ACAeNews is a biweekly electronic newsletter of the American Counseling Association.
In this edition readers will find:
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~ Countdown to Convention - Detroit Expo Presents World of Counseling Resources ~
Join your colleagues for food, fun and entertainment! At the Detroit Expo, counselors will find the largest gathering of counseling resources in the world. With more than 110 booths, ACA guarantees that you will find the services, instruments and tools you need to support your counseling work. Additional refreshments will be available in the hall this year --- so take a break and have a snack on us! A schedule of activities and exhibit hall hours follows:
Thursday, March 22 from 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Exposition Hall Grand Opening & Welcoming Reception
Friday, March 23 from 10:30 am - 6:00 pm
Snack Lunch with Exhibitors from 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Saturday, March 24 from 10:00 am - 6:00 pm
Closing Luau with Exhibitors - 4:30 pm - 6:00pm
The exhibit hall will also be the convention home of the ACA Career Center, Resource Center, Cyber Cafe and ACA Bookstore.
~ ACA Online Library - A New Information Service for Members ~
The American Counseling Association (ACA) is pleased to announce the addition of a new service for members. The ACA Online Library is a special member benefit offering access to a collection of materials developed by ACA to meet the needs of counselors. Library users may search all holdings or narrow a search by choosing a particular collection. Members also have the option of emailing the ACA librarian for individual assistance. Current collections include VISTAS, ERIC Digests, ACA Archive (including policy statements), and a series of Special Topics developed for counselors.
And this is just a beginning --- library holdings will continue to expand as new material becomes available. The online library also provides links to a database of ACA journal abstracts andCounseling Today issues. Take a moment to investigate this valuable new resource and let us know what you think. Go to www.counseling.org, log in and go to the Members Only section.
~ Let Us Know What's On Your Mind! ~
Speaking of letting us know what you think, the popular ACA Web Idea Bank has been streamlined to better assist you, our membership, with letting us know what you think about the job ACA is doing for you, and giving us your brilliant ideas on what we can do to better serve our members and give you what you want and need. We have differentiated the area for ideas and suggestions from a new area where you can get answers to questions regarding your membership, subscriptions, licensure, ethics issues, convention questions, etc. Go to counseling.org/webideabank and tell us what's on your mind!
~ Keep Up To Date on What's Going On In ACA ~
As another service to our members, ACA now offers a calendar featuring important dates for ACA members as well as national and cultural holidays. The calendar can be downloaded as a PDF or there is also a nifty file which you can download that will populate your Microsoft Outlook calendar. The calendar and instructions can be found at counseling.org in the Press Room. Go to "Downloads" and choose your version.
~ Counselors ROAR! -- Reach Out And Recruit a New ACA Member! ~
ACA will be rolling out the new R.O.A.R. program in Detroit - "Reach Out And Recruit"! Take pride in your ACA membership and share the experience with a fellow counselor. Great prizes will be available and there are many levels of achievement so counselors of all kinds can participate. Pick up a flyer in Detroit with all the information you need to know. Information will also be available on the website during and after the convention in Detroit at counseling.org/ROAR.
~ Mental Health Parity Legislation Introduced in the House ~
Mental health insurance parity legislation has been introduced in the House of Representatives. Reps. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) and Jim Ramstad (R-MN) introduced the "Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act" (H.R. 1367) to stop health insurance plans from charging higher co-payment rates for mental health and substance abuse services, and from placing arbitrary coverage limits on such care. The legislation was introduced with 254 Representatives already signed on as cosponsors.
Most states have passed mental health parity laws to prohibit such practices, and in 1996 Congress passed the Mental Health Parity Act, requiring health plans to use dollar coverage limits for mental health care equal to limits for other types of services. The 1996 law still allows health plans to restrict access to mental health services through a variety of other mechanisms. H.R. 1367 would close the existing law's loopholes, requiring health plans to establish equality in financial requirements and treatment limits between mental health/substance abuse and substantially all other covered services. The bill would also require health plans to cover all diseases currently included in the plans used by Members of Congress, and would require that plans covering out-of-network benefits for medical and surgical benefits do the same for mental health and addiction benefits. The legislation would only apply to group health plans of 50 or more people, and includes a cost exemption to ensure that insurance companies do not experience large increases in costs due to parity. Few health plans are expected to petition for and receive such exemptions, however, due to the low cost of implementing parity.
