8:00 AM - 4:00 PM Central
NMCA
- Project Empathy: Neuroscience of Addiction and Positive Psychology Approaches
Program Description-
Project Empathy is a transformative workshop dismantling stigma around substance use disorders. Rooted in evidence-based practices, it explores addiction neuroscience and introduces innovative and empathy-driven tools like positive psychology. Gain insights into fostering compassion, especially for adolescents, and discover how empathy can reshape perspectives and support impactful change.
Learning Objectives:
Gain a Profound Understanding of the Neuroscience of Addiction: Dive into an engaging overview of the neuroscience of addiction, uncovering the intricacies of how substance use impacts the brain, fostering a comprehensive comprehension of the underlying processes. Explore the National Impact of Addiction and Break Down Current Barriers: Acquire insights into the far-reaching impact of addiction on a national scale, staying informed about the latest trends and challenges, fostering a broader understanding of the societal implications while identifying barriers that hinder successful outcomes in addiction treatment, equipping yourself with actionable strategies to overcome these obstacles and pave the way for more effective interventions. Master Diverse Counseling Approaches for Addiction Treatment: Explore a variety of counseling approaches, including positive psychology, solution-focused, cybernetics/systems theory, client-centered, and accurate empathy, empowering you with a versatile toolkit to address the multifaceted aspects of addiction treatment.
- Unveiling Code Switching: Implications for Mental Health and What Counselors Need
Program Description-
“Unveiling Code-Switching: Implications for Mental Health and What Counselors Need to Know” examines how code-switching impacts, communication, identity, and mental well-being. Counselors will explore is psychological effects and learn to navigate challenges and opportunities it presents, enhancing their ability to support clients’ diverse linguistic and cultural identities and therapeutic settings.
Learning Objectives
Objective 1: Participants will: Define code-switching Identify the historical roots, psychological implications, and socio-cultural significance.
Objective 2: Participants will: Examine how code-switching affects the identity formation of African Americans. Discuss the complexities of navigating multiple linguistic and cultural contexts and the role of code-switching in shaping perceptions of self and others.
Objective 3: Participants will: Investigate the role of code-switching in societal and workplace contexts for African Americans. Identify and discuss challenges faced, such as stereotype threat and authenticity concerns, and strategies for promoting inclusivity and embracing linguistic diversity.
- Contemporary Counseling: Nurturing Change through Advocacy & Community Partnership
Program Description-
Advocacy is an ethical imperative and part of professional responsibility and identity. This presentation discusses advocacy through community partnerships and how collaborative work initiates change from a systemic perspective and reduces stigmatization of mental illness. Intentional advocacy for the profession through government affairs and public policy will be explored.
Learning Objectives:
1. Participants will review the ACA Advocacy Competency of community collaboration and identify one or two concerns in their respective community/location.
2.Participants will examine ways in which counselor ethics inform advocacy work as an ethical imperative and professional responsibility with the theoretical framework of Communities of Practice (CoP).
3.Participants will be able to identify three ways in which community collaboration and advocacy prompts change on a system level and contributes to reducing stigma of mental health.
- Always Be Centered: The ABC's of Ethics for Professional Counselors and Supervisors
2:30-4:00pm Presenter Bret Hendricks 1.5 Ethics CE Credit (Ethics, Supervison)
Program Description-
Counselors and supervisors must constantly assess their effectiveness with clients and supervisees. In this session, the presenters will use ethics codes to guide counselors and supervisors to greater success. Practical boundary and counselor self-care strategies will also be discussed. Case studies will be used and participant discussion will be encouraged.
Learning Objectives:
1. After participating in this session, participants will be able to integrate and practice four strategies based on ethics codes to increase their therapeutic alliances with clients and supervisees.
2. After participating in this session, participants will be able to implement three strategies to identify a plan of action to assess their wellbeing in order to provide ethical counseling and supervision.
3. Participants will be able to, using the ACA Code of Ethics and the Texas LPC Rules of Practice General Ethical Requirements, describe at least three ways they can implement and maintain professional boundaries with clients and supervisees.
| 6/6/2025 |    |
