study.
ACA Foundation: Charity Beginning at Home
If you subscribe to the "charity begins at home" idiom, the ACA Foundation provides a variety of worthy opportunities for counselors to "give back" in a manner that is directly related to the counseling profession. Each aspect of the work of the ACAF is tied in some fashion to the support and development of professional counselors and to providing resources and tools for their education and renewal. A visit to the ACAF website offers examples of the work of the Counselors Care Fund, the Growing Happy and Confident Kids initiative, the scholarship and essay competitions, and the publications that have been supported by member contributions.
Then, just click on the "donate now" link and you can contribute to these and future efforts.
NCES Report Reflects Data College Students with Disabilities and Services
The National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) has released the latest figures on the number of students with disabilities enrolled at two- and four-year U.S. colleges. The five most frequently identified disabilities found among enrolled students were:
- Specific learning disability (31%)
- ADD or ADHD (18%)
- Mental illness/psychological or psychiatric condition (15%)
- Health impairment/condition, including chronic conditions (11%)
- Mobility limitation/orthopedic impairment (7%)
The survey report offers information as to the types of accommodations (i.e., additional examination time, alternative examination formats, and note takers) that colleges are making to address student needs. It also revealed the level to which counseling regarding disability services and specific rehabilitation assistance was being offered, including deficits between the needs of students with disabilities and what the institutions are doing to be responsive.
ACA Encyclopedia of Counseling as Certification and Licensure Exam Prep Tool
Summer has many counselors and prospective counselors using any available "down time" prepping for certification and licensure exams and looking for resources that will help them in this endeavor. The ACA Encyclopedia of Counseling could be just the resource you are searching for. Containing more than 400 entries spanning the 2009 Council of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) core areas used in counselor preparation, continuing education and accreditation of counseling degree programs, the encyclopedia can be especially useful as a certification and licensure examination study guide. 2009. 672 pages hardback.
Order #72879
ISBN 978-1-55620-288-9
List Price: $99.95
ACA Member Price: $74.95
San Francisco 2012 Conference & Exposition: Summer Registration Discounts End August 15
Registration for the 2012 ACA Conference is now open with a low summer rate of $320 ($220 for Students/New Professionals/Retirees). This special registration rate will be available through August 15, 2011. Register online or call 800-347-6647, x222 (M-F, 8 am to 6 pm ET).
Stress and the City: How Urban Living Relates to Mental Disorders
Hoards of people, challenging congestion, tight quarters, and a plethora of other characteristics describe living today in the contemporary city. What do these conditions do to the human brain and the potential risk for anxiety and mood disorders? A new study conducted in Germany and reported in the current edition of Nature is telling us that two distinct regions of the brain responsible for regulating emotion and stress are affected by urban living. The study found that urban dwellers and those who have grown up in urban environments, react more vigorously to stress, a possible explanation for greater risk of schizophrenia and other mental disorders.
CALL FOR PROPOSALS: Special JCD Issue on Men in Counseling
The Journal of Counseling & Development, the official journal of ACA, invites submissions for a special issue focusing on Men in Counseling. ACA is committed to exploring ways to meet the needs of underserved populations. Whereas existing data indicates that men experience significant distress, research clearly indicates that males from all backgrounds and across the lifespan are less likely to attend counseling sessions than females. Additionally, the field of counseling appears to be attracting more women than it is men. It is the intent of this special issue to publish articles relevant to best practices for working with men and boys. These articles will be of interest to counselors, counselor educators, and other counseling related professionals who work across a diversity of fields, including schools, mental health settings, family agencies, colleges and universities. This special issue welcomes article submissions that address male specific concerns or perspectives on the impact of early childhood conditioning, bullying, role models, career counseling, fathering, intersection of masculinity and other cultural identities, couples counseling, social justice work with men, men and depression/anxiety, addictions, and strength-based work with men.
We are soliciting practice-based, theoretical and empirical articles, including single case studies, qualitative studies, and quantitative research. Interested scholars and practitioners are invited to send proposals of original manuscripts.
The following information should be included in the proposals:
- Title
- Abstract (one-to-two page summary of the proposed manuscript).
- Conceptual Manuscripts: Detailed outline of the manuscript.
- In one page, indicate specifically how the author(s) will (a) contribute to the professional counseling knowledge base, (b) address how this article relates to one or more of the identified goals for the special issue, and (c) address implications for practice for professional counselors.
- Indicate for which section you would like your manuscript to be considered: Theory, Practice, Assessment and Diagnosis, Best Practices.
Marcheta Evans, Thelma Duffey and Matt Englar-Carlson, guest editors, will initially review proposals to determine the fit for this special issue. If the proposal is accepted, authors must follow the JCD Guidelines for Authors. Completed manuscripts will be peer-reviewed by the JCD editorial board, and the editor of JCD will determine final acceptance of manuscripts.
