January
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President’s Message Happy New Year! Have you taken time to reflect about what you will accomplish in 2019? Do you have a particular vision for how you would like to further develop personally and professionally? Now is the time. Take time to think about your life's direction. Will you be pursuing higher education, working on attaining licensure or obtaining advanced certifications? Will you start a career at a dynamic organization or will you make the leap to private practice this year? Or perhaps you will be expanding your business? There are so many opportunities that this year can bring. Keep these four things in mind as 2019 develops for you: Practise persistence. You will inevitably achieve the things that you desire if you stay the course. What you want is already on its way to you. Maintain your belief in yourself and the growing process. Continue to learn. Always know that there is something more that you can be doing to improve yourself. Perhaps you feel that your talent has helped you get to where you currently are, but a ravenous thirst for learning will catapult you to new heights beyond your imagination. Welcome problems and setbacks. There are opportunities hiding inside of every problem that we encounter. Do not just try to survive your problems this year. Try to maximize the potential for growth that exists within those problems. The greater the problem, the greater the opportunity! Create a mastermind group. Who can you call upon when you need consultation? Who can provide you with solid direction? Who can help you connect to the right people and opportunities? Seek out individuals that have already walked the path. Take action and then repeat. Having the right people around you is critical to achieving success. What else will you do this year to surpass your limits and pursue your purpose? I hope that you will tell me personally when we see each other at the 2019 FMHCA conference which takes place on January 31st to February 2nd in Lake Mary, Florida. This is the best mental health conference that I attend each year. You may meet someone who can join your mastermind group. You may hear a presentation that inspires you to transform a problem into an opportunity. You will surely learn and be inspired to continue the great work that you do for your clients and community. Again, I look forward to seeing you there! As always, please contact me to share your feedback, questions or concerns. Erica Whitfield, MACP, LMHC,BC-TMH FMHCA President
Board of Directors 2018 - 2019
President Erica Whitfield Darlene Silvernail Executive Director Louise Sutherland-Hoyt Past-President Aaron Norton President-Elect Kathie Erwin Secretary Jim Messina Treasurer Cindy Wall Regional Director NE Joe P. Skelly Regional Director NW Barbara Hayes Regional Director SE Elisa Niles Regional Director SW Michael Holler Parliamentarian Laura Giraldo Executive Administrator FMHCA Chapters Broward County Central Florida Emerald Coast Gulf Coast Miami-Dade Palm Beach County Space Coast
ED Message Thank you to our loyal and wonderful members! If you are not yet a member, I encourage you to join our organization and let your voice be heard! Our organization offers so many great resources for our members, including education (such as FREE WEBINARS), legislative oversight, networking, and FMHCA member discounts with partner organizations. I also want to encourage you to register for our upcoming FMHCA Annual Conference on January 31st thru February 2nd in Lake Mary, Orlando. This has been a wonderful venue for connecting with other LMHC’s throughout our state, for learning innovative clinical strategies to enhance your therapeutic skills, laughing and setting aside some time to enjoy each other’s company. I look forward to seeing you all there, we’re going to have a great time! In gratitude for all of your support, Darlene Silvernail PhD, LMHC, CAP Executive Director FMHCA
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Click Here To Register
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FMHCA is seeking Graduate Students and Registered Interns to contribute monthly articles for our newsletter. This is a wonderful opportunity to share your point of view and your journey to licensure with others while getting professional exposure. We're looking specifically for articles that will you're your peers navigate the journey to graduation and licensure - study tips, resources, how-tos... there are so many relevant topics worthy of investigation and discussion.
Submit an Article Here
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Your Government Relations Committee has been busy, here are the key points you should know; License Portability – the GRC chair, Cindy Wall and our FMHCA activist, Corrine Mixon, have been working with the Florida Department of Health, The 491 Board, LCSW’s, and LMFT’s on a bill that will be filed within the month that addresses license portability. We have a legislative sponsor in the House (Representative Gregory) and are looking for a sponsor in the senate (the GRC committee has leads on this). It has recently come to the attention of the GRC that state statutes contain language that penalizes counselors if they fall behind in student loan payments and do not have a repayment plan. The 491 Board can suspend the counselor’s license and not let the counselor return to practice until a repayment plan has been agreed to, then the 491 Board assesses a fine of ten percent of the student loan total, before the license is reinstated, and then it is conditional until all loans are paid off. We are looking into this to see what we can do about this issue. The 491 Board is strongly recommending that counselors get trained in and certified for Tele-Mental Health Counseling, More information will be provided on this as it is gathered. Members of the GRC Committee are attending 491 Board meetings all over the state to be sure that we are represented as a profession, this is providing us with lots of very useful information and the opportunities to influence Board decisions. Feel free to join us! There is a different representative for different areas in the state who returns to the GRC with updates on relevant issues.
