Oct 2016 fmhca newsletter

Your Organization

Newsletter Date Volume 1, Issue 1

Welcome to FMHCA! Hello and welcome! I am so excited to report that we have been busy, busy, busy over the summer months and we already have so many new changes to be thankful for!

One of the best ways to take advantage of our offerings, as a member or a nonmember, is to attend our Annual Conference. Our 2015 Annual Conference was a tremendous success and our 2016 Annual Conference will be even better!

Newsletter October 2016 Issue 1610

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Our 2017 Annual Conference will take place February 2nd-4th, 2017 at the Orlando Marriott in Lake Mary, Florida. The conference educational theme is " Counseling in the Modern Era Your Direction your Future", so conference attendees can expect to find a range of presentations at our conference from traditional, tried, and true techniques to newer, evidence-based, and new-age interventions and presentations which showcase their harmonious intersection. more!

Making the Most of Happenstance:…………...3

We're also excited to announce so amazing preconference breakout sessions including:

How To Succeed While Under Supervision…..14

President’s Corner :………..5 Why Hire A Lobbyist? ……..8 Free Webinar ................ 13

Qualified Supervisor Training (QST) - February 2nd, 2017 8:00am -5:00pm & February 3rd, 2017 8:00 am-12:00 pm Dr. Stephen Guinta & Dr. Vehec 12 Clock Hours Cost: $240.00 EMDR Level 1 Training- February 2nd & 3rd, 2017 8:00am-5:00pm Dr. Benjamin B. Keyes 16 Clock Hours Cost: $200.00 (Sold Out) A brain-based (NeuroTechnic) intervention to take your clients literally & Update Client’s Models of the World. Hypnosis Training-February 2nd, 2017 8:30am5:00pm Elvis Lester 6.5 Clock Hours Cost: $99.00 Forensic Mental Health Evaluators Training-February 2nd, 2017 8:00am -5:00pm National Board of Forensic Evaluators Required State of Florida CEUs for Re-Licensure - February 2nd, 2017 8:00am5:00pm Bob Decker & Michael Holler Cost $75.00 Early Rate (until November 14, 2016) | $110.00 Regular Rate Update for Licensed Provider Ethics 3 Clock Hours | Medical Errors 2 Clock Hours | Laws & Rules 3 Clock Hours Integrated Medicine Skill Training Session February 2nd, 2017 9:00am-4:00 pm Dr. Jim Messina 6 Clock Hours Cost: $99.00 8 Hours Laws and Rules February 2nd, 2017 8:00am-5:00 pm

Darlene Silvernail PhD, LMHC, CAP, DCMHS Executive Director

CONTACT US Florida Mental Health Counselors Association 2101 Vista Parkway, Suite 265 West Palm Beach, FL 33411 Phone: 561-575-9519 Website: FLMHCA.ORG E-mail: office@flmhca.org

Please Click here to Register for this Event

MAKING THE MOST OF HAPPENSTANCE

by Kathie Erwin, Ed.D., LMHC, NCC, NCGC Board of Directors 2016 - 2017

President Leonel Mesa, PsyD, LMHC lmesa@flmhca.o.rg President-Elect Louise Sutherland-Hoyt, LMHC lsutherland@flmhca.org Treasurer Jim Messina, PhD, CCMHC, NCC, DCMHS jmessina@flmhca.org Past President Michael Holler Mholler@flmhca.org Secretary Kathie Erwin, Ed.D, LMHC, NCC, NCGC kerwin@flmhca.org Parliamentarian Frank Hannah, MS, LMHC fhannah@flmhca.org Member-at-Large Joe Skelly, MS, LMHC jskelly@flmhca.org Member-at-Large Erica Whitfield ebuabua@gmail.com Member-at-Large Hassiem Kambui, PhD, LMHC hkambui@flmhca.org Member-at-Large Judith Roberts, Ph.D., LMHC JRoberts@flmhca.org Executive Director Darlene Silvernail, PhD, LMHC, CAP, DCMHS dsilvernail@flmhca.org Administrative Coordinator Diana Huambachano (Proscia) office@flmhca.org

A new client pours out a story about unexpected downsizing that caused a plummet from the executive suite to near homelessness. A recently divorced single parent attempts to push aside personal grief to normalize life for the children as much as possible while dealing with a contentious ex-spouse.

A graduate student who overcame life in an alcoholic family is conflicted about whether to take a lucrative job with a liquor distributor in order to pay for the final year of school or take longer to graduate at a lower paying job.

These three "down on their luck" clients have common threads of grief, loss, anger and self-doubt all of which deserve acknowledgement and attention. However, if a counselor camps out on the losses without guiding the client to explore the opportunity within these seemingly disastrous, random events, then the mystical wonder of "Happenstance" is missed.

Dr John Krumboltz struck out on his dream of playing in major league baseball. Dr Al Levin received demoralizing career advice as a student, which eventually perked his interest in career counseling. From those early disasters, Krumboltz and Levin found constructive ways to use failure as the launch point of the next positive career move. Their book, "Luck is No Accident: Making the Most of Luck and Happenstance in Your Life and Career" (2010), and the stories in each chapter sparked lively discussions in my Career Counseling class. Much as clients and counselors gravitate toward identifying a problem, brainstorming and finding solutions, Krumboltz and Levin (2010) metaphorically bungee jump into exploration of " Wake Up Before Your Dreams Come True" (Ch. 3) and "Go Ahead and Make Mistakes (Ch. 5). For me, this book is a classic with timeless stories to illustrate concepts of change.