The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee approved similar mental health parity-S. 558, the "Mental Health Parity Act of 2007"-in February. Both the House and Senate parity bills enjoy strong bipartisan support, and unlike in the 109th Congress, House leaders are expected to bring the legislation to the floor for a vote. ACA strongly supports both H.R. 1367 and S. 558, and will be working alongside other mental health advocacy organizations to gain the enactment of a parity bill this year.
For more information, contact Scott Barstow, ACA Director of Public Policy and Legislation at sbarstow@counseling.org or 800/347.6647.
~ Relevant Research - SAMHSA Reports Marijuana Use by Adolescents ~
The National Survey on Drug Use and Health, by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) is a three-page report reflecting information for 2005 on youth 12 to 17 years of age who not only use marijuana, but also smoke "blunts" (cigars with tobacco replaced with marijuana). Counselors in school, health and community agency settings may find the demographics and findings of interest. Go to: http://oas.samhsa.gov/2k7/mjBlunts/mjBlunts.cfm
~ ACA Career Center Features Unprecedented Number of Chair & Director Positions ~
In conjunction with the Detroit Convention, ACA will once again host a Career Center for members. This year an unprecedented number of Department Chair and Program Director seekers will be holding employment interviews. In addition, a significant number of assistant and associate level professorship positions have also been posted. To view an up-to-date listing of opportunities, go to http://www.counseling.org/CareerCenter/ALL_Position_Announcements.pdf.
There is still time to register as either a candidate or an employer. Registration information is available on the Career Center page of the ACA website (http://www.counseling.org/CareerCenter/). While you're on that page, you can also download a PDF of the scheduled Career Center activities. For more information, contact Amy Connelly at acacareers@counseling.org.
~ Timely Tip - Quiz Identifies "Helicopter" Parents ~
Often parents can become too engaged in "guiding" their children through the college and career selection process. Many feel that active engagement in this process is essential and that "steering" will have positive results. How much guiding and steering is too much? At what point does the parent become a "helicopter" parent, ever-hovering and going beyond the bounds of healthy helping? Do you know families where the hovering is too intense? Are you a helicopter parent? A twelve-question quiz on the College Board web site will tell you more. Go to: http://www.collegeboard.com/parent_quiz/155044.html
~ ACA Ethics Competitions Winners Announced ~
The judges have reviewed the submissions and the ACA Ethics Committee is pleased to announce the counselor education programs that fared best in the 2007 ethics competition. Congratulations to the following institutions and their students:
- Master's Level - 1. South Illinois Carbondale, 2. Florida Atlantic University, 3. Johns Hopkins University
Doctoral Level - 1. University of North Texas, 2. University of Toledo, 3. Ohio State University & University of Akron
ACA applauds all of the students for their great efforts demonstrated in this competition! Thanks also to the counselor educators who taught and mentored them.
~ Reliable Resource - 2007 Edition of US Consumer Guide ~
The official United States Consumer Guide, a wealth of consumer tips and contacts, has just been published for 2007. To obtain your personal copy, call (toll free) 1.888.878.3256 or go to: www.consumeraction.gov/caw_orderhandbook.shtml. It's packed with things you need for everyday living.
~ April is Counseling Awareness Month! ~
Professional counselors can use ACA's Counseling Awareness Month in April to call greater attention to counseling and the work of counselors. To support this national advocacy effort, the association has created the ACA Counseling Awareness Month Celebration Guide, to highlight strategies that can be generated in institution, agency and organization settings. The guide is available from a link on the counseling.org home page. A resource page is also being added which will be up before the Detroit convention which will include tips and fact sheets about counseling and will also be accessible from the homepage. Collateral materials including posters and buttons will be debuted at the convention in Detroit and will be available on the website after convention. It's our month-let's pull out all the stops in making it a success!
