The Advocate 2023
VOL . 46 , NO . 2 www . amhca . org
• MEMBER REFLECTIONS / page 2 AMHCA at “ The Big Easy ”— The best aspects of the 2023 Annual Conference , held in New Orleans By David Barnhart , EdD , LPC , CCMHC
• INSIDE AMHCA / page 6
Join AMHCA ’ s Leadership — You Can Make a Difference ! By Dr . Fred Dombrowski , AMHCA Past President
Expand Your Practice By Supporting the Counseling Compact in Your State By Dr . Beverly Smith , AMHCA Interim CEO / ED
FREE Medicare Webinar : Learn About the Medicare Enrollment Process
AMHCA ’ s New Affectional Identity Standard
• NEWSBRIEFS / page 7
Surgeons Generals Connect on Mental Health Care Suicide Deaths Increase in 2021 and 2022 in U . S .
DEPARTMENTS
86 % of Americans Don ’ t Know About 988 Hotline
Biden Blasts Insurance Co . s for Mental Health Care By Kathleen McCarthy
• COUNSELING TIPS / page 8 Ten best practices for counseling professional athletes and celebrities By Luis Hines , PhD , LMHC , LPC
FEATURE ARTICLES
SPECIAL FOCUS : HIGHLIGHTS OF AMHCA ’ S 2023 ANNUAL CONFERENCE / PAGES 10 – 23
FEEDBACK FROM ATTENDEES / page 10 Posts and comments from the sold-out conference
KEYNOTE ADDRESS : FIVE CRITICAL SHIFTS FOR CLINICAL MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING / page 11
A map for meeting the current and future challenges for mental health professionals
By Cirecie A . West-Olatunji , PhD
CUTTING-EDGE SESSION : USING VR TO ENHANCE YOUR THERAPY PRACTICE / page 14 Five ways to use VR with clients — and how to get started . Plus a case example and contraindications . By Aaron Norton , PhD , LMHC , LMFT , MCAP , CCMHC , CRC , CFMHE
DEEP-DIVE BREAKOUT SESSION : WORKING WITH NEUROSENSITIVES / page 19 Including how to create a welcoming environment for these clients , and learning to see their superpowers despite their challenges By Judith ( Judy ) E . Lipson , LPC
COLUMNS
The President ‘ s Perspective / page 4 Advancing AMHCA ’ s Mission and Vision With CAREE !
By Deirdra Sanders-Burnett , PhD , LMHC , QS : 47 th AMHCA President , 2023 – 2024
From the Interim CEO / ED / page 5 Two Big Wins for the Profession ! By Beverly Smith , PhD , LPC , NCC , CCMHC , ACS , NCSC , CFT , HS-BCP , BCC , MAC , BC-TMH , CCTP , BCPCC : AMHCA President , 2021 – 2022 , and Interim CEO / ED
CLINICAL MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELORS
Clinical mental health counseling is a distinct profession with national standards for education , training and clinical practice . Clinical mental health counselors are highly skilled professionals who provide flexible , consumer-oriented therapy . They combine traditional psychotherapy with a practical , problem-solving approach that creates a dynamic and efficient path for change and problem resolution . The mission of AMHCA is to enhance the profession of clinical mental health counseling through advocacy , education and collaboration .
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The Advocate Magazine 2023 , Issue # 2 American Mental Health Counselors Association ( AMHCA ) www . amhca . org 33