In this issue readers will find:
- Catch 22: Mental Health Expenditures Rise, Programs Cut
- Sign of the Times: Career Counselors - How's Your Chinese?
- Parent Involvement in Schools Headed Upward
- PTSD Linked to Heart Disease in Iraq, Afghanistan Veterans
- Worth Reading: Teaching Kids to Be Safe Online
- Involved in Cutting Edge Research? Counseling Internationally? Counseling Today May Want to Interview You
- Counseling Today Cited for Editorial and Design Excellence
- ACA National Awards: Nominations Due October 30.
- ACA Blog Becoming Popular Counselor "Sound Off" Point
- Relevant Research: Interventions Needed on Sleep for Adolescents, Young Adults
- Register by Monday, August 31 for lowest Conference rate!
- Did You Know: ACA Podcasts Can Be Used in the Classroom
- New York Mental Health Counselors Launch Online Journal
- Calendar: ACES, NE, NM, WV, LA, AK, KY, and PA Conferences
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Catch 22: Mental Health Expenditures Rise, Programs Cut
Recent national stories about healthcare financing present troubling messages about mental health programs and services. Citing Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) data, a US News & World Report story in early August reported that mental health care expenditures are rising at a rate greater than any healthcare category. AHRQ figures show the cost of mental health treatment growing from $35 billion to nearly $58 billion in the decade prior to 2006.
About the same time, Stateline.org reported that as many as 21 states have cut health programs since the spring of 2008 with the greatest hits being felt by mental health and public health services and providers. Both accounts indicated that agencies are being forced to contain or reduce costs or face the elimination of services.
Sign of the Times: Career Counselors - How's Your Chinese?
A New York Times article in mid August reports that Shanghai and Beijing are offering recent U.S. college graduates what the homeland is not---jobs. Business opportunities seem to be available to American graduates whom observers believe possess skills and talents not found among the Chinese. Some grads are pursuing their entrepreneurial interests by starting their own businesses in China.
Parent Involvement in Schools Headed Upward
Worried about school cutbacks? You're not alone. According to a special new report by GreatSchools and Harris Interactive, "The Economy's Impact on Back to School," more than 60% of parents polled believe that educational quality will slide because of budget woes. But adversity breeds opportunity: More than half of parents also report they are planning to volunteer at their children's schools this year -- an increase of 20% over 2008.
PTSD Linked to Heart Disease in Iraq, Afghanistan Veterans
According to a study published in August in the Journal of the American Medical Association and reported in Reuters Health Online, the veterans returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental disorders have a greater risk of heart disease. The link between military-related PTSD and heart disease has been made before, but this is the first time an association has been made with veterans of the current conflicts.
In examining behaviors of veterans, the researchers found those with PTSD and other mental disorders such as anxiety disorder are twice as likely to be tobacco users, a well-known risk behavior.
Worth Reading: Teaching Kids to be Safe Online
School doors have opened or are about to open across America and student exposures to the "good and bad" on the Internet are about to increase again. Edutopia, the online website sponsored by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, has posted an exchange of suggestions and concerns offered by parents that counselors working with children may wish to read or share with parents.
Involved in Cutting Edge Research? Counseling Internationally? Counseling Today May Want to Interview You
The Counseling Today staff is currently looking for a handful of ACA members to interview for two upcoming cover stories: "Cutting-Edge Counselor Research" (November issue) and "Counseling Beyond U.S. Borders" (December issue). If you have conducted recent research that has implications for the counseling profession or have practiced counseling in an international setting and would like to be interviewed about your experience, email a brief description of your work to ct@counseling.org. The CT staff will choose which ACA members to profile for these articles based on the submitted descriptions.
Counseling Today Cited for Editorial and Design Excellence
Counseling Today staff members learned in July that the magazine received three awards of achievement for writing and design, including a Communications Concepts APEX Award of Excellence in the category of best redesign. Led by graphic designer Carlos Soto, CT completely overhauled its format in July 2008, converting from a tabloid-size newspaper to a glossy magazine.
