ACAeNews is a biweekly electronic newsletter of the American Counseling Association.
In this edition readers will find:
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~ Virginia Tech Aftermath - Department of Education Issues Privacy Publications ~
In the wake of the Virginia Tech tragedy, three cabinet level agencies (Education, HHS and Justice) have conducted a listening tour across the country with educators, first responders, parents and others to address concerns related to emergency preparedness and school safety. Several recurring themes were heard across the country, including the need for additional guidance on the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the federal law that protects the privacy of students' education records.
In response, the U.S. Department of Education has developed three new guides: one for K-12 educators, one for higher education officials and one for parents. The FERPA brochures for school officials include contact information for obtaining additional guidance and assistance.
These new FERPA guidance and publications are available online at:
http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/safeschools/index.html. The publications can also be ordered from the U.S. Department of Education's Publications Center (ED Pubs) by calling (877) 433-7827 (toll free) or e-mailing edpubs@inet.ed.gov. Use the title and order number that follows.
- Balancing Student Privacy and Campus Safety: A Guide to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act for Colleges and Universities (ED003905H)
- Balancing Student Privacy and School Safety: A Guide to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act for Elementary and Secondary Schools (ED003906H)
- Parents' Guide to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act: Rights Regarding Your Children's Education Records (ED003907H)
~ New Features on counseling.org Give Members More Services, More Options ~
Some major enhancements to the ACA website have recently been added, and they give members even more options for research, news and information:
What's New- This page lets you know the latest updates to the ACA website in one condensed digest.
Membership Tour - Make sure you're getting the most bang for your dues dollar. Take this educational tour of ACA benefits and services.Please note that this page may take a few moments to load.
~ ACA Foundation 2008 Annual Conference Student Grant ~
The American Counseling Association Foundation will be sponsoring 30 students to attend the ACA Annual Conference in Honolulu, Hawaii March 26-30, 2008.
This grant will include one Student Member registration and one admission to the ACA First Timers and Mentors Luncheon on Friday, March 28, 2008. The ACA Foundation will not be responsible for your transportation and lodging expenses.
To be considered for this opportunity all applicants must be a current ACA Student member, a current graduate student registered at a university or college in the field of counseling or a related course of study and must be attending the ACA Annual Conference for the first time. Complete the form available online at http://www.acafoundation.org/ and submit a one page resume or bio sheet. Mail to: ACA Foundation, 5999 Stevenson Ave., Alexandria, VA 22304. Your application must be received by Friday, January 4, 2008. If you are sending your application via email, it must be received no later than 5pm ET on Friday, January 4, 2008. All awardees of the ACA Foundation Annual Conference Student Grant will be notified by January 28, 2008. Please contact the ACA Foundation office at 800-347-6647 x350 or acaf@counseling.org with any questions or concerns.
~ Relevant Research - ACT States More Academic Rigor Needed by College-Bound ~
U.S.high school core courses too often lack the rigor they need to adequately prepare students for college-level work, according to a recent report from ACT, Inc. The research report, titledRigor at Risk, suggests that even students who take the recommended college preparatory curriculum in high school are often ill-prepared to handle college material. The findings also suggest that many students lose academic momentum during their last two years of high school. The full report can be found at: http://www.act.org/path/policy/reports/rigor.html.
~ Worth Reading - Report on Veteran Psychological Distress and Substance Abuse ~
A new report, Serious Psychological Distress and Substance Use Disorder among Veterans, has just been released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration's National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). The paper reports the prevalence of serious psychological distress, substance use disorder and co-occurring serious psychological distress among veterans by age group, gender, and family income. ACAeNews readers can access the report at: http://oas.samhsa.gov/2K7/veteransDual/veteransDual.cfm.
~ ACA Releases New Publications ~
The American Counseling Association continues to release important, new titles for professional reading by practicing counselors and as texts in counselor education. Recent titles include:
More Than a Job! Helping Your Teenagers Find Success and Satisfaction in Their Future Careers
by Richard T. Lapan
Motivating adolescents to become actively engaged in their own career development is not always easy, but this book makes it fun. Written for parents, school counselors, and counselors in private practice who work with adolescents, More Than a Job! provides an easy-to-follow, step-by-step plan to help teenagers prepare for their future educational and career goals. Lapan's TEAM (Targets, Examples, Assessments, Mutual Actions) approach uses a series of exercises and activities for teens and adults to do together that identify strengths and areas of concern, foster clear communication and interpersonal skills, enhance self-esteem, and increase resiliency and independence in adolescents so that they are able to work toward successful and rewarding careers.
