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President’s Message May is mental health month and a month to celebrate mental wellness, personal transformation and recovery for those we love or for ourselves. I encourage you to take this month to reflect on the ways that you have contributed to the mental wellness of your community. Are you serving others through your private practice? Are you volunteering your time? Did you check in with someone who seemed not quite themselves? All of our efforts play a major role in helping people feel healthy, happy and whole. As you take care of your clients, know that the Florida Mental Health Counselors Association is working to champion for you and mental health professionals who pour their heart and souls into making our communities healthier. So be sure to attend a local mental wellness event in your community this month and send us pictures. You just might see yourself on our Facebook page!
Happy Mental Health Month! Erica Whitfield, MACP, LMHC, BC-TMH President of Florida Mental Health Counselors Association
Board of Directors 2018 - 2019
President Erica Whitfield 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
Diana Huambachano Executive Director Laura Giraldo Executive Administrator FMHCA Chapters Broward County Central Florida Emerald Coast Gulf Coast Miami-Dade Palm Beach County Space Coast Suncoast
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. There is so much we are doing, and so much more we can do! We will to continue advocate for mental health counselors in Florida by supporting legislation that promotes our profession. We need YOU to make that happen. If you are already a member of FMHCA, we thank you. If you are not, please consider joining. Your support makes it possible for FMHCA to continue to grow and promote our profession, to maintain a strong voice and to promote change. Have you ever wondered who promotes the legislation that recognizes and advances mental health counseling in Florida? YOU do, by supporting FMCHA! FMHCA wants to empower you to help make your professional dreams come true. You can read about what FMHCA is doing for mental health counselors in our bylaws. Do you want to take a more active role in FMHCA? Consider volunteering to serve on one of our committees! We are already looking forward to our 2020 Annual Conference. It will be held in Lake Mary, Florida at the Orlando Marriott - Lake Mary (the same hotel this year's conference was held at). Please visit https://fmhca.wildapricot.org/event-3222515 Diana Huambachano
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May is Mental Health Month: #4Mind4Body Raising awareness about mental health and eliminating the stigma is important.
Approximately one in five adults in the United States, 43.8 million, or 18.5%, experiences a mental illness in a given year and approximately one in five youth aged 13–18 (21.4%) experiences a severe mental health disorder at some point during their lifetime. For children aged 8–15, the estimate is 13%. Mental illness is not prejudiced; as mental health disorders affect men and women of all ages, races and social classes. Since 1949, the month of May has been observed as Mental Health Month in the United States and many national organizations such as NAMI, Mental Health America, and other affiliates spotlight Mental Health Month to raise awareness about the importance of mental health and to stop the stigma associated with mental health disorders. The theme for this year’s Mental Health Month is Fitness #4Mind4Body, meaning that health is an all-encompassing matter and we must take care of our minds just as much as we take care of our bodies. Mental health is important for our physical health and vice versa. A well-balanced diet, a healthy sleep schedule, exercise, gut health, and hydration all affect our mental health and our physical health equally. Studies have shown that individuals who have chronic medical illnesses such as diabetes, high blood pressure or autoimmune disorders have a higher likelihood of being diagnosed with a mental health disorder such as depression or anxiety. Our bodies and mind act as one unit and therefore it is important to care for both our emotional and mental states as well as our physical health. Changing your health by changing your habits This year’s campaign #4Mind4Body is encouraging individuals around the country to focus on the following healthy aspects of their daily lives in order to promote mental wellness: •
Maintain uninterrupted sleep for 8 hours each night.
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Avoid sugars, greasy foods, salts, processed foods and saturated fats.
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Consume more whole grains, greens, unprocessed foods, lean meats and unsaturated fats.
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Eat 2-3 well-balanced meals per day.
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Drink at least 3 liters of water per day.
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Consume natural probiotics such as yogurt, miso, sauerkraut, kefir, and kimchi.
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Engage in a physical for at least 30 minutes a day.
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Stay away from toxic thoughts, toxic people, and toxic conversations.
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Engage in positive thoughts and conversations.
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Practice mindfulness or meditation on a daily basis.
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Learn how to manage your stress.
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Stay present in your daily relationships.
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Avoid “screen time” and engage in more “in person time”.
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Visit your doctor for preventative health and cancer screenings.
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Take time for yourself every day.