Please submit your proposal electronically to Marcheta Evans (Marcheta.Evans@utsa.edu) by September 1, 2011 and direct questions to her.
Fast Facts: Average Age of Adults Using Social Media Rises to 38
According to the Pew Internet Project, 79% of U.S. adults said they used the internet and nearly half of adults (47%), or 59% of internet users, say they are enrolled in at least one Social Networking Site (SNS), like Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, or Twitter. This is close to double the 26% of adults (34% of internet users) who used a SNS in 2008. Among other things, this means the average age of adult-SNS users has shifted from 33 in 2008 to 38 in 2010. Over half of all adult SNS users are now over the age of 35. Some 56% of current SNS users are female.
ACA Still Seeking JCD and Division Journal Back Issues for Digital Archive
As a part of the new ACA partnership with Wiley-Blackwell, back issues are still being collected to develop archives for full digitalization of the Journal of Counseling & Development and the 9 division journals published by the association. To provide this historical archive to members and subscribers, a number of missing issues must be acquired.
New Podcast Now Available: Coming Out After 40
Loren A. Olsen, MD, a gay psychiatrist and author, came out at the age of 40. Honored for his career work by the American Psychiatric Association and the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Dr. Olson speaks openly in "Living Straight: Coming Out After 40," a new ACA Podcast about being a father and grandfather, why hating a homophobic culture is counterproductive, and a number of related LGBT matters that he has experienced both personally and professionally.
This podcast is available free for the professional development of ACA members.
Public Policy Conference Call Thursday, July 7
Legislative activity may have slowed in Washington, but the ACA Public Policy staff is actively pursuing federal matters of importance to counselors and counseling. Members wanting to keep abreast of the public policy issues under scrutiny should participate in a conference call hosted by ACA staff on Thursday, July 7 from 1:00 – 2:00pm ET. Open Q&A from callers will follow.
To participate, call 866-220-0969 (toll free) and enter *1603550* as the meeting number. To mute/unmute your line during the call, hit*6. Pre-call questions can be directed to Christie Lum at 1-800-347-6647, x354 or clum@counseling.org.
AMHCA, NECA, AACE, and ACES Conferences on 2011 Summer/Fall Calendar
American Mental Health Counselors Association
Theme: The Power of Partnerships
July 14 – 16, 2011
Parc 55 Wyndham San Francisco Union Square, San Francisco, CA
National Employment Counselors Association
Theme: Wellness in the Workplace – NECA Summer Institute
August 16, 2011
Annapolis Yacht Club, Annapolis, MA
Association for Assessment in Counseling and Education
Theme: Assess. Advocate. Create. Empower.
September 8 – 10, 2011
Radisson Fort Worth Fossil Creek, Fort Worth, TX
Association for Counselor Education and Supervision
Theme: Leading the Leaders, Helping the Helpers, Shaping the Future
October 26 – 30, 2011
Gaylord Resort and Convention Center, Nashville, TN
ACA divisions, branches, and regions are valuable sources of learning and professional development. Information on events will be posted approximately 8-10 weeks prior. This information is made available to ACAeNews via the ACA master calendar and the various organization web sites. Send calendar items to hclubb@counseling.org. Please provide the sponsor, dates, theme, site, and contact person information. Information posted here is restricted to that sponsored by ACA divisions, branches, regions and related organizations.
About ACAeNews
ACAeNews is published 24 times annually by the American Counseling Association for the benefit of members across the counseling profession. Any reference to a product, service, activity or listing of a website in ACAeNews does not imply endorsement by ACA. Any views and opinions are those of the sponsoring organization and may or may not be shared by ACA.
Past editions can be found at http://www.counseling.org/Publications/Newsletters.aspx.
Direct comments, questions, and submissions to fburtnett@counseling.org. All submissions will be subject to review by ACA for accuracy, timeliness, and relevance to the readership and may be edited to meet space parameters.
Don W. Locke, President
locke@mc.edu
Richard Yep, CAE, Executive Director
ryep@counseling.org
Debra Bass, Director of Marketing and Communications
dbass@counseling.org
Frank Burtnett, NCC, NCCC, ACAeNews Editor
fburtnett@counseling.org
Don Kenneally, Internet Development / Production
dkenneally@counseling.org
ACA Web site: www.counseling.org
Copyright 2011, American Counseling Association, 5999 Stevenson Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22304. Telephone: 703/823-9800. Email: fburtnett@counseling.org. Permission is hereby granted to reproduce anything contained in this newsletter as long as the American Counseling Association is identified as the original source of the information.
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