In counseling related to career and future life goals, the messages and stories of "happenstance" are powerful platforms for interaction. The client who has acquired beliefs such as " I was born under a dark cloud" or "I'm just not lucky" is too conditioned to look for the cloud to see a glimpse of the silver lining. Whether the counselor decides to put "Luck" in the "empty chair or wrap the client's dilemma into a "Miracle Question", the exploration of happenstance fits into a variety of therapeutic contexts.

Counselors who feel stuck in their current work can also apply happenstance to find the next step forward. Some are hanging onto agency or hospital jobs when their desire is to develop private practice yet fearful of losing a predictable paycheck. Others are bound by their successes and defined by colleagues and clients as the specialist in a certain modality that has become rote and less fulfilling.

Moving into a new specialty means giving up the "expert" chair and becoming a student again, but what about the commitment of time and money to make that possible? What if the agency/hospital drastically reduces staff and counselors become hourly paid contract workers instead of employees? Or what is lost if the expert counselor reaches burnout and moves on to a different field rather than train for a new specialty? Happenstance can be at work in these seeming losses . With a bold move forward present losses are the foundation of a revitalized career. Think about it for yourself and your clients.

Krumboltz, J.D. & Levin, A.S. (2010). Luck is not accident: making the most of luck and happenstance in your life and career. (2nd edition). Atascadero, CA: Impact Publishers.

Kathie Erwin, Ed.D., LMHC, NCC, NCGC is an Assistant Professor and the Associate Coordinator of Masters in Counseling Programs (CACREP) for Regent University. KErwin@regent.edu Dr Erwin is the author of 7 books, the most recent is Group Techniques for Aging Adults, 2nd Edition (2013), Routledge Publishing.

PRESIDENT’S CORNER : Leonel “Dr. Leo” Mesa, Jr., Psy.D., LMHC, CAP, CEAP FMHCA President To all of the members of our FMHCA family, this has been a month of great progress. Your FMHCA Board and Committees have been active in putting many hours of effort in making modifications to our current organizational structure that will enhance and strengthen our position as an exemplary Chapter in the nation.

What fuels our passion is our steadfast commitment and responsibility we feel as advocates on behalf of all who are members of our FMHCA family. The “magnitude and bond” we all share has been the source of our ongoing success and we so greatly appreciate your support.

I’d like to take this opportunity to update you on several proposals that were approved during our recent Board meeting. These include our Local Chapters Manual which can be reviewed at setuplocalfmhcachapter.html). Additionally, the formation of Local Chapter Networks which removes the requirement of incorporating or adhering to other organizational responsibilities. There were interim Regional Directors selected that will fill this role throughout the remainder of Fiscal Year 2016-2017. These include; Northwest Region: Joe Skelly; Northeast Region: Erica Whitfield; Southwest Region: Jim Messina and our Southeast Region: Judith Roberts. Please join me in thanking them for accepting this responsibility as we continue our proactive efforts of building and developing our organization into a premier representation of our profession. Other measures approved include the proactive recruitment of agency membership and the use of Pop Vox as a means of maintaining our “finger on the pulse” of our statewide support for legislative advocacy.

Once again, I’d like to recognize all the outstanding effort that our Board members and Executive team have shown as we are filled with pride in representing you our FMHCA family.

Please remember to register for our spectacular Annual Conference; it’s filled with great opportunities for enhancing our therapeutic resources and networking with other LMHC’s throughout our state.

I look forward in seeing you all there!

It’s been a very productive month and with your continued support our bond will create a lasting legacy.

NOTEWORTHY DATES Government Relations Committee Meeting (session 1 of 6) 30 Aug 2016 8:00 AM (EDT) GoToMeeting

Annual 2017 FMHCA Conference Volunteer 05 Sep 2016 6:00 PM (UTC-04:00) Go To Meeting

FMHCA 2016 Webinar Series EMERGING ISSUES IN MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING(session 1 of 3) 09 Sep 2016 2:00 PM (UTC-04:00) Webinar

Board Meeting(session 1 of 5) 14 Sep 2016 8:00 AM (UTC-04:00) GoToMeeting

Thank you all, Annual Conference 2017 Date:02 Feb 2017 - 04 Feb 2017 Click Here For Details

“We are each other’s harvest; we are each other’s business; we are each other’s magnitude and bond” Gwendolyn Books

THE IMPORTANCE OF SELF CARE AND THE THERAPEUTIC RELATIONSHIP

One can assume over time unmanaged personal stress will spill over and affect even a seasoned professional. Counselors can experience compassion fatigue when they do not practice effective regular self-care (Merriman, 2015). Counselors have multiple types of mindfulness interventions, and coping mechanisms available to choose from. Self-care could be checking in with a colleague about how you are feeling or as simple as setting time aside to meditate each day. Interventions such as Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), regular exercise, regular check-ups with PCP, and proper nutrition are interventions applied to clients. These important and valuable healing interventions also are relevant to the “well” counselor (Vujanovic & Niles, 2011). The amount of self-care is dependent on the level of stress and personal reliance of the counselor. Counselors have a duty to self and the patients they serve; to meet their own personal needs and not avoid them. Often times caring people like counselors, put their needs before clients. Ohalloran & Linton (2000) suggest, “[unwell] counselors tend to overlook their own needs so they can help others”.