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Small changes have big impacts
For the month of May, Mental Health America and NAMI are challenging you to make small positive changes in your life that can benefit your mind and your body. Document these changes and feel free to share on social media. You may be surprised by how much positive impact one small change can have on your life. Author: Kristen Fuller, M.D., Psychology Today
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WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A QUALIFIED SUPERVISOR I get asked many times from interns what sort of supervisor would be good for them. While this is a complicated question based on the needs of the intern and the supervisor there are some defining qualities that make for an outstanding supervisor and some that might not be the best. Also, I recently met with an intern who explained their previous supervisor taking advantage of them with money and hours and not giving them the skills they had hoped for. It’s my desire to honor the intern position as a student, eager to learn and be guided in this internship process. Two areas that exemplify the supervisor are: 1. Mentor 2. Guide A mentor is a person that models positive behavior in their actions and decision making. Mentoring is typically thought of for adults to children, for example; sons who lack a father figure or a daughter who lacks a mother figure. These kinds of programs are in most, if not all, states. Guiding is a principal that comes from the idea of taking a person where they have been and showing them the way towards more excellence and decision making. The simple example is a tour guide who shows others what they have never seen or know about. Supervision is in other fields also such as sports, business, boy/cub scouts, and karate. All these fields rely on experienced persons training and passing on knowledge of their field to those that are interested and want to be in that field. Supervision develops positive, healthy, clinical decision-making skills for the intern and this needs to be areas that an intern looks for in a supervisor. In regards to the qualifications of a supervisor: 1. State board certified in the field with an active license 2. 3 years of counseling experience and completed the supervision 8 hours course for supervision 3. And registered with the state board as a qualified supervisor in their field of specialty. How do I fulfill these qualifications in my supervision you may ask? I focus on clinical discussion of client issues that the intern is working on at their the worksite. I focus on exam preparation to prepare the intern to have the confidence in taking the test of passing it the first time. I also focus on skill building through handouts, articles, and building a biography for future use. Scott Jones LMHC (Licensed Mental Health Counselor) CAP (Certified Addictions Specialist) Qualified Supervisor, State of FL Email: scottjones@newdirectionscounselingfl.com Website: newdirectionscounselingfl.com Based out of Orlando FL
DID Discovering Hope is a nonprofit ministry. Our purpose is to give love, understanding and compassion to those who struggle with depression, trauma disorders and dissociation disorder from childhood abuse. We speak, educate, offer support groups, resources and remove stigma of Dissociative Identity Disorder in the church and in the Tampa Bay community. Discovering Hope connects with therapists to share life examples of people in recovery from trauma and dissociation. Website http://diddiscoveringhope.org/ Contact Information 510-343-6581 Email: diddiscoverin me3435@yahoo.com
Training Coming to a City Near You! Presented byAaron Norton, LMHC, LMFT Register today: https://www.nbfe.net/event-3266436/Registration Happening in Port Charlotte, FL on 31 May 2019 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
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The Case for Doing Nothing Stop being so busy, and just do nothing. Trust us. By Olga Mecking The New York Times Keeping busy? Running from place to place and laboring over long to-do lists have increasingly become ways to communicate status: I’m so busy because I’m just so important, the thinking goes. Perhaps it’s time to stop all this busyness. Being busy — if we even arebusy — is rarely the status indicator we’ve come to believe it is. Nonetheless, the impact is real, and instances of burnout, anxiety disorders and stress -related diseases are on the rise, not to mention millennial burnout. There’s a way out of that madness, and it’s not more mindfulness, exercise or a healthy diet (though these things are all still important). What we’re talking about is … doing nothing. Or, as the Dutch call it, niksen. What is niksen? It’s difficult to define what doing nothing is, because we are always doing something, even when we’re asleep. More practically, the idea of niksen is to take conscious, considered time and energy to do activities like gazing out of a window or sitting motionless. The lessenlightened might call such activities “lazy” or “wasteful.” Again: nonsense. We at Smarter Living have long been fans of taking regular breaks throughout the day, as study after study shows that feeling drowsy, exhausted or otherwise mentally depleted during the workday drastically hinders performance and productivity. In other words: Whether at home or at work, permission granted to spend the afternoon just handing out. Why we need niksen in our lives Generally speaking, our culture does not promote sitting still, and that can have widereaching consequences for our mental health, well-being, productivity and other areas of our lives. Technology doesn’t make it any easier: The smartphone you carry with you at all hours makes it almost impossible to truly unplug and embrace idleness. And by keeping ourselves busy at all times, we may be losing our ability to sit still because our brains are actually being rewired.
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Indeed, the benefits of idleness can be wide-ranging. Ms. Mann’s research has found that daydreaming — an inevitable effect of idleness — “literally makes us more creative, better at problem-solving, better at coming up with creative ideas.” For that to happen, though, total idleness is required. “Let the mind search for its own stimulation,” Ms. Mann said. “That’s when you get the daydreaming and mind wandering, and that’s when you’re more likely to get the creativity.”
