Counselors’ Identity Continuing to Through Division Move Forward ...

Louisana Lagniappe

AGLBIC-LA LAAOC LACES LAMCD LAMFC LASERVIC LCCA LCDA LCSJ LHMCA LSCA

Volume 35 Number 3 LCA is the state branch of the American Counseling Association

Spring 2013

Counselors' Identity Through Division Participation

By: R. Bruce Galbraith, M.Ed., DAPA, CCFC, LCA President Elect

In numerous professional counseling journals, articles have been written of the importance of counselors possessing a strong professional identity akin to individuals having a strong sense of self. Having a strong professional identity allows counselors to feel self-assured and capable of clearly articulating who they are and what they do.

On an individual level, a strong professional identity is crucial to the self-esteem and attitude of each counselor. Asserting a strong professional identity sends the message to the public and to those they work with and for that professional counselors are competent and that the services provided are meaningful and important. In turn, counselor selfassurance benefits clients as they will view the counselor as an expert and will feel comfortable in sharing and working through issues that are of importance to each client.

Networking and collaborating with other counseling professionals plays an important role in fostering professional counselor identity. Counselors with a healthy and strong sense of professional identity frequently take part in activities that further pro-

(Counselors' Identity, continued on page 2)

Welcome LCA's newest members!! See page 4 to see who's new or has renewed

membership!

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Presidential Perspective

Continuing to Move Forward

By: Dr. Paul T. Ceasar, LCA President, 2012-13

It is hard to believe that we are into the season of Spring. Hopefully for all of us, it has not been a "winter of discontent". Even in the midst of all the issues internationally, and within our country and state, there are plenty of reasons to maintain hope. Reflecting on the theme that I chose for this year Transformation through Adversity: Moving Forward, I am happy to report that the Louisiana Counseling Association, LCA, continues to move forward. On February 20 and 21 we had meetings with the Government Relations Committee, the Administrative Council, and the Executive Board of LCA and from all indications the climate of Spring was in the air with an overall spirit of new life.

Some of the highlights from the meeting:

Review of the Strategic Plan ? many of the objectives have been met with others ongoing.

Finances ? we did well on the LCA Conference in Lake Charles with 821 attendees. We reviewed the evaluations from membership and will continue to refine improve the annual conference. Next September it will be at the Intercontinental in New Orleans (Sept. 1417).

Town Hall Meetings ? this March and April in the various regions of the state. More information will be sent out. It will provide an update on what is going on with LCA and our Government Relations committee. Hope that you can attend.

Government Relations ? lots happening with the school counselor issues in the state and LPC changes in policies and procedures.

(Presidential Perspective, continued in column 1 on page 2)

Spring 2013

Louisana Lagniappe

The Louisiana Lagniappe is the quarterly newsletter of the Louisiana Counseling Association, LCA. LCA is the state branch of the American Counseling Association, ACA. LCA includes 11 Divisions which provides an inclusive umbrella to join professional counselors from many work settings in a single organization for advocacy, collaboration, and networking.

SUBMISSIONS Sent all submissions to newsletter editor, Vinetta Frie via e-mail. Use her address: frienews@. Electronic submission of photographs via e-mail is preferred. Submission of hard copy photos or recorded devices become the property of the newsletter and will not be returned.

NEWSLETTER CORRECTION Please contact Vinetta Frie, Editor via frienews@. Please use Lagniappe Error in the subject line.

Summer Newsletter Submission deadline: February 22, 2013!

See you in New Orleans for the 2013

Annual LCA Fall Conference?!

Spring 2013

Presidential Perspective, continued from page 1

There are no major bills this legislative session (they will have enough to deal with related to budget, Medicaid issues, taxes, etc. etc.) but our presence will be noted with the possibility of a reception for Senators and Representatives.

Division activities ? several divi-

sions are sponsoring workshops

throughout the state. Support them

not only for CEU's but for the

work and effort expended. It is a Buddy and Bruce in

great opportunity for networking.

Washington, D.C.

Public Service Announcements

(PSA) ? The Executive Board voted to have Public Service

Announcements on "Counselors" aired on various stations

throughout the state. The production of these announcements

was done in Texas and they will tailor them to represent the

Louisiana Counseling Association.

I wanted to share some of the issues that were discussed as they

represent what your Division representative, Committee Chairs, and

LCA are doing on behalf of the counseling profession. It also is indic-

ative of the collaborative professional effort of our members. Bruce

Galbraith, President-Elect (2013-2014) wants to focus on the Divi-

sions of LCA and to work toward making each one even more viable

and active. I encourage that effort as well as our membership to be

involved in whatever way is possible. As our organization continues to

grow --1854 members at the time of this publication -- we want to

make our presence and work known throughout the state. This effort

continues to make a reality of the theme of Moving Forward as well

as Bruce's theme for his term of office: The Professional Counselor:

It is Our Time ? To Reflect, to Renew, to Refocus.

