ACAeNews is a biweekly electronic newsletter of the American Counseling Association.
In this edition readers will find:
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~ Nevada is 49th State to License Professional Counselors ~
On Thursday, June 14th Nevada Governor Jim Gibbons signed into law Nevada Assembly Bill 424, establishing licensure of clinical professional counselors in that state. Nevada is now the 49th state to have enacted counselor licensure legislation. The Nevada legislature approved AB 424 on June 3rd. California is the only state in the union that still does not have a counseling licensure law, although the California Assembly recently approved counselor licensure legislation. There are more than 100,000 licensed professional counselors across the country.
Nevada's enactment of the legislation comes after several unsuccessful attempts by counselors to push licensure over the previous decade, and a swift, if somewhat bumpy, ride through this year's session of the Nevada legislature. The American Counseling Association (ACA) worked closely with the American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA) and the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) in support of the Nevada licensure effort.
"This is the most exciting news for the profession of counseling in Nevada, a giant leap forward," said ACA President Marie Wakefield, who has lived in Nevada for over 30 years and been active in counseling for over 20 years. President Wakefield testified in support of the licensure bill in the Nevada Senate on behalf of the three national organizations at the beginning of the bill's journey through the legislative process.
President Wakefield was one of the counselors attending the bill signing ceremony in the Governor's office, along with Louise Sutherland and Erik Schoen, two of the Nevada counselors who spearheaded the licensure effort this year, Kristi McCaskill from the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC), and Nevada counselor Katherine Unthank. "It was really exhilarating," said President Wakefield of the ceremony. "Seeing him [Governor Gibbons] sign it made it so official, so real for us. Afterwards we could not stop talking about all the opportunities this gives us now. It felt like we awakened a sleeping giant."
Details about the criteria that must be met to obtain Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) in Nevada can be found at:
http://www.counseling.org/PressRoom/PressReleases.aspx?AGuid=4c958676-94d7-42fe-bc26-f575fb2ddd83
ACA congratulates the Nevada counselors involved in the licensure effort, and the bill's authors, Senator Joe Heck (R-Henderson), Senator Maggie Carlton (D-Clark) and Assemblywoman Sheila Leslie (D-Reno) on this important legislation. Our thanks also go out to all the ACA members in Nevada who responded to our alerts and contacted their legislators in support of AB 424.
~ US House Committee Approves Big Increase for School Counseling Program ~
A US House of Representatives appropriations subcommittee has approved a fiscal year 2008 spending bill that would boost funding for the Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program (ESSCP) to an unprecedented $61.5 million for fiscal year 2008. Should this funding level be enacted, it would be a $26.8 million increase over the current year's allocation. Funding ESSCP at $61.5 million would allow federal support of counseling services in middle and high schools for the first time ever. Under current law, the first $40 million in funding for the program must be devoted to elementary school counseling programs and services. That $40 million funding level has never before been reached.
The spending bill for Labor-Health and Human Services-Education passed by the House panel would boost total discretionary spending for the Department of Education to $61.7 billion for next year, a 7.4% increase above 2007 spending levels. Among the education programs that would see increases are:
- Title 1 Grants (+$1.5 billion);
- IDEA State Grants (+$174.4 million);
- Adult Education State Grants (+$25 million);
- After School Centers (+$125 million);
- Pell Grants (+$390 million; the maximum Pell Grant would rise to $4,700/year);
- College Work Study (+$138 million);
- TRIO (+$40 million);
- GEAR-UP (+$20 million)
Among the programs that would see decreases over 2007:
- State Grants for Safe and Drug Free Schools (-$46.5 million);
- Mental Health Integration Grants (-$4.9 million).
For more information, contact Chris Campbell at 800-347-6647, ext. 241, or by e-mail at: ccampbell@counseling.org.
~ California Licensure Bill Passes State Assembly ~
California moved a big step forward toward enacting counselor licensure with the recent passage by the State Assembly of a licensure bill. Assembly Bill 1486 was passed by the Assembly on Wednesday, June 6th on a 43 to 29 vote. The bill now goes to the State Senate for its consideration. The Assembly's approval of the legislation occurred following a concerted effort on the part of the California Coalition for Counselor Licensure (http://www.caccl.org/) to promote the bill, and overcome opposition. CCCL leaders worked with the California Board of Behavioral Sciences to obtain their support for the legislation, a key endorsement which smoothed Assembly consideration.
ACA is assisting the continued push for California licensure by providing CCCL with a grant of $5,000 to support their work toward gaining enactment of AB 1486. This grant will be matched by the National Board for Certified Counselors. Establishing licensure in all 50 states has been a long-standing goal for ACA, and we're proud of the unprecedented progress toward that goal being made by counselor advocates in California and Nevada.