[Like what you’re reading? Sign up here for the Smarter Living newsletter to get stories like this (and much more!) delivered straight to your inbox every Monday morning.] Counterintuitively, idleness can be a great productivity tool because “if our energy is totally shot, our productivity is not going to be good because we’re not going to have fuel to burn with which to be productive,” said Chris Bailey, a productivity expert and author of the blog “A Life of Productivity.” Niksen can help you solve problems as well.
“It takes you out of your mind, and then you see things clearly after a while,” said Manfred Kets de Vries, a professor of leadership development and organizational change at Insead in Paris. But stopping the cycle of business can be challenging in a culture that prizes getting things done. Here are some tips to help you stop and be: Make time for doing nothing, and do it with purpose. Figure out when you’re most productive and creative, then notice when your mind starts to shut off or you start performing tasks just for the sake of doing them, Mr. Bailey suggests. That’s when you should go for a walk or take a break. The intention behind the decision is what counts. “I do nothing with purpose,” Mr. Kets de Vries said. “I know that without breaks I cannot be effective.” Prioritize the things that are important to you and the things that bring you pleasure, and outsource everything else when possible. Focusing on the truly relevant parts of life can help you build free time in your schedule. And take advantage of convenient opportunities to practice idleness, like when you’re standing in line or waiting for the children to come home from school.
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Resist the culture of busyness. If you’re doing nothing, own it. When someone asks you what you’re doing during a nothing break, simply respond, “Nothing.” Be unapologetic about taking breaks or holidays, and if you start to feel guilty about being seen as lazy, think of niksen not as a sign of laziness but as an important life skill. Choose the initial discomfort of niksen over the familiarity of busyness. Manage your expectations. Learning takes time and effort, so don’t get discouraged if you don’t catch on immediately to the benefits of idleness. Know that sitting still might actually be uncomfortable at first and might take practice — just like exercise. Ms. Dodgen-Magee likens it to beginning a new workout routine: At first, you might get sore, but “after a while, you’ll find yourself in this moment where you’re like, ‘Oh, this feels fantastic.’” Reorganize your environment. Your surroundings can have a major impact on how much nothingness you can embrace, so consider the physical space in your home and workplace. Keep your devices out of reach so that they’ll be more difficult to access, and turn your home into a niksen-friendly area. Add a soft couch, a comfy armchair, a few cushions or just a blanket. Orient furniture around a window or fireplace rather than a TV. “If those spaces are present, people will use them,” Ms. Dodgen-Magee said. Think outside of the box. If you can’t sit still in your home or workplace, go to the park or book a relaxing day at the spa. Ms. Dodgen-Magee encourages people to host boredom parties, during which a host invites over a few friends to … be bored together.
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Play Therapy Basics: Entering a Child’s World 24 May 2019 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM CE Broker Tracking :# 20-640143 Webinar Description: Children are rapidly becoming a population with myriad of mental health needs related to issues such as trauma, anxiety, and grief. Serving this very unique population requires culturally and developmentally appropriate interventions. Play therapy has proven to be an effective and efficient means for providing counseling to children by entering their worlds through the familiar experience of toys, creativity, and play. The presenter will discuss a variety of materials, skills, and strategies that can be incorporated into a counselor’s repertoire to serve children. men and women, learning to differentiate between physical and psychological causes of sex dysfunctions. Learning Objectives 1. Attendees will learn about selecting appropriate materials that can be utilized in a play therapy setting. 2. Attendees will learn various play therapy skills for verbal and nonverbal communication. 3. Attendees will learn a variety of strategies (e.g. limit setting) for conducting a play therapy session. 4. Attendees will learn the process for gaining valid play therapy training and credentials for play therapy certification. About the Presenter: Eric S. Davis, PhD, NCC, SB-RPT Eric S. Davis, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor at the University of South Florida. Dr. Davis is a Florida Certified School Counselor, National Certified Counselor, and School-Based Registered Play Therapist. His school-based experience includes work in a high school, juvenile detention facility, and special education school. His research interests include play therapy practice and pedagogy, school counseling practice and pedagogy, chronic illness in schools, and creative techniques in counselor education and supervision.
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Benefits of Presenting: Call for Presenters for the
Presenters will receive a $50 discount on conference registration.
Promotion of your name and credentials on our website and in all electronic and print marketing materials, where appropriate.
Recognition of your expertise by FMHCA and by other industry professionals
Networking opportunities.
FMHCA Annual Conference Feb 6th—Feb 8th, 2020 in Lake Mary, Orlando PRESENTER PROPOSALS DUE BY JULY 25, 2019! FMHCA’s goal is to provide education, legislative oversight, and networking opportunities, our Annual Conference provides an opportunity for advanced professional training.
