Volume IX, Issue No. 22
October 25, 2007
ACAeNews is a biweekly electronic newsletter of the American Counseling Association.
In this edition readers will find:
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~ Mental Health Parity Bill Headed to House Floor ~
On Tuesday, October 16th, the House Energy and Commerce Committee formally approved H.R. 1424, the "Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act of 2007," which would establish parity of mental health services under private insurance plans. After defeating several amendments, the panel voted 32-13 to require insurance companies that offer mental health benefits to offer them in the same manner as traditional medical and surgical benefits. The bill is now headed to the floor of the House.
~ ACA Public Policy Conference Call - Opportunity for Learning and Involvement ~
ACA has scheduled a public policy conference call for 2pm (Eastern time) on Thursday, November 1, 2007 that will afford counselors the unique opportunity to learn more about the work being done on federal policy issues affecting the profession, including:
- Medicare coverage of Licensed Professional Counselors (LPCs)
- Mental health parity
- Education issues (including No Child Left Behind, funding, etc.)
The call is expected to last roughly 45 minutes, and will include a presentation by ACA staff members followed by Q & A with call participants. ACAeNews readers wishing to participate in the conference call should e-mail Christie Lum at clum@counseling.org by Friday, October 26th to acquire call-in instructions and a PowerPoint presentation designed to guide the discussion. Don't miss this opportunity for learning and involvement.
~ Book Your Airline Travel Now on the Hawaii Hotline! ~
ACA's Travel Service has set up a Hawaii Hotline to help you take advantage of low fares between now and December 31 for. If you are planning to attend the 2008 ACA Conference & Exposition, March 26-30, and don't have your airline travel booked yet, call today: 888-951-4613 from 7 am to 6 pm CT.
~ Relevant Research - Student to Counselor Ratios Drop Slightly ~
The ratio of students to school counselors in U.S. public elementary and secondary schools dropped slightly this year according to updated figures from ACA's Office of Public Policy and Legislation. The findings, based on recently released information from the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics, shows the current U.S. student-to-counselor ratio is 476:1, down from 479:1 last year.
ACAeNews readers can view the most recent state by state student-to-counselor ratios in grades K-12 by going to: http://www.counseling.org/PublicPolicy/TP/ResourcesForSchoolCounselors/CT2.aspx and clicking on the student-to-counselor ratio report.
ACA recommends a maximum average student-to-counselor ratio of 250:1 to ensure that students have adequate access to counselors' services.
~ Fast Fact - An Day in the Life of an Adolescent Alcohol and Substance Abuser ~
On an average day in 2006, youth used the following substances for the first time: 7,970 drank alcohol for the first time, 4,348 used an illicit drug for the first time, 4,082 smoked cigarettes for the first time, 3,577 used marijuana for the first time, and 2,517 used pain relievers non-medically for the first time.
These facts and more are contained in A Day in the Life of American Adolescents - Substance Use Facts, a report just released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMSHA) Office of Applied Studies (OAS). The six page report is based on the work of various SAMSHA agencies providing data on first time substance use, receipt of substance abuse treatment, and treatment referral sources "on an average day" for adolescents. To access the Internet report, go to: http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/2k7/youthFacts/youth.cfm
~ Worth Reading - Teen Internet Contact With Strangers Probed ~
A survey conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project in late 2006 indicates that while the number of online experiences with unknown individuals that produce uncomfortable situations is relatively small, certain behaviors and traits are more likely than others to result in these unwanted or unsolicited connections. Profiles on social networking sites (SNSs) appear to be a leading magnet for contact from unknown individuals. Readers can learn more by going to: http://pewresearch.org/pubs/613/strangers-contact-teens-online
~ ACA Graduate Student Ethics Competition Opens ~
The annual ACA ethics case study competition for masters and doctoral counseling students opened officially in mid October. Details about the competition rules, deadlines and other information can be found at the ACA web site. Go to: http://www.counseling.org/PressRoom/NewsReleases.aspx?AGuid=2d73a759-fec3-4cd1-9a5a-895b4727e734
~ Reliable Resource - Management Tips for Private Practitioners ~
Seeking information about how to establish and manage your private practice? Then you won't want to miss the ACA Private Practice Pointers web site for "nuts and bolts" tips on a variety of business, communications and related matters. Go to http://www.counseling.org/Counselors and click on Private Practice Pointers (Note: This is an ACA members-only section)
~ AFSP's National Survivors of Suicide Day - November 17th ~
ACA joins the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention's coalition of mental health, suicide prevention and bereavement organizations in sponsoring the ninth annual National Survivors of Suicide Day on November 17, 2007. This day of conferences reaches out to tens of thousands of people who have lost a loved one to suicide. Participants around the nation will be connected through a satellite and Internet broadcast, allowing survivors to share their experiences of loss.