~ Grants, Grants, Grants - Support for Learning, Health and Mental Health ~
ACAeNews readers may wish to consider the following grant possibilities to support counseling-related initiatives:
- The Local Initiative Funding Partners Program focuses on original efforts that will significantly improve the health of vulnerable people in their communities. It represents a partnership program between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and local grant makers. Maximum Award: $500,000 in matching funds. Proposal due date: July 10, 2007. For details regarding applicant qualifications and requirements: go to the foundation website: http://www.rwjf.org/applications/solicited/cfp.jsp?ID=19831
- NEA Foundation Student Achievement Grants are designed to improve the academic achievement of students in U.S. public schools and colleges in any area of study. Maximum Award: $5,000. Eligibility: Public K-12 and postsecondary educators and education support professionals. Proposal due date: June 1, 2007. For more information, go to: http://www.neafoundation.org/programs/StudentAchievement_Guidelines.htm
- Applications are now being accepted for the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism, six one-year journalism fellowships designed to enhance public understanding of mental health issues and combat the stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness. The fellowships will be awarded by the Carter Center Mental Health Program. Application due date: April 23, 2007. Interested individuals can get information and applications at: http://www.cartercenter.org
~ Fast Fact - Adults Numbers Growing on Campus ~
Adult students are growing in number and becoming the new majority on many U.S. campuses. Many of these students bring academic preparation deficiencies, language barriers and other life and life challenges to college with them. Transitioning Adults to College: Adult Basic Education Program Models, a paper from the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy, reviews adult basic education-to-college transition programs and aims to develop a typology of these programs that includes five models. To learn more, go to: http://www.ncsall.net/fileadmin/resources/research/op_collegetransitions.pdf
~ ACCA Call for Programs ~
The American College Counseling Association is accepting program submissions until April 2, 2007 for the next national ACCA conference to be held in Savannah, Georgia, February 6-9, 2008. To access a program proposal form, go to www.collegecounseling.org.
~ Events - Maine, South Dakota, New Jersey and Connecticut Conferences
In addition to the ACA Convention March 21 - 25, 2007, a number of state conferences and conventions may hold interest for ACAeNews readers. Check out the following:
April 2-3, 2007
Maine Counseling Association
Samoset Resort, Rockport, Maine
Information: http://www.maineca.org/conference/index.php?c1=Conference
April 12-14, 2007
South Dakota Counseling Association
Sheraton Hotel, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Information: http://www.sdcounseling.org/reservation.asp
April 22-24, 2007
New Jersey Counselors Association
Sheraton Hotel, Eatontown, New Jersey
Information: www.njcounseling.org or njcounseling2@yahoo.com
May 4, 2007
Connecticut Counseling Association (CCA)
A Day of Enlightenment and Revitalization for Counselors
Rocky Hill Marriott, Rocky Hill, Connecticut
Information: http://www.ccamain.org/servlet/DeRedirect/
ACA divisions and branches are valuable sources of learning and professional development and ACAeNews readers will find relevant future meetings and conferences posted here regularly. Information of this nature will be posted approximately 8-10 weeks before the conference is held. This information is made available to ACAeNews via the ACA master calendar and the various organization web sites. Additions to that calendar should be directed to JMacdonald@counseling.org and fburtnett@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.
~ Tell a Professional Colleague about ACAeNews ~
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About ACAeNews
ACAeNews is published biweekly by the American Counseling Association for the benefit of members and the counseling profession. Any reference to a product, service or activity or listing of a web site 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 to meet space parameters.
Marie A. Wakefield, President
mawakefield@counseling.org
Richard Yep, Executive Director
ryep@counseling.org
Brandt Heatherington, Director of Marketing
bheatherington@counseling.org
Frank Burtnett, ACAeNews Editor
fburtnett@counseling.org
ACA Web site: www.counseling.org
© 2007, 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.