Archive of ACA News Items

David Kaplan, PhD, ACA's Chief Professional Officer, spoke to 99.1 WNEW in Washington, D.C. on the 12th anniversary of the September 11th attacks. During the interview, Dr. Kaplan discussed how to help children and communities deal with large-scale traumas and disasters.

Counselors should be aware that 2013 has brought important new changes to HIPAA and that September 23, 2013 is the compliance deadline for many of these new regulatory requirements.

ACA's Art Terrazas, grass-roots advocacy coordinator, recently spoke with a reporter from U.S. News & World Report regarding the recommended student to counselor ratio and the impact of cuts to school counseling programs. "One area that can be impacted by the added burden counselors take on is students' mental health."

On September 25, 2013, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., the Teachers College will host a special event to honor the legacy of Albert Ellis in the Milbank Chapel of Columbia University.

Morgan Spurlock is an award-winning writer, director, and producer best known for his immersive explorations of the social issues that both directly and indirectly shape the choices and life paths of our clients, students, colleagues… and ourselves. As a man with his finger on the pulse of a rapidly changing society, Spurlock will share experiences, insights, and reflections from the front lines of American culture.

On August 23, 2013 Dr. William Glasser died peacefully in his home surrounded by his wife Carleen and his son Martin. He had been in a state of declining health for several years and had been retired for four years.

Cloé Madanes is a world-renowned innovator and teacher of family and brief therapy and one of the originators of the strategic approach to family therapy.

More than 130 ACA leaders spent the day on Capitol Hill meeting with members of Congress and their staff to lobby for legislation in the areas of mental health, school and career counseling, and veterans affairs.

Earlier this year, President Obama called on Americans to start a “national conversation to increase understanding about mental health," and directed the secretaries of the Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Education to launch the National Dialogue on Mental Health. ACA is answering the President's call by partnering with Creating Community Solutions, an integral part of the National Dialogue initiative.

The ACA Website Launch Video won a Platinum Award in the Video category and the ACA Website Redesign won a Gold Award in the Website Overall/Association category.

ACA really enjoys paying as much attention as we can to graduate students and new professionals and we need your help to do so.

ACA President Bradley T. Erford has sent a letter on behalf of the association to the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs providing feedback on the first draft of the 2016 CACREP accreditation standards.

American Counseling Association members have consulted ACA staff and leaders regarding the practice of conversion therapy and the 2005 Code of Ethics. For this reason, the ACA Ethics Committee is sharing its formal interpretation of specific sections of the ACA Code of Ethics concerning the practice of conversion therapy and the ethics of referring clients for this practice.

To capitalize on clients’ interest in goal setting at the start of the new year (and throughout) here is a small list of apps that may be useful.

As reported by NBC News, the number of soldiers who died from suicide (at least 177) was higher than the number of soldiers who died in combat (176) over the past year.

As reported by Rolling Stone magazine, Lady Gaga has employed mental health professionals to offer free counseling services to teens who attend her Born This Way Ball tour.

A recent study published in Psychological Science described an easy technique to rid oneself of negative thoughts: write them down and throw them away.

Tell us your story, or about a school counselor you know, who has had a positive impact on the community. Several advocacy stories will be selected and written about in Counseling Today, others will be posted online. Submission deadline is September 15th.