ACAeNews readers can learn more about AFSP and the event by going to:
http://www.afsp.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewPage&page_id_FEE7D778-CF08-CB44-DA1285BCBBCF366F.
To find a conference site near you, go to:
http://www.afsp.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewpage&page_id=FF111111-F083-2095-79CDA3169F32FADA
~ Students and Schools Encouraged to Participate in "The Drive" ~
Targeting this charitable campaign to coincide with Thanksgiving, 2007, the LEAGUE, a student community service organization, is encouraging U.S. schools to participate in a national effort to collect more than $1 million in food and clothing for community agencies they've chosen. This is the first in a series of service learning initiatives built around a "Learning to Give" theme. To learn more about "The Drive" and other LEAGUE initiatives, go to: www.theleague.org.
~ Events - ARCA, Western Region and Nine State Conferences in November ~
November 1 - 3
Event: American Counseling Association of Missouri Fall Seminars
Location: Missouri Baptist University, St. Louis, MO
Information: http://www.counselingmissouri.org/
November 2
Event: Oklahoma Counseling Association Fall Conference
Location: Moore - Norman Technology Center, Moore, OK
Information: http://www.fotizo.net/oca/single_event_popup.tcl?event_id=11
November 7 - 9
Event: Virginia Counselors Association
Location: Portsmouth Renaissance, Portsmouth,VA
Information: http://www.vcacounselors.org/displayconvention.cfm?conventionnbr=3684
November 7 - 9
Event: Mississippi Counseling Association
Location: The Golden Moon/Silver Star, Choctaw, MS
Information: http://www.vcacounselors.org/displayconvention.cfm?conventionnbr=3684
November 7 - 9
Event: 62nd Arkansas Counseling Association Conference
Location: Arlington Hotel, Hot Springs, AR
Information: nolac@suddenlink.net or http://www.arcounseling.org/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=69
November 8 - 10
Event: Texas Counseling Association 51st Annual Professional Growth Conference
Location: American Bank Center, Omni Bayfront Tower, Omni Marina Tower, Corpus Christi, TX
Information: http://www.txca.org/tca/TCA_PROFESSIONAL_GROWTH_CONF.asp?SnID=1405211932
November 8 - 10
Event: American Rehabilitation Counseling Association 50th Anniversary Educational Conference
Theme: Counseling & Crisis Interventions for Individuals with Disabilities in Critical Times
Location: Hilton Tampa Airport Westshore, Tampa Florida
Information: patricia.nunez@cna.com;mpointer@coppin.edu
November 8 - 11
Event: Western Region, ACA
(AK, AZ, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, NV, NM, OR, Philippines, UT, WA, WY)
Location: Burlingame, CA
Information: Sharon Bowles, airshay2@cs.com
November 14 - 16
Event: Alabama Counseling Association
Location: Birmingham/Jefferson County Convention Center Sheraton and Birmingham Civic Center, Birmingham, AL
Information: http://www.alabamacounseling.org/annualconf.html
November 17 - 20
Event: Tennessee Counseling Association
Location: Franklin Cool Springs Marriott Hotel, Franklin, TN
Information: http://www.tncounselors.org
November 28 - 30
Event: Florida Counseling Association Annual Convention
Location: Plaza Resort & Spa, Daytona Beach, FL
Information: http://www.flacounseling.org/
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. Calendar additions should be directed to jmacdonald@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.
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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.
Brian Canfield, President
canfield@sandiego.edu
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 of the information.