From the President:

DO THE SCKMHCA
MEETINGS REALLY MATTER?

From the President

I'm sure some members and others tell themselves, “I'm not going to miss anything if I don't attend, and I really don't have time to go, and I really don't have to get involved anyway.” THERE ARE A MILLION EXCUSES. HOWEVER, PLEASE, LET ME EDUCATE YOU ABOUT WHAT HAS BEEN TAKING PLACE AT THE MEETINGS!!!

1. FREE CEUs ! – I recently sent in my renewal for my license. I was one of the lucky ones to be audited this year. I had to SUBMIT CEU FORMS. My CEUs from SCKMHCA helped me to meet my quota and I didn't have to pay anything for them! I learned some valuable information for only a two-hour commitment, every other month, and I got CEUs to send to the Board of Licensed Professional Counselors!

2. TIME COMMITMENT — It is only two hours – maybe three if you drive a distance.

3. VALUE – You meet with other professionals, LPCCs, LPCAs, LCSWs, and students who share positives, problems, and future concerns. AND again, you get FREE CEUs!

4. INVOLVEMENT – whether you choose to believe this or not, this is a valuable professional organization. WHY? There is power in numbers. Every professional organization and the membership it represents needs to be heard by the members of our government to help to secure the future for benefits for our clients and for ourselves. We are in business to help others, but for those of us who depend on payment for our services in private practice, with agencies, etc. we have to be able to help influence the way payment is made for needed services. Your commitment and involvement help to support services.

5. THE AFFILIATION AND CONNECTION --SCKMHCA is a regional chapter of the much larger KMHCA- Kentucky Mental Health Counselors Association. Our much larger parent organization depends on us to help them know about our regions. We need individual members from ALL our counties to help provide feedback to the KMHCA for the benefit of ALL counseling professionals in our organization.

6. NETWORKING – learning about possible job openings, problems with laws, fixes that need to be addressed, and resources that are underutilized.

LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT SOME OF WHAT YOU MISSED AT SCKMHCA MEETINGS!

FREE CEU OPPORTUNITIES

** Surviving Tragedy, Sergeant Major Tony Rose, M.Ed., LPCA, Member of the , International Crisis Response Team – Survivor of the 911 attack at the Pentagon.

**The Teenage Brain, Shanae Carpenter, M.Ed., LPCA, NCC and Therapist, Intrust Counseling

**The Methamphetamine Crisis – Doctoral candidate Jillian Tauffener, M.Ed., LPCA, Professor and Therapist

**Neurolinguistic Programming – John LaRusch, M.Ed., NCC , LPCC, KMHCA President and CEO, Gilead of Somerset

**Neurofeedback and the Advantages, -- Doctoral candidate Jillian Tauffener, M.Ed., LPCA, Professor and Therapist

I hope you can see how valuable this organization is and how important it is that you get we are still facing and uphill battle and we can make a difference ! Let me urge you to write a letter to your representatives in congress AND senate and let them know about our disappointment in the way they voted in the TRICARE/MEDICARE BILL . Every KY representative voted against allowing us to provide mental health services. Currently LPCCs are NOT on their approved provider list. The bill was defeated! WE HAVE TO LET THEM KNOW!

Freda Tiller
President