Serving others requires the counselor to be mentally and emotionally healthy. One can assume some may believe it to be easier to problem solve with others about issues, while avoiding are own. Avoiding one’s own issues will not compliment the therapeutic relationship. Personal issues counselors have, need to be dealt with, just like anyone else. Being a counselor does not exclude a person from being stressed or from being flooded by secondary trauma. In fact, counselors are the ones whom get the most exposure to these types of events and stressors. To optimize a successful counseling relationship a counselor must be able to identify and process countertransference. Merriman (2015) suggest that proper clinical supervision is fundamental and needs to be provided by a clinician trained to identify and assist with compassion fatigue. Merriman (2015) found that novice counselors have a greater risk of suffering from compassion fatigue than seasoned counselors. And clinical supervisors have a duty to educate novice counselors on compassion fatigue and self-care.

Being fully present for patients is not only important for the care of the patient; it is an ethical duty (as cited in Corey, 2009). One can assume that if a counselor starts mentally associating with a client, and comparing issues with our client, then they have stepped over the line, and need to seek supervision and/or a trusted colleague to help us work through the issues (Cochran & Cochran, 2006). Being fully present does not mean drifting off during a session, as a patient talks about his or her issues. Being present with a client includes being aware of any countertransference and not allowing it in the session. Client will notice if a counselor is not mentally with them, and could permanently injury the relationship.

Ethically speaking self care promotes a positive and responsible relationship between counselor and patient. Counselors have an ethical duty to do no harm. According to the American Mental Counselor Health Association Code of Ethics, 2010 (AMHCA), article 1-a; States, the primary responsibility is to promote client welfare. One can assume if counselors do not practice self-care, patients will not receive the best care. It would not be ethical to practice if there are unresolved issues that could interfere with the healing process of a client. Burnout and anxiety evoking conversations could impact a counselor as we are human too (Cochran & Cochran, 2006). However, knowing personal “deal breakers” and listening to the signs of burnout can perhaps aide in early intervention. By attributing to self care one can assume it could only benefit all parties, and promote a healthy therapeutic relationship (Cochran & Cochran, 2006).

Knowing one self, is an important factor in self care. Having minimum experience in sensitive populations could create a negative response in a good counselor. Self care would infect be to know what your current deal breakers are in your field. A deal breaker is any population that you currently believe you could not provide ethical service to due to a lack of experience, or personal limits, or bias. One can assume that over time a healthy counselor will work through deal breakers and personal self-placed limits through professional supervision, and gain experience with unfamiliar populations.

A counselor’s duty is to do no harm. According to the AMHCA, 2010, if we feel a bias towards a certain population, then we must be honest with ourselves. Initial assessments helps counselors determine early in the relationship, whether someone would be at risk (Cochran & Cochran, 2006).

Counselors are there to listen and guide patients to improve mental state through processing thoughts and feelings, experiences and situations. Counselor must not internalize when a treatment is not successful and be conscious that the motivation for exploration is the patient’s responsibility. Skovholt & Grie & Hansen (2001) suggests that counselors are given the task to fix the unfixable problem. Counselors must remember “fixing” is not our responsibility; there is no magical wand. Understanding the duty to guide patients to look within to process and discover their own power; could detour any feelings of disappointment when things don’t turn out perfectly according to the treatment plan. Not internalize client problems is a priority in a counselor’s mental health. Listening and having empathy does not mean carrying patients problems round. Over time counselors with loose boundaries or untreated compassion fatigue could be professionally attached to a particular family, and perhaps the family goals are not working for this family, or we could feel our techniques are not working (Merriman, 2015).

Being a mental health professional counselor holds great responsibility. People are depending on the “experts” to guide them in reaching therapeutic goals. Self care can only aide the counselor to a better understanding of her/ himself. This will compliment the outcome of patients, by providing the patient with a healthy and present person. Furthermore we must respect and uphold the professional ethics we are bound to.

Robin Chaloune

Why Hire A Lobbyist?

Legislative lobbying is an attempt to influence a legislator's opinion or to enlist his or her assistance in supporting legislation that is helpful to your group or in defeating legislation that adversely affects your group. Associations and businesses "don't hire lobbyists for fun," suggested a 2012 story covered by NPR's Alex Blumberg.

They hire them to achieve their legislative goals. The same is true for associations like the Florida Mental Health Counselors Association.

Even though FMHCA is not a multi-national corporation with profits equaling those of companies studied in Mr. Blumberg's story, a proportional return on investment may exit between the corporations and associations that hire lobbyists and those that don't.

In the case of the NPR story, a study was conducted by a tax professor at the University of Kansas, Raquel Alexander, about which companies benefited from the tax breaks offered by the American Jobs Creation Act. The study compared companies that had lobbyists versus those that did not. The "Return on Investment (ROI) to Lobbyist," for the 93-out-of-450 firms that retained lobbyists, was twenty-two thousand percent (22,000%).

It's nearly impossible to estimate exactly how much most organizations earn from retaining a lobbyist. However, there is a reason that all successful industries - bee raising and poultry farming to hospital staffing hospitals and pharmaceutical sales - continue to see the ROI from Federal and state-level lobbyists.

Mixon and Associates is the lobbying group representing the Florida Mental Health Counselors Association.

Though FMHCA could choose from many lobbyists, our firm has proven to be a good "fit" for the membership size, professional roadblocks and long-term goals of this association. This is partly because Mixon & Associates specializes in association lobbying. We value sitting through a two-hour association board meeting, reviewing annual conference income and celebrating a two-percent-membership-bump.