~ Relevant Research - Service Demands of Seniors and Boomers Grow ~
Greater life expectancy, coupled with "boomer" numbers produced over the last half of the past century, are placing greater demands on medical, mental health and social service systems of the United States according to a recent Brookings Institution report, "Mapping the Growth of Older America: Seniors and Boomers in the 21st Century." A larger senior population that is better-educated and earning higher incomes may be working far longer and have fewer life options than their parents. Go to: http://www.brookings.edu/views/articles/200705frey.htm to view the full report.
~ Counseling Today to Examine Trauma and Disaster Response Counseling ~
The July issue of Counseling Today will focus on the theme of trauma and disaster response counseling. Articles will explore the realities of serving as a disaster mental health volunteer, examine whether the same approaches used to help middle and high school students after a school shooting are also effective on college campuses and look at how counselors can help military veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder or other stress injuries. Other features will include coverage of ongoing efforts to heal Rwanda's "collective trauma" more than a decade after the 1994 genocide as well as the work of two counselors to address issues related to child migration and exploitation along the border between Myanmar and Thailand. Watch your mailbox in July!
~ ACA Conference Registration and Lodging Information Links Active ~
Nine months and counting to the ACA conference March 26-30, 2008 in Honolulu, Hawaii. The ACA Conference staff has done a superb job of arranging competitive lodging rates for participants to enjoy along with an incredible professional program and the "once in a lifetime" amenities offered by this Pacific paradise. Now you must act to get these great rates and register for the conference. Visit http://www.counseling.org/conference/.
~ FYI - Getting the Most from the Google Experience ~
Counseling students and practitioners alike use Google and the other Internet search engines thousands of times each day. If you want to become more Google efficient, a trip to http://www.dumblittleman.com/2007/06/20-tips-for-more-efficient-google.html may be most beneficial for the Internet researcher. Go for it!
~ Hawaii Conference Education Session and Learning Institute Proposals Set Record ~
ACA has received an unprecedented number of program submissions for the 2008 Conference - 123 Learning Institute proposals and 1,241 education session proposals! This number exceeds by more than two hundred the previously recorded high promising great depth and variety for conference participants. Register today for what promises to be a "blockbuster" conference.
~ Reliable Resource - Misunderstood Minds Documentary and Web Site ~
The relationship between a child's learning problems and their self-esteem and future academic and social success is the subject of "Misunderstood Minds," a Public Broadcasting System (PBS) program and companion web site. The 90-minute documentary shows children's problems in a new light, and serves as a platform to open a nationwide dialogue on how best to manage young, vulnerable, and misunderstood minds. To learn more about the program and accompanying resources, go to: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/misunderstoodminds/
~ Fast Fact - Internet Access in Schools is Virtually 100 Percent ~
A fall 2006 report from the US Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics indicates nearly 100 percent of public schools in the United States had access to the Internet, compared with 35 percent in 1994. The report on Internet connectivity, trends and education professional development issues can be found at: http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2007020
~ Events - United Nations Day Against Drug Abuse and National Conferences ~
June 26, 2007- International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking
The Secretary General of the United Nations has asked all Non -Government Organizations (NGOs), including the American Counseling Association, to call attention to drug abuse and illicit trafficking problem throughout the world. Combating drug abuse is a collective effort. It requires political leadership and sufficient resources -- particularly for more and better treatment facilities. It requires the engagement of parents and educators as well as health care and social workers. It requires the media and criminal justice officials to play their part.
Drug abuse brings anguish and torment to individuals and their loved ones. It eats away at the fabric of the human being, of the family, of society. It is a subject all of us must take personally. On this International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, let us ensure there is no place for drugs in our lives or our communities.
Resource links can be found at: http://www.un.org/depts/dhl/drug/index.html
July 6-8, 2007
National Career Development Association
Focus: Integration and Collaboration in a Multicultural World
Location: Sheraton Seattle Hotel & Towers, Seattle, WA
Information: http://209.235.208.145/cgi-bin/WebSuite/tcsAssnWebSuite.pl?
AssnID=NCDA&DBCode=130285&Action=
DisplayTemplate&Page=AWS_NCDA2_conference_info.html
July 26-28, 2007
American Mental Health Counselors Association
Theme: Growth Out of Adversity
July 26-28, 2007
Hotel Monteleone, New Orleans
Information: http://www.amhca.org/pdf/AMHCAFebPNad-flyer.pdf
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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.
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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 of the information.