Presenter Eligibility: To be considered, presenters must have Take advantage of this opportunity and present professional qualifications in good standing with their professional regulatory board, if at the FMHCA 2020 Annual Conference! applicable, possess the technical expertise Possible Dynamic Approaches May Cover: necessary to present on a subject effectively, Integrative System Care and meet one or more of the following:
Expressive and Creative Therapies
Multicultural Counseling
Innovative Treatments and Skill Building Practice
Have received specialized graduate or post-graduate level training in subject of presentation; and/or
Have extensive experience including at least five years of practical application or research involving subject of presentation
EMDR and Trauma Work
Addiction Models
Military and Veteran Mental Health
Submit a Proposal to be a Presenter:
Ethics
Submit online at www.FMHCA.org
Mediation
Evidence Based Interventions
Please Submit Questions at office@FLmhca.org or
Best Practice for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder
And Many More!
Call 561-228-6129
This toolkit helps service providers for the aging learn more about mental illness and substance use disorders in older adults, including focus on alcohol and medication use. It provides tools such as a program coordinator's guide, suggested curricula, and handouts. https://store.samhsa.gov/system/files/
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Exploring Primary and Advanced Accurate Empathy Helping clients feel that they are understood is an essential skill in the counseling profession. This process of helping clients to feel understood comes in the form of empathy. Empathy can come in two forms: primary empathy and advanced accurate empathy. When a counselor exhibits primary empathy Hackney & Cormier (2001) state they are: “Accurately articulating back the feelings and experiences from overt client statements and behaviors” (p. 44). Primary empathy involves relying more on the obvious. Here is an example scenario where primary empathy is used as a response: Client: I cannot believe that I got passed over for the promotion. I have worked my tail off. It makes me so mad. I mean sure my co-worker worked just as hard as me but I should have been the one to get promoted in the end. Counselor: That is a very frustrating situation and I can see how much it upsets you that you did not get the promotion, especially after working so hard. I can tell it makes you feel angry that you did not get it by the way your fists are clenching up. In this scenario the counselor is using primary empathy to make the client feel understood because their response focuses mainly on what the client said directly. The counselor is focusing on the obvious: the client did not get promoted. The counselor continues to use primary empathy by relating the body language (tightening fists) to the client’s direct statements of getting passed up for a promotion instead of exploring deeper meanings that could be causing such verbal cues to be shown by the client. And that is where advanced accurate empathy comes in. Hackney & Cormier (2001) state advanced accurate empathy as being able to “Accurately articulate back implied feelings and experiences from incomplete client statements” (p. 45). Advanced empathy involves going beyond the obvious. Let us take the client/counselor example from above but this time have the counselor reply using advanced accurate empathy. Client: I cannot believe that I got passed over for the promotion. I have worked my tail off. It makes me so mad. I mean sure my co-worker worked just as hard as me but I should have been the one to get promoted in the end. Counselor: Could it be that you are frustrated you did not get promoted because you have felt overlooked in the past? I’m wondering if this history of feeling overlooked makes you feel angry on the outside but really deep down on the inside you feel a sense of continual rejection and hurt. I’m guessing this continual pattern of feeling overlooked is making your fist tighten up. In this scenario the counselor went beyond simply repeating what the client said in in order to validate their feelings. The counselor instead explored possible deeper meanings of what was triggering the client’s anger in relation to not getting promoted. This is advanced accurate empathy. This form of empathy can also involve diving into feelings that the client is barely aware of but longs to be understood in as shown in the previous example. Neukrug (2017) stated, “…is when the counselor “subceives” feelings just below what the client is outwardly expressing and accurately reflects those feelings back to the client” (p. 3). Not only are there different forms of empathy but there can also be barriers when it comes to the development of empathy. One of these is having a lack of cultural empathy. Chi-Ying Chung & Bemak (2002) stated, “In the United States, the therapeutic notion of empathy is largely based on and influenced by Western Euro-American values; therefore, current practice regarding empathy rarely takes into account cross-cultural effects” (p. 155). Chi-Ying Chung and Bemak (2002) illustrate this concept by comparing “individualistic” and “collectivistic” societies and how norms and values can vary within each. For example, you may have a client who is completely burnt out because they have been working extremely long hours at their job. They are also extremely stressed out because they have multiple projects going on at their job. If they are from an “individualistic” society their reasons for behaving this way could stem from a desire to attain greater financial status for themselves as well as personally advance themselves in their profession. However, if another person is exhibiting some of these same behaviors and they are from a “collectivistic” society their reasons for putting in long hours at work could be because they need the increased finances to help take care of extended family. They also may be working on multiple projects at work, not to gain a better name for themselves, but for their family line as a whole. Chi-Ying Chung & Bemak (2002) stated, “Therefore, therapeutic empathy must take into account the cultural context so that the same problem presented in two distinct cultures would warrant different, culturally specific responses” (p. 156). If a counselor is lacking cultural empathy, and even worse assuming that their clients hold the exact same cultural beliefs as them, they are opening up doors for empathy to be misguided which can in turn make the client feel misunderstood. Avoid that pitfall by knowing each of your client’s cultural backgrounds and then considering how they play a part in your client’s current situations.