Mixon and Associates' roots are education. Juahn Mixon was a teacher, then a school administrator followed by associate superintendent and finally, deputy commissioner at the Florida Department of Education. When Juhan's (pronounced "John" by most) DOE position expired, he used his expertise and knowledge of public education to retain clients. Though, not all of Juhan's clients were in the education sector. The firm quickly learned that many of our clients had one thing in common. They were one body of people representing thousands of like-minded Floridians.

We excel as a firm not only because we manage political action committees that give us access to hundreds-ofthousands of dollars in campaign contributions every two years, but also because we understand how associations work. We know that every few years a new board of directors is faced with managing membership efforts, annual conferences and lobbying the legislature. Mixon and Associates maintains constant mental health industry focus year-after-year and board-after-board. We are not just hired help. We consider ourselves a part of the FMCA team.

Mixon and Associates has been in business since the early 90s. We've been lobbying for FMHCA for XXX years. We understand the 491 statute and the threats against it. We are passionate about ensuring a safe climate for people seeking mental health services both statewide (eliminating the ability for interns to "practice" for 1020 years) and federally (ensuring Medicare recognition and filling VA internships with MHCs). We hope that FMHCA continues to value the importance of having a voice in Tallahassee by having a year-round lobbying team representing your membership.

Over the next several months, we will begin to provide you with updates surrounding the Florida legislative committee weeks and relevant bills. We are glad that your organization sees the RIO in us and we are happy to represent Florida's mental health counselors.

Additional information about lobbying process:

A lobbyist provides factual and anecdotal information intended to defend a specific position. Lobbyists are expected to anticipate opposition to their clients' goals and to provide information refuting that opposition.

Professionally, lobbyists are issue-oriented rather than ideological. The personalization of issues is counterproductive for lobbyists and their clients because the same legislator who opposes them this legislative session could be their ally on an issue the following year. Although personalities and personal perspectives play a large role in politics, especially during election years, legislators and lobbyists seldom make decisions intended to harm law-abiding Floridians.

Lobbying occurs on a year-round basis. When the legislature is not in session lobbyists are: Identifying any unintended consequences of past legislation

Contributing to statewide House and Senate campaigns Helping clients develop legislative platforms Finding bill sponsors for the next year's legislation Maintaining relationships with Legislators Attending annual client meetings (presenting often) Working in political campaigns during election years Being the "eyes and ears" of our members in case harmful legislation is being crafted by outside interests that will impact their profession On average 2,500 are filed jointly between the House and Senate. Typically only 280 of those bills will pass largely because lobbyists are fighting to keep them from passing.

Corinne Mixon, DPL

Our Lobbyist in Action

Thank You to our Sponsor

CFMHE Successfully Advocates for Fair Testing The National Board of Forensic Evaluators (NBFE) commends Michael Holler, a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Florida, for his successful advocacy for fair access to psychological tests in Florida.

Michael and his attorney filed a petition for a declaratory statement to Florida's Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy, & Clinical Social Work (a.k.a. the "491 board") on 6/24/16. The petition asked the board to clarify whether Licensed Mental Health Counselors (LMHCs) can administer psychological tests.

The board denied Michael's request on 9/6/16. At first glance, this would seem to be a defeat for those advocating for fair access to tests, but an exploration of the board's reason for the denial reveals an important success for counselors, social workers, and marriage and family therapists who conduct forensic mental health evlauations.

The Board reasoned that Florida statutes clearly indicate that the practice of mental health counseling in Florida "includes methods of a psychological nature used to evaluate, assess, diagnose, and treat emotional and mental dysfunctions or disorders..." In other words, because the law is already clear on the ability of LMHCs to conduct psychological tests, there is no need for a declaratory statement.

Michael is the Past President of the Florida Mental Health Counselors Association (FMHCA), and was the 49th evaluator to earn the Certified Forensic Mental Health Evaluator (CFMHE) credential in the U.S. He was also among the first group of CFMHEs to earn NBFE's Certified Child Custody Evaluator (CCCE) credential. He took it upon himself to advocate successfully for fair access to tests in Florida, and we commend him for it.

Thanks, Michael!

Read the details of the Board's declaration here.

View NBFE's analysis and position paper on the question of whether or not licensed counselors can administer and interpret psychological tests here .

Michael Holler, LMHC, CFMHE, CCCE

Thank You to our Sponsor

FREE WEBINAR SESSION 9:

Victims of Domestic Violence: Substance Abuse Co-Occurring Date: Wednesday , 10/12/16, 2:00-4:00 pm Presenter: Darlene Silvernail, Ph.D., DAC, CAP, LMHC Description: This 2hour webinar provides an update on best practices working with victims of domestic violence with an emphasis on co-occurring disorders.

Link to Register: https:// attendee.gotowebinar.com/ register/2241453786429907970

CE Broker Tracking #: 20-529904; Publishing #: 10-1752040 Learning Objectives: Participants will be able to:

Understand the challenges Victims of Domestic Violence faces and barriers to health Care Describe Co-occurring Disorders seen in this cohort group (risk factors) Participants will be provided with resources to work with individuals impacted by Family Violence

ANNOUNCEMENT Have you missed one of our Webinars?

Don't worry now you have the chance to view a recording of the webinar on FMHCA's YouTubechannel at by clicking

here.

