American Mental Health
Counselors Association (AMHCA)
2008 Conference
Town and Country
Resort & Convention Center
Mission Valley, San Diego, CA
July 17 - 19, 2008
Click
Here for REGISTRATION FORM
Click
Here for CONFERENCE FLYER

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Jose'
Szapocznik, Center for Family Studies at the
University of Miami School of Medicine

ALMHCA Board participates in a
long-range planning retreat. The following are the major goals
and objectives generated at that meeting:
ALMHCA’s Strategic Long Range Plan
July 2005
ALMHCA’s mission statement:
Our mission is to enhance the profession of mental health counseling in
Alabama
through advocacy, education to the general public, professional
development of counselors, and the promotion of licensure.
Goal I: ADVOCACY
To promote increased awareness for the validity of mental health
counseling in the state of
Alabama
.
Objective 1: Legislators
given information on an annual basis regarding our status as service
providers, our credentialing, parity, and other issues which can be
affected by public policy.
Objective 2: The
Public is given information on a regular and intentional basis with
information about counseling, accessing counseling, and mental
health issues.
Objective 3: Individuals
trained in counseling will be educated about the importance of
obtaining and maintaining licensure.
Objective 4: Professional
counselors are encouraged to join and actively participate in
professional associations (i.e. American Counseling Association,
American Mental Health Counselors Association, Alabama Counseling
Association, Alabama Mental Health Counselors Association).
Objective 5: Counselors
and membership are encouraged to be knowledgeable about and be
active in issues regarding public policy (i.e. send information to
members about counseling issues and write legislators about issues
important to counselors and counseling)
Goal II: Education of
General Public
To de-stigmatize and promote utilization of services and increase
knowledge regarding mental health issues
Objective I: The
membership, other counselors, and general public will be provided
with resources about mental health issues (i.e. website, information
tables, tracts, fliers). At
least once a year, ALMHCA will have a presence at a major public
event (i.e. Southern Women’s Show).
Objective II: Membership
will have resources made available which can be used in counseling
practice. This includes
reproducible resources clinicians may distribute to consumers or the
general public.
Objective III:
Website will remain updated and maintained and serve as a
place for the general public to find information regarding mental
health issues.
Objective IV: When
available, media (such as television, billboards, radio) will be
used as a means to promote and educate the general public about
counseling and mental health issues.
Goal III: Professional
Development of Counselors
To increase professional counselors’ awareness, knowledge and skills
in the practice of counseling
Objective 1: Ensure
that numerous sessions representing issues of mental health
counseling are offered at the annual Alabama Counseling Association
Conference.
Objective 2: The
ALMHCA newsletter and website will promote the annual American
Mental Health Association Conference.
Objective 3: ALMHCA
will host an annual workshop which will include a timely topic of
interest to counselors and their practice
Objective 4: Each
Viewpoint will contain at least one clinical article offering
information to counselors about a topic of interest in our field.
Objective 5: Regional
workshops provided by ALMHCA at least every two years in order to
reach membership and counselors in all areas of the state (for
example, north
Alabama
, south
Alabama
)
Objective 6: ALMHCA
membership encouraged to join and be active members in the Alabama
Counseling Association.
Goal IV: Promotion of
licensure
To encourage, endorse, and recommend counselors seek and maintain
professional licensure
Objective 1: Public
encouraged to seek a Licensed Professional Counselor for services.
Will make available to the public (through website,
brochures, promotional materials, etc) the qualifications and
credentialing of licensed professional counselors.
Objective 2: Promotional
materials and division activities use the term ‘Licensed
Professional Counselors.’
Objective 3: ALMHCA
will be active and involved in legislative issues involving parity
and concerns of Licensed Professional Counselors through educating
the membership and encouraging members to take steps to influence
public policy.
Objective 4: New
LPC’s who are members of ALMHCA will be published in the
newsletter in the summer and winter issues.
Goal V: Membership
To continue to increase membership and participation of members in
ALMHCA
Objective I:
Develop and implement a strategy to communicate with and
recruit student members. Provide
means of training and mentoring students to become future leaders in
the profession.
Objective II: Develop
and implement a strategy to recruit individuals who are members of
ALCA but not members of ALMHCA.
Objective III: Develop
and implement a strategy to recruit Licensed Professional Counselors
who are not members of ALCA or ALMHCA.
Objective IV: ALMHCA
will provide numerous member benefits which encourage individuals to
maintain their membership with our organization.
Through continual assessment, ALMHCA will evaluate the
meaningfulness of the benefits provided and seek to make programs
and services available to membership which promote and enhance
counselors and the counseling profession.
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Board
Members Always Appreciated!
If you would like to have some great fellowship,
promote your profession, advocate for good mental health in the
State of Alabama, please think about joining us!
Those interested in getting
more involved in ALMHCA should contact President-Elect Angela
Stowe at amstowe@uab.edu regarding
opportunities for service.


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