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Another barrier that can exist to the development of empathy is the fact that empathy can hurt. Cowan, Echterling, and Presbury (2013) stated, “When the client “feels felt” by the counselor and believes that the counselor fully understands his or her implicit and guarded world, then empathy can be a threat” (pg. 3). What this means is that sometimes clients do not want to be fully known and will therefore hide certain aspects of their lives from the counselor. Clients might do this because of fears of being rejected, judged or looked down upon by the counselor. This is especially true if past figures displayed this behavior towards them when these aspects of their lives were revealed. When this dynamic occurs, it is vital that counselors consider this instead of assuming that the client is being noncompliant or just difficult. If the counselor can realize this phenomenon, they will have a better chance of creating a deeper empathetic connection with their client. Instead of the counselor being annoyed that the client seems resistant, they will be more understanding of the reasons behind his or her guarded mentality, thus increasing the chances of the therapeutic relationship being a positive and productive one. Cowan et al. (2013) stated, “We also recognize that the client might not be the only one in the relationship who is attempting to avoid such participation” (pg. 3). When empathy is carried out in a therapeutic relationship it can create an environment where the client feels comfortable in revealing parts of themselves they once kept hidden. This in turn has the potential to make the counselor feel uncomfortable and possibly steer away from problems that need to be addressed in order bring about optimum healing for their client. Counselors must overcome this barrier by being willing to come out of their comfort zones and address pain head-on with their clients. If counselors are willing to do this, conversation will not always be easy. Cowan et al. (2013) offer the advice of using advanced empathetic responses when conversations become difficult. These empathic responses address the tension and conflict that is stirring up in the room right then and there instead of shutting down the conversation or avoiding it altogether because it is just too painful to approach. One last barrier that can impede the development of empathy is when counselors take a judgmental stance towards their clients. When counselors start to become close-minded and judgmental they are risking slowing, or worse completely stopping, the healing process that needs to take place in a therapeutic relationship. Clients can sense this judgement and potentially shut down thus making it hard to facilitate empathy. Fulton (2016) discusses a strategy that can help combat this: “Mindfulness-based interventions are designed to help individuals attend to aversive stimuli, including sensations, cognitions, and emotions, with open, non-reactive, non-judging, presentmoment awareness” (Baer, 2003, p. 362). This would be extremely beneficial for counselors considering the diverse population they serve as well as the complex situations they address that can cause judgmental mindsets to arise. In conclusion, empathy is an essential aspect of the counseling relationship. Whether primary or advanced accurate empathy, it is imperative that counselors learn how to facilitate it as well as avoid and/or overcome barriers that emerge because of it. Doing this will help to promote a more secure, stable environment in which the client counselor relationship can thrive. References Chi-Ying Chung, Rita & Bemak, Fred. (2002). The relationship of culture and empathy in cross-cultural counseling. Journal of Counseling & Development, 80, 154-159. Cowan, Eric W., Presbury, Jack, & Echterling, Lennis G. (2013). The paradox of empathy: when empathy hurts. Counseling Today. Retrieved from: https://ct.counseling.org/2013/02/the-paradox-of-empathy-when-empathy-hurts/# Fulton, Cheryl L. (2016). Mindfulness, self-Compassion, and counselor characteristics and session variables. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 38(4), 360-374. Hackney, Harold L. & L. Sherilyn Cormier. The Professional Counselor: A Process Guide to Helping. 4th Edition. Allyn & Bacon, 2001. Neukrug, Ed. (2017). Creative and novel approaches to empathy. Counseling Today. Retrieved from: https://ct.counseling.org/2017/02/creative-novel-approaches-empathy/ Sarah Newsom Troy University newsomsarah13@gmail.com
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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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FMHCA Memebers! Voting for the 2019-2020 Board is Underway! Please be on the lookout for an email containing the ballot. Please note only FMHCA members are able to vote. If you are not a member Join today by visiting www.FMHCA.org
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