13

How To Succeed While Under Supervision Paula Carina Lazarim Marques Mental Health Counseling Graduate Student The journey of counselors-in-training toward licensure, with its numerous challenges, can be difficult especially when trying to balance academic, professional, and personal obligations. In accordance with Chapter 491 of the Florida Statutes, supervised clinical experience is a requirement for licensure, and counselor supervision is designed to facilitate a path supporting ethical, academic, personal, and professional development.

This is a key step for supervisees to develop new competences and to feel more confident about their capabilities. In this context, there are ways counselors can complete supervision successfully while balancing life demands.

After review the Chapter 491 update regarding supervision regulations and particularly reading the Section 491.0045 of the Florida Statute concerning mental health counseling intern registration requirements and the supervision process, and also the ACA 2015 ethical standards of supervision, it is time to find a qualified supervisor registered at the Board. Remember it is useful to check the supervisors that contact the Florida Board of Mental Health or look at reliable websites, such as FMHCA. In general, the top supervisee performers take the serious step of choosing a qualified supervisor, asking about their performance and roles, and carefully reading the supervisor’s informed consent before commencing supervision. Although there are a number of good supervisors and many models of supervision, it is essential to choose a supervisor with whom you can establish open communication, and a relationship based on cooperation, compliance, and mutual respect.

After choosing a supervisor, it is time to jointly create an effective supervision plan, acceptable as determined by the Board rules.

Developed in conjunction with the supervisor, the supervisee will submit the clinical supervision plan, with all relevant attachments, to the Board for approval consideration. It is a very important step of the supervision process. Once approved, the clinical supervision plan is a guide for supervised clinical experience. Each supervision session must be documented and include, at the minimum, the date, duration and topic, and both supervisors and supervisees shall maintain these records.

Before starting supervision, it is important to review all agreements between supervisor and supervisee, to check if the postmaster’s counselors was registered as an intern, and verify all steps were be accepted by the Board. They are to: (1) submit the application and pay the fee ($200); (2) identify a qualified supervisor; and (3) prepare and submit a clinical supervision plan. An intern registration period is limited to five years of validity, and a counselor beginner may not get a license if he or she fails to comply with Section 491.0045 criteria.

Counselors-in-training will need a deeper commitment to successfully complete supervision, and time management is essential.

Taking small steps toward making self-improvements and setting achievable goals during a realistic timeframe will help counselors on supervision improve performance quickly. Supervisees have to adopt their supervisors’ guidance and suggestions to perform all assignments, and bring details for discussion of experiences and results achieved in the clinical setting. Also, supervisees must follow the meetings’ minimum requirement for supervised experience towards licensure as a mental health counselor (LMHC) being assiduous at the supervision sessions. These will make supervision productive and will promote a faster growing mindset. The general principles to succeed at supervision also include maintaining an intense focus, staying on the edge of one’s comfort zone, identifying weak points, and designing practice techniques based on supervisors’ feedback to address any weaknesses.

Also, it is advisable to ask supervisors for extra support, advice or material as improve knowledge and skills, instill confidence, develop a professional discipline and grow the capacity to create deeper alliances rather than client outcomes. Moreover, supervisees can ask for instruction about self-care, such as good ways to manage stress and anxiety. Counselor must also clearly communicate questions to supervisors if, for some reason, they do not understand something. For example, he or she can ask about how to report the supervision hours to the Board, and so on. It is essential to ask for help as soon as possible when reporting any anticipated difficult. In fact, supervisees must work with supervisors to develop goals and objectives on which they agree to participate and that will assist them in areas of self-improvement.

Finally, while on supervision, supervisees must be familiar with Section 491.005 (4) of the Florida Statute concerned with licensure by examination in order to be ready to get their licensure at the end of the supervision process. For example, counselors have to accumulate at least 1,000 hours of university sponsored supervised practicum, internship, or field experience to be eligible for license. Also, counselors have to succeed not only in practice but also in theory examination and demonstrate they can properly apply the laws and regulations regarding mental health counseling.

Maintaining a positive attitude and a good relationship can make it easy to take advantage of the help from a supervisor, head in the right direction, and make this process a great learn and professional opportunity. A supervisor who believes in his/her supervisee’s capabilities can not only help supervisees manage their improvements, but can also deeply encourage their career development and offer real professional opportunities. Although each supervisor has their own unique supervision style, in general, they are all committed to offer the best resources to improve the beginner counselor’s chances of success after completion.

New CE Requirement for Licensure Renewals Within the 30 required renewal CE’s, you must now complete a 3 hour laws and rules update course every third biennium.

Current licensees would need to complete the course by the biennium ending 3/31/19.

Licensees in their first biennium, (which are exempt from CE’s for renewal) would need to meet the requirement by the biennium ending 3/31/21.

For more information on this requirement, please review Rule 64B4-6.001, Florida Administrative Code.

SCHOLARSHIPS FOR CRPS AND CRSS The Florida Department of Children and Families is continuing to offer scholarships for peer specialists and recovery support specialists. Financial assistance can be requested for certification-related fees for persons seeking certification (application and examination fees), renewal, and reinstatement for lapsed credentials. In early July a new scholarship application will be posted on the FCB website. If you have questions in the meantime, please send them to lfarmer@flcertificationboard.org .

NBCC Fellowship Scholarships they offer a minority scholarship, military scholarship and rural scholarship.

These scholarships are open to CACREP-Accredited graduate programs. You can find more information at http://www.nbccf.org/Programs/Scholarships.

