Happy New Year!
2019 is starting out to be another great year for TCA! With conferences in San Antonio, Dallas and Fort Worth, the Texas Legislature back in session, three Advocacy Days on the calendar, and our professional journal ready for its online launch, TCA is once again well positioned to lead, advocate for professional counselors, and promote professional excellence.
Looking back on 2018, TCA has much to be proud of – especially the active engagement of hundreds of our members who serve on the TCA Board and Senate, in Chapter and Division leadership and as chairs and members of TCA Committees. People make an association great and TCA has great people!
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In 2018...
- Our members received Educational Endowment Fund grants totaling $6,000 to help cover the costs of research, conference attendance and degree completion
- TCA’s Online Learning Library delivered 364 programs to make access to high quality professional development – including conference Live Streaming – quick, easy and reasonably priced
- TCA's face-to-face conferences in Galveston, Austin and Dallas has more than 3,000 professional counselors in attendance
- We were THE voice for professional counselors, appearing in dozens of print and broadcast news stories to promote the amazing work that YOU do each and every day.
- Our advocacy efforts throughout the year resulted in a unanimous vote by the Texas Sunset Commission recommending the Texas Legislature create the Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council to house all mental health professional licensing boards
- TCA co-sponsored more than 70 Chapter and Division programs across Texas
- We distributed almost 4,000 copies of the Texas Model for Comprehensive School Counseling Programs, 5th Edition
- We published 52 editions of TCA Newsline, our weekly news clipping service and 12 editions of the TCA Membership e-Update and expanded TCA’s social media presence daily
- TCA exhibited at the Texas Association for Play Therapy, the TASB/TASA Annual Conference and the ACA-SR Booth during the ACA Conference to promote the benefits of TCA
- TCA received the ACA-Southern Region Innovative Practice Award for our special Educational Endowment Disaster Relief Grants totally more than $10,000 to help TCA members recover from the tragedy of Hurricane Harvey.
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TCA currently has 12 named Educational Endowment Funds and one General EEF established to provide professional development grants of up to $500 to individuals who have been members of TCA for at least 12 months. The availability of grant funds depends on donations. TCA is pleased to acknowledge the generosity of the following individuals who contributed in 2018.
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Contenders Circle
($151 to $500)
Carolyn Greer
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Supporters Circle
($25 to $150)
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Shanna Broussard
Dennette Gardner
Bessie Neal
Sinem & Jeff Sullivan
Naderia Hartley
Judy Jarratt
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Carrie Proctor
Chester Robinson
Richard Ricard
Karen Linstrum
Deborah Roberson
Forest Smith
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The 14th Annual Professional School Counselor Conference is coming next month!
The deadline for pre-registration is
January 25th! Save money and time by registering online ahead of time!
If you miss the pre-registration deadline, you can always register on-site!
The 14
th Annual Professional School Counselor Conference will be held February 10-12 at the
Henry B. González
Convention Center!
This year will include, as always, the chance to bring your boss with you for free! Check out some of what's in store with our
preliminary program list!
Keynote Speakers
Take your toolkit to a new level with our outstanding keynote speakers...
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Houston Kraft
Houston Kraft is a professional speaker, leadership consultant, and kindness advocate.
Houston Kraft is the co-founder of #CharacterStrong - trainings and curriculums that create more compassionate cultures in schools and communities.
Learn more.
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Brian Van Brunt
Dr. Brian Van Brunt has worked in the counseling field for more than 20 years, and specializes in educational counseling, behavioral intervention and support, and issues related to mental health and alcohol/substance abuse by students.
Learn more.
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Calling School Counselors & Counselor Educators
TEA is seeking candidates to serve on the School Counselor Test Framework Committee in early March to provide feedback to TEA on the test framework – which will be based on the new School Counselor Certification Standards recently adopted by SBEC. Interested candidates should
apply no later than January 31, 2019.
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Call for Reviewers for the Journal of Professional Counseling
The executive editor for the
Journal of Professional Counseling (JPC), the official journal of the Texas Counseling Association, is currently accepting applications for positions on the journal editorial review board team. JPC is an indexed, semi-annual scholarly publication, aiming at providing clinical, theoretical, and empirical guidance to counselors, educators, researchers, and other mental health professionals. Qualifications for the board include a graduate degree and licensure in a counseling, a record of scholarly publications in peer-reviewed journals, and a commitment to providing prompt and comprehensive reviews of approximately 3-5 manuscripts annually. Becoming an editorial reviewer is a great way to: Impact and guide the profession, build your resume/CV, grow your name and brand in the counseling profession.
Individuals interested in applying are asked to include (a) a cover letter outlining their interest, relevant experience, and reasons for applying and (b) a current CV or resume.
