Sandplay Therapy Workshop

Sand and Psyche – Sand and Soma

         

…An exploration of sandplay therapy

 

October 13^th from 9:30- 4:30

This one day training is geared for psychotherapists interested in or already using sandplay in their work. Sandplay is a must if you work dynamically with children. It is the medium of choice with dysregulated children, children of trauma, and children who need to express intense emotions. In the context of a positive therapeutic relationship sandplay can be profoundly transformative. Children may rise up from the world they have made or destroyed in the box more regulated, less rigid, less afraid of themselves or renewed.

This training explores sandplay therapy from several different theoretical frameworks including Jungian, Bioenergetic and Developmental, using case material and experiential process. Highly recommended for psychotherapists new to the field as well as seasoned therapists looking to expand their understanding of it and deepen their work.

Dennis McCarthy LMHC has worked for almost four decades as a psychotherapist, developing a unique and in-depth approach to child psychotherapy that is body-centered and imagination driven. Dennis trained in Dance Therapy,  Bioenergetic Analysis and Jungian Analysis and has been in treatment in all of these modalities as well. His approach to sandplay is informed by these methods, his own personal work as well as the thousands of children and adults he has seen.  He has had many articles published in professional journals and has several books out, the most recent of which is “A Manual of Dynamic Play Therapy – Helping Things Fall Apart, The Paradox of Play” @ 304 Wall Street, Kingston, NY. Space is extremely limited. Some scholarships are available.  Cost = $175. Register at  845-331-1029 or metamorfosinstitute@gmail.com.

Reading and Discussion with Terry Garahan

Join Us!

For a reading and discussion from author of When Truth Lies: A Journey with Schizophrenia , Terry Garahan.

               

Location:   Touhey Forum, in the Lally School of Education

Date:              Thursday, Oct 25, 2012

Time:             6:00pm

Terry Garahan began his work with the mentally ill in 1975, interviewing patients being discharged from Willard Psychiatric Hospital in upstate New York. He developed programs to reintroduce them to the community. This was followed by many years supervising a mental health outpatient clinic in Ithaca, New York. His work gave him insight into the lives of individuals who are mostly avoided by the rest of society. His groundbreaking effort developing police/mental health programs were well documented in a New York Times cover story and a 60 Minutes II segment with Dan Rather. He is an FBI-trained hostage negotiator and crisis counselor who worked with hundreds of World Trade Center survivors after September 11, 2001. He currently teaches mental health and counseling at Ithaca College.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Sponsored by NAMI Syracuse

Netherlands Study Tour

Study Tour to the Netherlands

January 2013

Dr. Richard Pulice, Professor and Chair of the Social Work Department and Director of the Institute for Community Research and Training at the College of Saint Rose will again be offering a study tour to the Netherlands. Dr. Pulice has consulted and taught in Holland for over 15 years and he and his colleagues have always offered students a true Dutch experience.  Designed as a 1- 3 credit undergraduate or 3 credit graduate elective, this year’s trip focuses on services for persons with a mental illness. The Netherlands has long been an innovator in mental health care. We will be based in Utrecht in the center of the country; the course will visit several cities and towns including Amsterdam. Based on the travel schedule leisure time is available on the weekends.

 Travel dates – January 4^th – 13^th , 2013. The costs - $2900.00 including airfare, hotels, ground transportation in Holland, some meals and the College administrative fee.

For College of Saint Rose students this can be part of your spring courses, for other please check with your College regarding cross registration requirements.

INFORMATION – contact Dr. Pulice at pulicer@strose.edu or call 518-454-5251.

Deadline for registration and a required deposit of $250.00 for this course is October 1, 2012.

News from NYMCHA

Dear Colleagues:
Welcome to the 2012-13 academic year! I hope that you had the opportunity to take time to relax with family and friends and to enjoy a respite from your professional activities. As the nature of our work is ongoing and tends to require attention year round, like many of you, I taught several summer classes, continued my service to the University, and related research activities. Our commitment to mental health counseling at our respective academic institutions is paramount to the success of our programs, students and graduates. The NYMHCA Board has been quite busy during this very critical time in our profession. As you know by now, our “Clarification” bill is being sponsored by Senator Robach and Assembly member DenDekker to affirm our authority to diagnose within our “scope of practice” and add a continuing education requirement. Full details of the bill are available for your review on the NYMHCA website. We have a long road ahead for the bill to pass and I urge you to take an active role to promote it. It is important to educate our faculty colleagues, students, and alumni about the bill and encourage ongoing dialogue on your campuses. Please contact our office via NYMHCA2@optonline.net to receive a Lobbying Packet and use the template letters to send to your legislators or to deliver to them in person.  Many of our Chapter Leaders and many NYMHCA members have already been actively involved in this process and we appreciate their efforts. Passage of this bill will increase internship opportunities and full-time employment for students in state and private agencies. Additionally, as I mentioned at the Convention this past spring, we continue to seek a Journal Editor and Reviewers for our proposed on-line Journal of Clinical Counseling. The Board has agreed that the Editor must hold a tenured position at a College/University and possess a proven record of peer-reviewed publications. Those faculty interested in serving as Reviewers must hold a tenure-track position with at least two publications and/or be tenured with at least three or more publications. For those who have already expressed an interest, we appreciate your willingness to become involved and will contact you once we are able to convene a full board meeting of reviewers. If interested, please send a brief letter of intent along with a C.V. to our office, at NYMHCA2@optonline.net. I hope that you have a wonderful semester.
Sincerely,
Joseph R. Franco




