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Counseling Connections 2020:
A Focus on Identity Development in the New Decade "Seeing Your Identity in 20/20" Friday, April 3, 2020 Norwich, CT Click here to submit a workshop proposal! Deadline is 5pm on 1/31/2020.
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You are on our new and improved website! If you are a current member, please simply go to the website and click on "Forgot Password" to set up your password for your account. You only have to do this logging in for the first time. If your membership has lapsed with CCA, you will simply need to go to the "Join/Renew" link on the top menu bar. All lapsed members will be considered NEW members and, therefore, the Forgot Password link will not work for you because you are not in our new system. A membership to CCA is an investment in your profession in CT! CCA is committed to ensuring that counselors have quality advocacy and education! If by some chance, you have difficulty accessing the website, you may want to try clearing your cache. Also, you may call us at 888-818-1110 and we can help troubleshoot the issue. As you know, the CCA website is only one of the many membership benefits you can enjoy! You can look forward to receiving updates on what's happening for counselors in CT throughout the year in our monthly E-Newsletter, The Connecticut Counselor. In addition, there are many other membership benefits that you can take advantage of, including but not limited to: * Annual Conference, Division conferences, workshops and trainings at reasonable rates - Look at our Event Calendar https://www.ccacounseling.com/events.html#!calendar * Find a Counselor professional referral database accessible by other counselors and potential clients https://www.ccacounseling.com/find-a-counselor.html#!directory/map * Legislative support and advocacy to protect and enhance your profession - View the Licensure Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) sheet https://www.ccacounseling.com/uploads/1/2/5/6/125659701/licensure_faq_final_draft_10.4.19.pdf * Three primary interest divisions and several regional interest groups to serve your particular area of interest * Networking opportunities with other professionals in your field * Easy access to state and national news and issues affecting the counseling profession via our website * Access to our Members-Only Facebook group * Leadership Opportunities — If you are interested in becoming more involved, contact cca_exec_dir@msn.com * Dual Membership with CT School Counselors Association (CSCA) for Professional members only — benefits of a full membership at a reduced rate. To request a discount code, please email ccamembershipmatters@gmail.com We appreciate your support and look forward to your involvement in the Connecticut Counseling Association this year. Please feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns regarding your membership. Sincerely, Jenna L. Harma, LPC, NCC CCA Membership Committee Chair Karla J. Troesser, LPC, NCC CCA Executive Director 888-818-1110 Have questions about the new LPCA - licensed professional counselor associate? Have questions about applying for the LPC? Here is a link to our Licensure FAQ sheet!
Read CCA’s proposed legislation by clicking the link below –
AN ACT CONCERNING PROFESSIONAL COUNSELORS ASSOCIATE LICENSURE – proposed 2018 Legislative Alert!! SIGNIFICANT STEP TOWARD TIERED-LICENSURE: NOW WE NEED YOUR HELP Dear CCA Members: In an important step toward a major legislative goal, the Connecticut General Assembly’s Public Health Committee has “raised a concept” concerning tiered-licensure for counselors. Tiered-licensure – which has been a key CCA goal for several years and is the structure for counseling licensure in approximately forty other states – would allow recently graduated counselors to obtain a “first-level” license while working toward the 3000 hours of professional counseling experience currently needed to obtain the LPC license. Tiered-licensure would be a significant advancement for the state’s counseling profession and would serve to keep counselors on an equal footing with other mental health professionals in the job market and in public awareness. Clients and other consumers of mental health services would also benefit from the protections that tiered-licensure would provide. Proposed Legislation: You may be familiar with the tiered-structure that Connecticut’s social workers have, in which they may obtain the LMSW while working toward the LCSW. CCA’s proposed legislation provides for a similar structure for professional counselors, using the designation Licensed Professional Counselor Associate (LPCA) for the first (or entry) tier license. Indeed, the recent letter from the NASW-CT to numerous mental health agencies in which they highlighted the distinction between the license structures (and used that distinction to promote the hiring of social workers) was a factor in the Public Health Committee’s current recognition of the issue and willingness to raise a concept. A copy of the proposed legislation is attached. CCA’s draft does not make obtaining the LPCA a mandatory step in the process of earning an LPC. Additionally, CCA does not envision that the LPCA would be a license to be held indefinitely; practitioners would be able to renew the LPCA only if they provided a supervisor’s verification that they were working toward the experience needed to achieve the LPC. A reminder that all of CCA’s proposed language is subject to revision as the process moves forward, but we will continue to push for adoption of our proposal, which has been considered at length by CCA’s leadership. Next Steps: So, what are the next steps? This is where you come in. Even with this significant step of the “raised concept,” new legislation is not guaranteed. We need to educate legislators about the significant disadvantage that lack of tiered-licensure causes for counselors, and further need to anticipate concerns of the Department of Public Health regarding the fiscal impact of new legislation. (For the record, CCA believes that tiered-licensure would simply get counselors “into the system” at an earlier point than is the case now, resulting in no fiscal impact to DPH or the state.) The Public Health committee will likely grant a hearing on this matter within the next several weeks of this shortened legislative session. While CCA leaders will be prepared to appear and testify in support of the proposed bill, written testimony from members regarding the benefits of tiered- licensure will be extremely important. In the next several days, CCA will prepare and send to members sample testimony with instructions as to how to submit it. Preparing written testimony is simple, takes little time and gives you a voice in this process. We need you! Are you a counseling grad student? A recently graduated professional who is currently working toward licensure? An experienced professional who remembers the challenges of working in that unlicensed phase and experiencing the Catch-22 of losing out on positions because they required licensed professionals? We need you! Please take a few moments to review the proposed legislation. If you have any questions, please contact CCA President Trip Hartigan (trip.hartigan@yahoo.com). We welcome your feedback. Please also look for the email containing draft testimony and be prepared to submit it a soon as you can. Your CCA leaders continue to advocate for you and all of Connecticut’s counselors. Achieving tiered-licensure would be a significant win for all. The CCA Executive Board |