FMHCA would like to notify LMHCs, registered mental health counselor interns, counselor educators, and counseling students that LMHCs and Registered Mental Health Counselor Interns who fail to repay a student loan and do not agree to a repayment plan risk having their license suspended as well as a fine of 10% of their student loan. Attention was drawn to this issue during the 491 Board meeting in Orlando on 8/26/18, when the board accepted a recommendation of “reprimand, suspension of the respondent’s license until new payment terms are agreed upon, followed by a probation for the duration of the student loan, and a fine equal to 10% of the defaulted loan amount, which in this case is $14,707.89” for a registered mental health counselor intern who defaulted on a student loan and did not agree to a repayment plan. Though members of the board were critical of this practice, it is clearly established in state law and therefore was adhered to. F.S. 456.072(1)(k) cites the following as grounds for discipline: “Failing to perform any statutory or legal obligation placed upon a licensee. For purposes of this section, failing to repay a student loan issued or guaranteed by the state or the Federal Government in accordance with the terms of the loan or failing to comply with service scholarship obligations shall be considered a failure to perform a statutory or legal obligation, and the minimum disciplinary action imposed shall be a suspension of the license until new payment terms are agreed upon or the scholarship obligation is resumed, followed by probation for the duration of the student loan or remaining scholarship obligation period, and a fine equal to 10 percent of the defaulted loan amount. Fines collected shall be deposited into the Medical Quality Assurance Trust Fund.” Additionally, F.S. 491.009(1)(w) calls upon the board to take disciplinary action for any violation of Florida Statute chapter 456. Thus, the board’s hands are tied in this matter. The board clarified with an attorney that a licensee need only agree to a repayment plan and does not necessarily need to pay the loan off, adding “If they keep agreeing to payment terms forever and never pay a dime, they won’t get a knock on the door from us.” To listen to the audio recording of this component of the board meeting, click here.
Aaron Norton, LMHC, LMFT, MCAP, CRC, CCMHC President Elect, 2018-2019 Chair of Education, Training Standards, & Continuing Education Committee
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Jackson’s ALL WELLness Services, LLC “Transforming lives, one individual and family at a time.” Professional Services (for professional men and women) Research Presentations Based on Dr. Daniella Jackson’s qualitative multiple-case study Supervision for Florida Mental Health Counselor Interns Dr. Daniella Jackson utilizes a strength-based model for intern supervision Professional Meetings Every other Month Mental Health Counseling Services (for adult men and women) Dual disorders, addictions (i.e., alcohol, illicit substances, food, technology), addiction related problems, impact of addictions on self, ACOAs, adult children of addicts, early and long-term recovery problems, codependency, and more Individual Therapy Group Therapy Family Therapy Health Coaching Services (for adult men and women) For professional women, university students, graduate students, doctoral students (before and during the dissertation phase), parents, grandparents, women before, during and after pregnancy, women over 40, and more Individualized Wellness Sessions Wellness Classes JAWS Pregnancy Class – face-to-face class JAWS Family Class (for men and women) – face-to-face and online classes JAWS Longevity Class (for women over 40) – face-to-face and online classes Daniella Jackson, Ph.D., LMHC Jackson’s ALL WELLness Services, LLC Founder, Owner, and CEO Researcher Licensed Mental Health Counselor Qualified Supervisor for Florida Mental Health Counselor Interns Certified Health Coach 7813 Mitchell Boulevard, Suite 106 New Port Richey, Florida 34655 Phone #: (727) 767-9850 / Fax #: (727) 767-9851 Web: www.daniellajackson.com Email: daniella@daniellajackson.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JacksonsAllWellness/
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Sleeping Soundly and Sedative Free: The Clinical Mental Health Counselor’s Role in Treating Insomnia 25 Jan 2019 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM CE Broker Tracking :# 20-690478 According to the DSM-5, 1 out of every 3 Americans report symptoms of insomnia, and 40-50% of individuals with insomnia have a co- occurring mental disorder. The American College of Physicians recommends Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) over pharmacological treatment because it is safer with a "better overall value," yet the single most common treatment for insomnia in the U.S. is prescription medication that is likely to create tolerance, withdrawal, and a number of aversive side effects. Something is terribly wrong with the status quo treatment for sleep disorders in this country, which often slaps a Band-Aid on a symptom while neglecting the core causes of sleep problems. Fortunately, with an increased emphasis on integrative care, opportunities for sleep disorders to be treated holistically through a biopsychosocial model are increasingly within our grasp. This presentation provides counselors with an overview of the DSM-5 sleep disorders with an emphasis on Insomnia Disorder, a summary of the research on psychosocial interventions vs. medication, and an overview of the CBT-I protocol. Finally, counselors who attend will be provided with a tool they can use for treatment planning with clients who suffer from sleep disorders. Learning Objectives 1.