Counselors' Identity, continued from page 1

mote the profession. In the development of the professional counselor's identity, it

is important to recognize that counseling is entwined with the other helping professions. Sylvia Nassar-McMillan, a professor and program coordinator of counselor education at North Carolina State University said, "our professional counseling history is adapted from social work (a view of systems and elements of casework), from psychology (early theories, skills and research) and from psychiatry (diagnostic system and psychopharmacology). Counselors should understand and be proud of how their profession has informed the other respective helping professions on perspectives regarding wellness, career development, life issues, social causes and multiculturalism."

(Counselors' Identity, continued in column 2 on page 5)

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And Speaking of Moving Forward

By: Dr. Paul Ceasar, LCA President

As President of LCA, I was contacted to meet by Dr. Bryan Gros, President of the Louisiana Psychology Association (LPA). His email stated that he didn't have an agenda but he wanted to make contact to talk about how we can "heal" from past conflicts and discuss our common concerns and efforts. Talk about "Moving Forward"!

I invited Dr. Gros to meet with our Administrative Council on February 20, 2013 and it was a very impactful time together with underlying openness and transparency. He mentioned that for too long we have focused more on our differences than on what we share commonly. He said that the "psychologists" and especially members of the LPA respected the work of LPC's and wanted to work more collaboratively in the future. We discuss several possible ways that we could do so and promised to keep the dialogue going among our organizations as well as others in the helping professions.

The meeting was a good opportunity for healing, sharing concerns, and indeed, moving forward in this important area of professional involvement and helping others.

LCA Lobbyist Recognized

By: Cindy L. Nardini, LPC, Government Relations Chair

January marked the sixth anniversary of The Tatman Group serving as LCA's lobbyist. LCA hired The Tatman Group to represent us beginning January 1, 2007. We have been very pleased with the relationship. David Tatman and Keli Williams have served our association in a highly professional and deeply committed manner. In addition to that they are really nice people whom we enjoy being around!

At the February LCA Executive Board meeting it was voted to give The Tatman Group a $5,000 bonus to express our gratitude and appreciation for their work. The last two legislative sessions have been extremely busy for LCA. We could not have been as successful without the work of our lobbyist. LCA is planning a legislative reception this Spring and The Tatman Group is helping us in that effort. Please look for details on that via the website and e-news.

Louisana Lagniappe

Options for Professional Development

Joan M. Fischer, LPC-S LMFT-S NCC

I am sure that, as licensed professional counselors, we are aware of our responsibility to document our efforts toward personal/ professional growth and development. In fact, we are required to engage in forty clock hours of such activities every renewal period (two years). I recently looked over the Rules governing renewal (Chapter 8, section 803) and was surprised by the variety of ways in which members can meet this requirement. I think most are aware of the fact that hours can be earned by attending preapproved events sponsored by LCA, ACA, or NBCC. However, there are also provisions to receive credit from non preapproved events, coursework, home study, presentations, publishing, research, peer supervision, as well as participation in personal counseling as a client. Each of these has specific guidelines/limits. (If you are interested, go to the board website and open up either the "rules" or "renewal" tab.)

However, even with all of these options, attending conferences is one of the most popular ways to earn clock hours as indicated by the fact that this year's conference was attended by 821 participants. Approximately 8,218 CEUs were awarded. In addition to LPCs, 119 certificates were awarded to LMFTs, 26 to LACs, and 9 to LASWs. The presentations received many positive comments. A total of 227 votes were cast for Best in Show. Excluding the two national presenters who could not return next year, the recognition goes to Thomas Estis's Defeat and Hope: The Connection of Counseling the Overwhelmed. Second place goes to Joan Fischer and Cheryl Lacoste, A Client's Journey Through Incest: From Victim to Thriver. Third place is Adrienne Trogden's presentation: What are Synthetic Drugs and How Do We Combat Them?

Finally, many areas of our state have active (Professional Development, continued on page 4)

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Spring 2013

Louisana Lagniappe

LCA Is In That Number!

By: Dawn Ferrara, LPC, LMFT, Committee Chair

It is estimated that there are about 1.06 billion users of Facebook, 200 million Linked In users, and 500 million Twitter users. Wow! Are you in that number? If so, have you checked out LCA's updated Facebook, Twitter (@lacounseling) and Linked In pages yet? These social media tools are just one more way that you can stay up-to-date with LCA and the happenings that are of interest to LPC's.

As we approach the fall conference, we will be keeping you up to date on the happenings! If you are a division president, please feel free to send me information about workshops or events that your division might want to publicize via LCA's social media links. If you want to share a link to your division's website, even better!