2008 | 128 pages | ISBN 978-1-55620-278-0
Order #72863 | List Price: $24.95
ACA Member Price: $18.95
Order Online
Group Microskills: Culture-Centered Group Process and Strategies
by Allen E. Ivey, Paul B. Pedersen, and Mary Bradford Ivey
This book provides a comprehensive foundation for training culturally competent group leaders. The specificity of the microskills approach allows both beginning and advanced students to see group work in action and to master its complexities at a deeper level. Clear, step-by-step learning activities are woven throughout the text to facilitate specific skill development and a solid understanding of the basics of group leadership. Topics covered include identifying and demonstrating basic listening, processing, influencing, and reflecting skills; managing conflict via confrontation; and honing focusing skills. Copublished by MicroTraining Associates, Inc. and ACA
2008 | 307 pages | ISBN 978-0-917276-15-6
Order #72872
List Price and ACA Member Price: $49.00
Order Online
ACAeNews readers can review the entire ACA resource catalog at http://www.counseling.org/Source/Orders/index.cfm?Section=Store.
~ Ross Trust Scholarship Nominations/Applications Due November 16th ~
The clock is ticking with respect to the nomination/application process for the ACA Ross Trust Scholarship Program. In early 2008, 15 ACA student members (ten Masters level and 3 doctoral level) will become the fourth group of Ross Trust Scholarship recipients. Designed to recognize academic excellent and volunteerism among counselors aspiring to work in educational environments, nominations are first made by member counselor educators. Once nominated, the student completes the remainder of the scholarship application.
Complete eligibility and guidelines can be found at:
http://www.counseling.org/PressRoom/NewsReleases.aspx?AGuid=94198bcc-4300-45db-b0ae-9a67b8079726, as well as links to the electronic nomination/application forms. All forms must be completed and supporting documents filed by November 16, 2007.
~ Fast Fact - 7% of Adult Full Time Workers in US Experience Depression ~
Surveys by the US Department of Health and Human Services have found an annual average of 7% of full time workers aged 18 to 64 have experienced a major depressive episode during the past year. Among 21 major occupational categories, the highest rates for depressive episodes were found in the personal care and service occupations (10.8%) with the lowest rates in engineering, architecture and surveying (4.3%). Go to: http://oas.samhsa.gov/2k7/depression/occupation.cfm
~ ACA Call for Committee Nominations - Opportunity for Member Engagement ~
ACA President-Elect Colleen Logan is seeking nominations for the committee appointments. Dr. Logan will be appointing regular members for each ACA committee who will serve a three-year term, and a student representative to each committee for a one-year term.
Positions on the following committees will be available beginning July 1, 2008: Awards, Branch Development, Bylaws and Policies, Cyber-Technology, Ethics, Human Rights, International, Interprofessional, Professional Standards, Public Awareness and Support, Public Policy and Legislation, Publications, and Research and Knowledge.
ACA members may nominate themselves or be nominated by other ACA members. Nominations are due December 1, 2007, and must be sent to ACA headquarters: Attention: Holly Clubb, 5999 Stevenson Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22304.
Descriptions of the committees, nomination forms and other details can be found at: http://www.counseling.org/PressRoom/NewsReleases.aspx?AGuid=cbb19d20-6bc8-4245-9df8-5f671154e53a. For more information about the nominations process, call Holly Clubb at 1-800-347-6647, Ext. 212 or e-mail her at hclubb@counseling.org.
~ Reliable Resource - Scholarship List for Mexican American Students ~
The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) has just issued an updated Lista de Becas, a scholarship list containing valuable resources for students, parents, counselors and educators, especially when the deserving students cannot quality for general federal financial assistance. To review and download the MALDEF list, go to http://www.maldef.org/pdf/Scholarships.pdf.
~ Advocacy Matters - Redesigned Web Site for Countering Mental Health Stigma ~
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) rolled out a redesigned Resource Center to Address Discrimination and Stigma Associated with Mental Illness in early November. The improved web site at http://www.stopstigma.samhsa.gov is designed to help individuals and organizations counter discrimination and stigma associated with mental illness.
The centerpiece of the redesigned web site, currently containing more than 600 resources, is a still growing online library of research articles, brochures, fact sheets, tool kits and other resource items. Content is now organized by both topic and audience to help users quickly navigate to items that meet their needs.
~ ACA Board Approves Grief and Bereavement Interest Network ~
The ACA leadership created a Special Interest Network (SIN) addressing grief and bereavement issues in counseling at its recent meeting in late October. ACAeNews readers wishing to join or learn more about the network are encouraged to contact:
Bernadette Joy Graham, 1900 Lyttonsville Road, Apt. 618, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Telephone: (240) 274-5508. Email: bernadette_joy@yahoo.com. The next edition of ACAeNews will contain a full list of SINS and contact persons.
~ Events - Counseling Conferences in AL, TN and FL Winding Down 2007 ~
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.
~ Tell a Professional Colleague or Counseling Student About ACAeNews ~
ACAeNews is disseminated by subscription only. If you believe a colleague would like to receive this electronic newsletter, they can send an email to listserv@listserv.counseling.org and leave the subject blank. In the body of the email, type the following: Subscribe aca-enews First Name Last Name. Counseling students can also keep abreast of important professional information by reading ACAeNews regularly and grow more knowledgeable about the important worked being performed by ACA.
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.