Thank You to our Sponsor

Increase Employment Opportunities for Veteran Mental Health Provider Dear Secretary McDonald 1. Background: I served in the Army for over 24 years (8 enlisted and 24 commissioned). I served in Gulf War and OIF. I founded a 501C (3) “Veterans Counseling Veterans INC” so we play an active role in taking care of our brothers and sisters and their family.

On 27 Aug 2016, at the American Legion National Convention, I asked Honorable Undersecretary of Health Dr. Shulkin, a question about addressing possible barriers that prevented Veterans mental health counselors from being employed at the VA and also creating a certification for military members who provide mental health services but don’t have a formal degree. I have 4 main objectives: Increase Military Veteran employment in mental health at the VA: A study conducted by RAND called ‘Ready to Serve” reported that less than 6% of mental health providers have military experience. http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/ RR806.html Most experts agree mental health providers with military experience can be very effective in treating a military member is a mental health disorder.

Veterans are more severely affected by the VA’s CACREP only approach because of how most veterans pursue a graduate degree. Most veterans take either online or classes offered at their installations Education Center. Prior to 2010, CACREP only accredited ONE institution. Result, no military veteran that received an online counseling degree prior to 2010 qualifies to work at VA. No exceptions, including combat veterans! University of Maryland prior to 2015 wasn’t CACREP accredited.

Cause an artificial shortage of qualified mental health counselors: Less than 20 percent of LPCs and University are CACREP approved. VA implemented this policy in 2010 with no grandfathering or alternative methods to provide the provider is qualified.

TRICARE recognized the severely restrictive impact of a CACREP only approach and its negative impact on obtaining qualified providers . TRICARE issued a change in its qualification requirement. It issued Final Rule to address this restrictive requirement by issuing a final rule on 2 Sep 2016: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2016/09/02/2016-21125/ tricare-mental-health-and-substance-use-disorder-treatment Veterans are more severely affected by the VA’s CACREP only approach because of how most veterans pursue a graduate degree. Most veterans take either online or classes offered at their installations Education Center. Prior to 2010, CACREP only accredited ONE institution. Result, no military veteran that received an online counseling degree prior to 2010 qualifies to work at VA. No exceptions, including combat veterans! University of Maryland prior to 2015 wasn’t CACREP accredited.

Ensure VA Military Veterans Licensed Professional Counselors( LPC) and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFT) employees who currently work in VA are getting proper recognition. VA currently implemented a mental health standard using Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs accreditation body. The problem was VA didn’t conduct an impact state that would help it identify unintended consequences: LPCs military veteran VA employees hired prior to 2010 currently do not qualify to work as LPC within the VA. They were all put in a Title 5 position which doesn’t allow for clinical work on Veterans in the VA. Because of the VA’s CACREP requirement, they are not allowed (non-qualify) to transfer into a Title 38 Hybrid nor qualify for grandfathering because the LPC position didn’t exist prior to 2010.

This one CACREP has literally trapped them in their current position with no relief in sight. Several employees filed a complaint with the Stacey Pollack, PhD, National Director of Program Policy Implementation, Office of Mental Health Services, VA Central Office Phone: 202-461-6032. I will have more to say about Stacey Pollack in this letter.

Find someone else other than Dr. Stacy Pollack to help military veteran Licensed Professional Counselors (LPC). I have received several complaints about Dr. Pollack hostility and uncooperative attitude towards VA military veterans mental health and Marriage and Family Therapists employees when it comes to inequitable treatment of LPCs and LMFTs. For Example; Dr. Pollack is chair of both LMFTs and LPCs Professional Standards Boards even though she is a psychologist. (nonnegotiable). It only makes sense the Chair of each board is led by their respective profession. One person should not weld so much power that negative systematically effects two professions (LPCs and LMFTs).

Finally, ensure Follow ups are conducted. I recommend some kind of follow up to ensure Check and Balances are in play. Follow-up as we learned in the military, is just as critical as initial action. I can be contacted via email: ellsworth@vetscounselingvets.org, or phone 407-516-8398. As directed by Dr. Shulkin, I sent a copy this letter via email to Jacob Gadd and Latriece Prince-Wheeler.

Ellsworth “Tony” Williams Jr

NOMINATE A PEER OR LOCAL STATE CHAPTER Each year at FMHCA’s Annual Awards luncheon, our organization honors those individuals and state chapters that have discovered creative partnerships to meet the unique challenges of today’s evolving mental health environment.

Join us at the Annual Conference February 2-4, 2017 in Orlando to honor past performance and inspirational examples of excellence as we celebrate winners of awards at FMHCA’s Annual Awards luncheon.

We invite all FMHCA members to submit nominations for an individual in one of several categories as well as nominations for FMHCA local

chapters (both large and small chapters) that have made outstanding progress and/or contributions in the last year. Awards categories are described below. All nominees must be FMHCA members. **The final deadline for nominations is November 6, 2017.

Click Here to Nominate

Click here to Register

18

About Gorski Relapse Prevention Therapy Ft. Lauderdale - October 10-14, 2016 Over the past 40 years research has clearly shown that relapse is a process that begins long before recovering people start using alcohol or other drugs. Alcohol and drug use do not mark the beginning of the relapse process—it is the final stage. Alcohol and drug use is just the final step in an ongoing relapse process. The relapse process begins as recovering people begin using thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that create so much pain and problems that self-medication with alcohol and other drugs seems like a good choice.

We are inviting you all to participate in the signature Gorski workshop – Relapse Prevention Therapy, October 10-14, 2016, in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, instructed by Roland Williams and selected sessions with Terry Gorski.