Editor Jonathan Rollins won an APEX Award in the news writing category for his October 2008 cover story, "The Graying of the Baby Boomers." He also received a Magnum Opus Honorable Mention Award for Outstanding Achievement in Custom Media in the category of best how-to article in a print magazine for his September 2008 cover story, "Running Down a Dream." The article profiled ACA members who are thinking outside the box as they chart their career paths.
This marks the fifth straight year that ACA has earned recognition in at least one national-level publications contest. CT has won 16 awards for writing and design since 2005.
ACA National Awards: Nominations Due October 30
The ACA Awards Committee announced the start of the nomination process for the 2010 ACA National Awards, recognition that will be bestowed on recipients at the ACA Annual Conference & Exposition in Pittsburgh in March, 2010. Any ACA member can submit a nomination of one or more ACA members who have made a noteworthy contribution to the counseling profession at the local or state levels. ACA Divisions, Branches, Chapters, Regions or Committees can also submit nominations. All nominations must be postmarked by October 30, 2009.
Complete information is available in the 2010 National Awards Packet. Nominations may be submitted by mail to ACA 2010 National Awards, c/o Holly Clubb, 5999 Stevenson Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22304-3300. Contact Holly Clubb at hclubb@counseling.org or 800-347-6647 x 212 for additional information.
ACA Blog Becoming Popular Counselor "Sound Off" Point
The new ACA blog at
Relevant Research: Interventions Needed on Sleep for Adolescents, Young Adults
Extending their 2006 work with early adolescents to include college students and young adults, researchers for the National Sleep Foundation have categorized 60% of the 17-24 year olds at an unnamed Midwestern university as poor-quality sleepers, displaying insufficient sleep and irregular sleep-wake patterns. In a report presented in the August Journal of Adolescent Health, the researchers concluded that given the important relationship between sleep quality and physical and mental health, interventions programs need to be considered.
Register by Monday, August 31 for lowest Conference rate!
The low summer registration rate for the ACA 2010 Conference & Exposition in Pittsburgh, PA, March 18-22, ends on August 31. Sign up now for the most comprehensive program available for counseling professionals in 2010. Visit the Conference area of the website to learn more! To reserve your hotel, click on the Travel & Lodging link.
Did You Know: ACA Podcasts Can Be Used in the Classroom
As new programs are being added regularly to the ACA Podcast Series, requests have been made regarding the use of these podcasts in counselor education classes. ACA is pleased to offer these programs as training tools so the answer is yes--this series is a benefit of membership! Use freely in the classroom and simply credit ACA as the source.
New York Mental Health Counselors Launch Online Journal
The New York Mental Health Counselors Association is pleased to announce the launch of its online journal, The NYMHCA Journal of Clinical Counseling. Interested counselors are invited to visit the journal website at nymhcajournal.homestead.com for information regarding submissions. Editor Yair Maman of Touro Colleges has assembled an international editorial review board and intends for the journal to provide a forum for those doing research, innovations in clinical practice, and exemplary leadership in the profession. Contact Dr. Maman at yairm@touro.edu.
Calendar: ACES, NE, NM, WV, LA, AK, KY, and PA to Hold Conferences
September 16-18
Nebraska Counseling Association Annual Conference
Omaha Marriott Omaha, NE
September 25-26
New Mexico Counseling Association Annual Conference
Chamisa Hills Country Club, Rio Rancho, NM
October 1-3
West Virginia Counseling Association
Days Hotel, Flatwoods, WV
October 4-7
Louisiana Counseling Association
Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center, Baton Rouge, LA
October 7-9
Alaska Counseling Association
Hotel Captain Hook, Anchorage, AK
October 10-14
Association for Counselor Education and Supervision
Theme: Transformative Actions - Expanding Social Respect and Relational Consciousness
Town & Country Resort and Convention Center, San Diego, CA
October 21-23
Kentucky Counseling Association
Crowne Plaza Airport Hotel, Louisville, KY
October 30-November 1
Pennsylvania Counseling Association
Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel, State College, PA
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 dwilliams@counseling.org. Please provide the sponsor, dates, 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.
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.
Lynn E. Linde, President
llinde@loyola.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 Website: www.counseling.org
Copyright 2009, 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.
CONTACT INFORMATION
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Copyright 2009, American Counseling Association, All Rights Reserved.