List some of the problems associated with a "medication-only" approach to sleep-wake disorders
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Describe DSM-5 sleep-wake disorders and their diagnostic criteria
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Summarize psychosocial interventions for sleep-wake disorders
4. Explore the Sleep Improvement Treatment Planner as a cognitive behavioral therapy tool for treating Insomnia Disorder.
About the Presenter Aaron Norton, LMHC, LMFT, MCAP, CRC, CCMHC, DCMHS is a Licensed Mental Healh Counselor, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and Qualified Supervisor in the Tampa Bay Area who has more than 15 years of experience as a clinician, clinical supervisor, forensic evaluator, and counselor educator. He teaches at the University of South Florida’s Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling program, maintains a part-time private practice at Integrity Counseling, and serves as Southern Regional Director of the American Mental Health Counselors Association, President-Elect and Chair of Education for the Florida Mental Health Counselors Association, and Executive Director of the National Board of Forensic Evaluators. He is a doctoral candidate at the University of South Florida’s Counselor Education and Supervision program, has been awarded MentalHealthCounseloroftheYearby AMHCA and CounselorEducatoroftheYearby FMHCA in 2016, and has been published in TheAdvocateMagazine, AddictionProfessional, the JournalofGayandLesbianSocialServices, and the AmericanJournalofOrthopsychiatry.
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2019 National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week (NDAFW) takes place this year from January 22 to January 27, when scientists, counselors, educators, and health care organizations, among others, will work together to foster understanding and to educate the young population on actions to prevent and support substance use/abuse problems. This national health observance for teenagers was created in 2010 by researchers at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to promote local events connecting adolescents with information about substance use/abuse. Using research outcomes to ground effective discussions such as the disease of addiction, drugs myths, and proven risks of substance use/abuse, this campaign has increased awareness in the United States and has helped in breaking the taboo about talking about drug abuse among teenagers and in preventing substance abuse with this vulnerable population. Even though the American population has become more aware about the risks of substance use/abuse, more education is necessary, especially with teenagers and their families. For this reason, annually more organizations are joining this national campaign, including local
communities, faith-based organizations, and clubs. Looking for improved awareness, during NDAFW counselors should share information about addiction, influencing factors, and available services for prevention and recovery at schools and/or
Paula Lazarim Mental Health Counseling Graduate Student
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We Need Your Help!!!! Benefits for using a Lobbyist- but we cannot do this alone and need your attention Florida Mental Health Counselors Association benefits from using a lobbyist to get our voice heard in government. Your voice is important to us! Our membership fee’s help to support our legislative presents and contribute in making a difference for our members and the client’s we serve. Did you know that lobbyists can take your message to Congress? Lobbyists enable organizations to draft legislation, develop strategies for new regulations, connect and stay informed, and proactively reach out to elected officials prior to new policies being drafted. Florida Mental Health Counselors Association is asking that you take a look at the direction of our healthcare and industry, wont you help us make a difference? Re-new your membership today Ask a colleague to join FMHCA www.FLMHCA.org
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Thank You to our Amazing Sponsors! Advertise On Our Website & In Our Newsletter! Increase your professional exposure by becoming a FMHCA sponsor! FMHCA's website gets hundreds of hits a day from members, nonmembers, and prospective members. Becoming a sponsor with FMHCA lets other professionals know that you're out there - it's a terrific way to network and grow as a professional. There are two ways to becoming a sponsor - you can purchase a flashing banner across the top of our pages or one of the sponsor blocks at the bottom of our website pages. Best of all, you get a full year of sponsorship for one low price! Artwork must be submitted in one of the following formats: png, jpg, tif, tiff, or psd. After you have completed payment, submit your artwork to us at office@flmhca.org
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