Join us and learn how addiction and behavioral health agencies that want to reduce health care costs have little tolerance for relapse -- especially if relapse prevention strategies weren’t part of the initial treatment plan. Addiction treatment facilities want to work with providers who are serious about preventing relapse after the first treatment. As a result, they are demanding that relapse prevention strategies be integrated into the treatment plans of all patients. Sign up for the workshop and learn the skills providers want to see:

A Relapse Management Plan An Assessment Of Lifestyle Factors Related To Relapse.

A List Of Personal Warning Signs that identify the specific steps that lead from stable recovery to relapse.

A High Risk Situation List that identifies the immediate situations that can activate the urge to use alcohol or other drugs A Revised Recovery Program that supports the ongoing identification and management of relapse warning signs in a low cost community setting.

Relapse Prevention Therapy uses a unique skills training format developed by Terence T. Gorski. This training format has been rigorously tested the past 40 years and 80 percent of participants report it as one of the best training experiences of their careers.

The success lies in the proven skills training format that guides participants through a series of three-hour training segments. Each segment consists of...

Lectures, describing relapse prevention techniques, clinical demonstrations showing exactly how to use that technique, and role plays where each participant practices using the technique as both the therapist and the patient. ***OCTOBER 2016 WORKSHOP HIGHTLIGHT*** At this workshop – Gorski-CENAPS will be piloting the release of the new RPCS competencies certification portfolio. Upon completion of the workshop, participants have the option to become Gorski certified and enjoy these benefits: Gorski-CENAPS® reputation for excellence. After certification your name will also be added to our Website.

Competency Based Credential Tools for Demonstrating Clinical Skills

Documentation of Competence: Letter of Recommendation: When you achieve CENAPS® certification, you also receive a personal letter of recommendation from Terence T. Gorski. =======To Register Click Here or Call the CENAPS Office: http://www.cenaps.com/The_Cenaps_Corporation/RPT_Registration_2016[2].pdf http://www.cenaps.com/The_Cenaps_Corporation/Participant%20Info_RPT_2016.pdf

19

FMHCA'S MISSION: The mission of the Florida Mental Health Counselors Association is to advance the profession of clinical mental health counseling through intentional and strength-based advocacy, networking, professional development, legislative efforts, public education, and the promotion of positive mental health for our communities.

FMHCA MEMBER DISCOUNTS CE Broker FMHCA is a CE Broker Gold Partner!

FMHCA, Florida Mental Health Counselors Association, members will now receive a $5 discount to CE Broker, the official continuing education tracking system.

Contact us for the Discount Code - office@flmhca.org - then go to CEBroker.com& use the Association Code to apply your $5 discount. Subscribe or create a 7-Day Free Trial Account & apply the code when asked, "Have a Promotion Code or Association Discount?"

CounselingExam.com $15 off a 1 week subscription, $40 off of all 1 month, 2 month, and 3 month subscriptions, and $44 off of a 6 month subscription. To Receive the discounted rate, members must send an email to CrushTheExam@Gmail.com stating that they are a FMHCA member then, they will receive a reply with instructions on how to proceed.

National Board of Forensic Evaluators NBFE is proud to be a professional partner with FMHCA. Because of our professional partnership, NBFE Offers discounts, benefits and free CEUs to our professional partners members.

If you hold a current professional membership in any of the following associations, you will be eligible to receive a 15% discount towards the NBFE credential and homestudy programs. FREE 2 contact hour programs offered to all CFMHE and all of our Professional Partners. Offerings are posted during the year and only available to NBFE's Professional Partners.

NBFE Certified Forensic Mental Health Evaluators (CFMHE) American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA) Florida Mental Health Counselors Association (FMHCA) Licensed Professional Counselors Association of Georgia (LPCA-Georgia) Utah Mental Health Counselors Association (UMHCA) Washington Mental Health Counselors Association WMHCA) Van Wagner Insurance Insurance Discounts for FMHCA Members Savings up to 25% with Van Wagner's Comprehensive Occurrence (Professional and General Liability) Insurance Program. http:// go.sterlingrisk.com/VW/FMHCA TherapySites TherapySites specializes in creating mobile-responsive websites that are engaging, professional, cost-effective, and extremely simple to maintain, helping mental health professionals successfully market and manage their practice online. Everything is included, from credit card processing, to an online appointment calendar, search engine optimization, and many more features, all of which come standard. Start building your practice today by visiting our website and entering promo code "FMHCA" to receive a free website and one month of free hosting service! http://www.therapysites.com?a_aid=8157&a_bid=3dd8338e

20

Thank You to our Sponsor

CALLING FOR STUDENT POSTER SESSIONS FOR 2017 CONFERENCE: COUNSELING IN THE MODERN AGE:

Student Poster Sessions for 2017 Conference February 3rd, 2017 in Lake Mary at the Orlando Marriott

PERKS OF PRESENTING POSTER SESSION AT 2017 CONFERENCE:     

Opportunity to share research proposals Great networking opportunities with other students and professionals Expand your resume and Professional Portfolio Strengthen PhD Program Applications Winner receives free scholarship to the 2018 FMHCA Conference

All submissions must be made by October 15th, 2016. Click on the link below for Registration information an poster sessions

Fill-Out Student-Poster Session Application Here & Find Out Details Such As Requirements and Rubric CLICK HERE

22

Thank You to our Sponsor

Thank You to our Sponsor

WE'RE LOOKING FOR TALENTED WRITERS! FMHCA is seeking Graduate Students and Registered Interns to contribute monthly articles for our newsletter. This is a wonderful opportunity to share your point of view and your journey to licensure with others while getting professional exposure. We're looking specifically for articles that will you're your peers navigate the journey to graduation and licensure - study tips, resources, how-tos... there are so many relevant topics worthy of investigation and discussion. These articles will also help you train yourself on best practices - it's a win-win!