Our new social media pages are still growing and we hope that you find them a useful addition to your digital toolbox. We all use social media differently and have our favorites. Choose he one that you like best or choose all three! If you have ideas for other social media, please send me an email and I can check it out. There seems to be something new every day! Feel free to send me a tweet, find me or Facebook or email me at docdawn@, See you on the "Net!

Spring 2013

May I Have The Envelope, Please?

By: Linda D. Griffin, Awards Chairperson

The Academy Awards are presented each year to honor excellence in cinematic achievement. In Norway and Sweden, Nobel prizes are awarded for outstanding contributions in the sciences, literature, and cultural advances. The Olympic Games are held every four years, alternating summer and winter events, at which the best athletics from around the world compete to earn coveted medals. And in Louisiana, at the annual LCA conference, the Louisiana Counseling Association (LCA) recognizes persons who have made significant contributions to the counseling profession and LCA. So members of The Academy, (or, in this case, Louisiana Counseling Association...just as important!) it is now time for you to submit nominations for the STARS in our field. Please consider honoring outstanding counselors and others who contribute to our mission. Categories of awards are:

Distinguished Professional Service Distinguished Legislative Service

Humane and Caring Person Research

Graduate Student Advocacy The nomination process is so easy. You will find all the information you need for nominations at website, by clicking here. Be a part of recognizing and rewarding greatness. Don't wait for the deadline. Submit a nomination for LCA Awards 2013 now!!

Options for Professional Development, continued from page 3

networking groups: Shreveport, Alexandria, Monroe, Lake Charles, Lafayette, Baton Rouge, and Metairie. These groups often sponsor speakers and CEU opportunities. Please contact me if I can help connect you to any existing group or assist you in starting your own group.

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Division Presidents Reports

Compiled by Vinetta Frie, Lagniappe Editor

You will find a full leadership roster on page 17. Contact these incoming leaders to join their Division as they complete this quarter's agenda.

Spring Forward

By: Kenneth Schmitt, LPC. President-Elect-Elect, ALGBTIC of Louisiana

As spring approaches, ALGBTIC will be undertaking a few changes as well as continuing to grow and become a more active division of LCA. ALGBTIC has been in a state of flux and change for the last few years, and now is the time for the division to spring forward and grow even more.

I will continue to be the president of ALGBTIC for the upcoming 2013-2014 year. I believe that I still have more work to do with the division and Tiffany Cologne, President-Elect, and I agree that we can do more as a team in our respected positions. We are currently working on resources for our members that will help them help their clients

I want to encourage all current ALGBTIC members to contact me at kjschmitt@ if they would like to become more actively involved in the division. Our division has grown in members over the past year, now it is the time to make more of a presence for ALGBTIC in LCA.

LAAOC: Meet President-Elect Latrina Raddler and the New Officers

By: John R. Crawford, MA, LPC-S, CCDP, LAAOC President, 2011-2013

Before I introduce the new leaders of LAAOC, I would like to say it has been a great honor and pleasure to have served as LAAOC President the past 2 years. I could not have done this without the support and encouragement of the LAAOC Executive Board and the membership. The past 2 years have been one of growth with an increase in membership, the sponsoring of addiction workshops (around the state and at conference), being a visible association division at conference and in the communities, marketing the association through the website, brochures, workshops, etc. and partnering with the Council on Alcoholism and Drugs of Northwest Louisiana. I am looking forward to serving as a member on the 2013-2014 LAAOC Executive Board as Past President.

(Division Presidents, continued on page 7)

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Louisana Lagniappe

Counselors' Identity, continued from page 2

Through its Divisions, the Louisiana Counseling Association provides its members with the opportunity to link with other professional counselors working within the same specialty areas or of interest in a counseling issues. Offering memberships in a Division is an important LCA membership benefit. It allows our members a bonus of being a part of a large and strong entity that seeks to promote the positive image of the Counseling Profession, as well as the opportunity to connect with others on the micro level within the Division. Through membership and participation in a Division, a true Professional Counselor identity can be developed and enhanced.

Over the next year, serving as both President-Elect and moving on to the Presidency, I will be challenging each Division to become stronger by looking at their internal structure. I will be asking Divisions to reach out to their membership for more involvement.

With the challenge to each Division, I also challenge each Professional Counselor to work toward the development of a strong professional identity by becoming more involved within a Division. The benefits of membership in a Division are tangible as well as intangible. The tangible benefits are selfevident. The intangible benefits involve development of a sense of identity and community with colleagues who share a commitment to counseling. By being involved within a division the Professional Counselor shows commitment to the profession as well as a strong sense of self. The self that makes the Professional Counselor.

Spring 2013

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