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TSBEMFT Proposed Rules: Comments due 1/14/19
Comments on the
new rules proposed
by the Texas State Board of Examiners of Marriage and Family Therapists on December 14, 2018 are due on Monday, 11/14/19. Most of the revisions are non-substantive but TCA recommends you take a good look at §§801.48, 801.58, 801.73, 801.115, 801.142, 801.293, 801.296, 801.297 and 801.298. TCA will send a special blast on Friday with our final comments. Please take time to review the rules and submit comments to Sarah Faszholz at
mft@hhsc.state.tx.us
. When emailing comments, please indicate "Comments on Proposed Rules" in the subject line. Please be sure to also send a copy of your comments to
jan@txca.org
so we know of your questions or concerns.
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Your TCA Experience
Tell us why you choose TCA for your professional home. We may feature it on our website or through our social media channels!
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Register for TCA's Advocacy Days!
March 19
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April 16
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May 14
The legislative session opened on January 8th. While we don't expect much action during the first 30 days, things will move quickly beginning in February.
Be on the look-out for TCA Advocacy Alerts! Your voice, along with counselors across Texas, is what makes the difference!
Support the counseling profession and
TCA’s 2019 public policy agenda
! Reach out NOW to your Senator and Representative and offer to be their resource on legislation impacting Professional Counselors.
Be prepared and get engaged!
- Watch TCA's Advocacy Training Video
- Watch your email for TCA Action Alerts!
- Stay informed on State issues affecting the counseling profession including bill updates, committee hearings and public comment requests.
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Competitive Grant Opportunity
TEA announced the availability of grant funds for the 2019–2020 Perkins Reserve Grant. Request for Application (RFA) #701-19-104 is available on the
TEA Grant Opportunities Page
.
The purpose of the 2019–2020 Perkins Reserve Grant is to assist LEAs in (1) fostering innovation through the identification and promotion of promising and proven CTE programs, practices, and strategies that prepare individuals for non-traditional fields; and (2) promoting the development, implementation, and adoption of programs of study or career pathways aligned with state-identified high-skill, high-wage, in-demand occupations or industries.
It is anticipated that approximately 5 to 7 grants will be awarded in Focus Area 1 for amounts up to $700,000 each and 150 grants will be awarded in Focus Area 2 for amounts up to $30,000 each.
Learn more.
Applications must be received by the Texas Education Agency by 5:00 p.m. (Central Time), February 14, 2019, to be considered for funding.
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Texas OnCourse Leader Fellows
Apply to become a Texas OnCourse leader fellow! This two-year fellowship recognizes, develops, and rewards school-level leaders in the field of college and career advising.
Texas OnCourse leader fellows serve as virtual and in-person support on college and career advising and instruction for their colleagues across the state. Fellows earn up to $10,000 over the two-year fellowship, and leader fellows’ schools receive a $5000 stipend.
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2019 Texas Jaycee Foundation Scholarship
The Texas Jaycee Foundation is a civic, non-profit organization dedicated to providing scholarships to budding scholars and to saving the Legacy of the Texas Jaycees and Texas JCI Senators.
- Follow the instructions closely ensuring completeness of the application as with any scholarship application. Please note there must be a GPA on a 4.0 scale included.
- Applications must be postmarked or emailed by February 16, 2019 to be eligible.
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Wellness Update: Mindfulness and Meditation
Brought to you by TCA Wellness Committee
Member Dennette Gardner
We now have tons of research showing why mindfulness and meditation practices are essential components of wellness for our clients and for ourselves. I had the pleasure of hearing Dr. Rick Hanson speak at a conference in Dallas a few years ago. Here are some highlights:
- Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness. Meditation decreases normal cortical thinning caused by aging.
- Regular mindfulness practice helps overcome the natural negativity bias of the brain.
- Mindfulness exercise is to the brain, what cardio is to the body. As therapists, we can’t teach this until we can DO this!
- Learning (for ourselves or our clients) happens in 2 stages.
- The Activated State turns into a trait only when it is fully installed. Activation is like playing a song. Installation is like recording the song so that learning takes place. Our therapies are pretty good at activation, but not yet good at installation (internalization).
- Installation or Taking In The Good. We utilize positive neuroplasticity by doing mindful gratitude work. Imagine one thing you are grateful for. Image this thing as richly as possible, using all your 5 senses. Then move the feeling into the body, intensifying the feeling in a multi-sensory way. Use novelty in your thoughts, emotions, and desires. Then allow time to ABSORB the experience. Let the warmth sink in and spread throughout your body. Spend 2 - 5 minutes to be focused in the present moment without judgement or criticism.
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The
Texas Model for Comprehensive School Counseling Programs,
5th Edition
With new organization, competencies, domains, strategies and tools, the 5th Edition of the
Texas Model for Comprehensive School Counseling Programs
has been updated to reflect best practices and statutory requirements for school counseling programs.
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS
2019
January 8
Texas Legislature Convenes
January 25
February 10-12
February 23
TCA Virtual Board Meeting
February 28-March 1
March 19
April 1
April 16
May 14
May 27
Last Day of Texas Legislative Session
June 30
November 13-16
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TCA Texas Counseling Association | 512-472-3403 | 512-472-3756 |
info@txca.org
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