Please email office@flmhca.org if you're interested in this opportunity.

Be Active in FMHCA - Join A Committee!

Interested in becoming more active with FMHCA but not sure how to get started? Consider joining a committee! Participating in a FMHCA committee allows you to interact with professionals who share your passions while providing a valuable service to FMHCA. Let's face it - change doesn't happen by itself. We need YOU to help us make a difference! There are several opportunities for you to get involved - consider any of the following committees:  Ethics Committee  Membership Committee  Graduate Students & Registered Interns Committee  Chapter Relations Committee  Finance Committee  Nominations & Elections Committee  Governmental Relations Committee  Conference Planning Committee  Education, Training, Standards, & Continuing Education Training Committee  Military Service Committee  Research Committee Feeling especially interested in any of those topics? Consider being a committee chair - you'll be surprised how rewarding it can be to help make things happen! Email office@flmhca.org to express your interest. Thank you!

Thank You to our Sponsor

2967 West Midway Road Fort Pierce, FL 34981 772-461-0863,ext 502

BECOME A FMHCA MEMBER FMHCA invites all mental health professionals to become a part of our organization so your voice can be heard and you can enjoy a strong network of professionals in our state.

Join by Clicking Here! by downloading a membership form and mailing it with your payment, or you may make a payment directly through our website. Keep in mind we have a few membership options: $65.00 Clinical - All LMHC's or CCMHC's $55.00 Regular - All registered interns or non-licensed professionals

$25.00 Retired Clinicians - License Retired $Free Student (Free for the first year and there after $20.00) - Full time graduate, post-graduate, or undergraduate student Membership Renewal If your FMHCA membership has expired, we encourage you to and hope you will you to renew today by visiting our FLMHCA.ORG

Thank You to our Amazing Sponsors!

Advertise On Our Website & In Our Newsletter!

Increase your professional exposure by becoming a FMHCA sponsor!

Florida Mental Health Counselors Association 2101 Vista Parkway, Suite 265 West Palm Beach, FL 33411 Phone: 561-575-9519 Website: FLMHCA.ORG E-mail: office@flmhca.org

FMHCA's website gets hundreds of hits a day from members, nonmembers, and prospective members. Becoming a sponsor with FMHCA lets other professionals know that you're out there - it's a terrific way to network and grow as a professional.

There are two ways to becoming a sponsor - you can purchase a flashing banner across the top of our pages or one of the sponsor blocks at the bottom of our website pages. Best of all, you get a full year of sponsorship for one low price!

Artwork must be submitted in one of the following formats: png, jpg, tif, tiff, or psd. After you have completed payment, submit your artwork to us at office@flmhca.org

MEMBER MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS APPS DSM-5 Criteria This is the mobile app for clinicians to utilize in diagnosing their clients. It is an easy to use system which lists the criteria for all of the DSM-5 diagnostic catagories with the criteria listed for each diagnosis (this is not a free app).Read more about this app at: http://www.appi.org/Pages/ DSM5Mobile.aspx ICD-9-CM Codes ICD 9 Consult puts the complete, current ICD9-CM on your iPhone or iPod Touch, instantly smartsearchable and browsable. Read more about it at: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/icd9-consult-2014-free/id358845668?mt=8 ICD-10-CM Codes ICD 10 Helps you to Quickly look up diagnosis codes using the new ICD-10 coding system. All codes are downloaded to your device - no downloading is necessary as you are looking up your code. Read more about it at: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/stat-icd-10-coder/id467916561?mt=8 Provider Resilience Provider Resilience gives health care providers tools to guard against burnout and compassion fatigue as they help their clients be they civilians or service members, veterans, and their families. Providers can take a self assessment to determine if they are at risk and steps they can take to ward off such burnout and fatigue. Read more about it at: https://www.t2health.org/apps/provider-resilience courtesy from Coping.US. com and James Messina

PRIMARY THERAPIST FOR LIVE FREE INSITUTE We are looking for a highly qualified Primary Therapist, with a minimum of 4 years of verifiable experience in substance abuse/dual diagnosis, trauma and providing prevention and early intervention in behavioral health services. The Therapist will be responsible for coordinating and providing individual, group, family therapy and bio-psychosocial assessment services to patients within the facility, while maintaining accurate and organized clinical records. Applicant must hold a Master’s degree in either Psychology, Mental Health Counseling, Social Work and CAP is required. License must be clear and active in the State of Florida. Applicant must possess excellent oral and written communication skills, ability to solve practical problems and is well-versed in a variety of concrete computer skills (Word processing, EMR’s). Position is Full-Time and Bi-lingual is a requirement. Salary will be based on experience and qualifications. Facility is owned and operated by reputable Physician's/ Attorney's and applicant will be expected to have high ethical standards and professionalism while employed at the center.

Please email Scott at visionworks2020@aol.com

“What a wonderful two days of learning. What made it special was the gathering of very special presenters and the people who attended. I have been going for CEU'S for a long time and nothing matched the energy of this conference. Thank you all!!!� -Diane Saleeby Gardner

Click Here to Register