Executive Director’s Column
New Legislation
As Joe mentioned in his column, new legislation sponsored by St. Sen. Robach in the Senate (S. 7061) and Assembly member Michael DenDekker in the Assembly (A. 10142) calls for the inclusion of the word diagnose in the mental health counselor scope of practice as well as a continuing education requirement for the four professions licensed under Article 163. This amendment to our scope of practice will open many opportunities for internship placements and jobs for your graduates. A number of agencies around the state have not accepted mental health counseling students and graduates due to the lack of clarity around our authority to diagnose.
Now that the 2012 legislative session is over, legislators will be back in their local district offices (until January) and it would be best if you and your students could visit them to ask for their support or to co-sponsor the bill. Contact us (NYMHCA@optonline.net) for materials you can print and bring to those meetings. Included are instructions on how to make appointments with your legislators and how to conduct a meeting. We also suggest that you check with your local NYMHCA chapter to find out what they are planning in regard to meeting with legislators. Coordinating efforts is always more effective.
Judy Ritterman

Counselor Educator News: Fall 2012 Edition
NYMHCA Counselor Educator Meeting April 5-6th, 2013!
The plans for our biennial Counselor Educator Meeting are almost complete. Speakers include (but are not limited to): Dr. David Hamilton (NYS Office of Professions), Bill Murphy (NYS Education Department) and the NYMHCA lobbyist, Heather Evans. There will also be an overview of the licensure exam on Friday afternoon, April 5th. Registration is now open. Use the link on the homepage of our website (NYMHCA.org) for further information and registration.

Student/New Graduate Page on the NYMHCA Website
You may have noticed that our website has undergone a design change. You may have also noticed that what was the Student Page is now called the “Student/New Graduate Page.” The goal is to provide as much info as possible for both your students and graduates. The page is still under construction, but there is a great deal of important information available right now.


Counselor Educator News: Fall 2012 Edition
Informal Opinion Poll – Question 1
A question that has been asked of us many times is when is it best for graduates to take the licensure exam. We have told counselors that it might be best if they accrue about 2,000 of their 3,000 hours before sitting for the exam so that experience would inform their answers on the test. Some educators believe that grads should take the licensure exam as soon as their education has been approved by the State Education Department, because the psychopathology  and ethics education they received will be
fresh in their minds. Please email us at: NYMHCA@optonline.net to tell us of your opinion. The results of this informal poll will be discussed at the Counselor Educator Meeting in April and will also be published in the next edition of this newsletter.
Informal Opinion Poll - Question 2
We have developed a new page on our website just for agencies and organizations. The hope is that they will access the information for answers to questions they have about the profession, insurance billing for counselors and whether mental health counselors are authorized to diagnose. Since all graduate programs contract with local agencies to accept students for internships, we would like to know what we have not included on the page that you think is important. Please visit our website (NYMHCA.org) and click on the link for “Agency Info.” Then email us at NYMHCA@optonline.net with your thoughts and suggestions. Thank you.

Report to the Legislature
In July, the Commissioner of the State Education Department, Dr. John B. King Jr., submitted a
report to Gov. Cuomo and state legislators. In the report were recommendations that directly affect
mental health counselors. A summary of the recommendations are as follows:

• It is recommended that the word diagnosis be included in the scopes of practice of the four professions licensed under Article 163 (mental health counselors).

• It is recommended that the Department of Civil Service develop job titles for the four Article 163 professions in order to ensure health, safety and welfare of the public.

• It is recommended that the Article 163 professions have a continuing education requirement.

• It is recommended that mental health counselors who need an extra year to complete their 3,000 hours be offered a limited permit for an additional year. That would mean that in addition to the initial 2 year permit, counselors could apply for an additional year followed by another year if necessary.

• It is also recommended that privileged communication be authorized for Article 163 professions.

We are very excited that the Commissioner of the State Education Department would include all
of these recommendations in this report! There is a possibility that Gov. Cuomo will include
some or all of them in his annual budget which will be presented to the NYS Legislature in January.


Counselor Educator News: Fall 2012 Edition
Counselor Educators ….Your Support Can Make the Difference
NYMHCA needs the help of counselor educators who teach in CACREP accredited programs. Interested members need to be willing to come to Albany this fall to discuss the curriculum for the mental health counseling degree and how it differs from that of other professions, specifically social work. Legislators and state agency staff are asking these questions and in order to gain their support for our bill, we need to provide them with clear answers. If you are interested in finding out more, or want to volunteer to come to Albany for meetings, please contact Judy Ritterman at NYMHCA@optonline.net.

Regional Chapter Coordinator Update
Happy Autumn to you all!
As the semester gets underway, this is a good time to make sure that your students know about
NYMHCA and your local Chapters. The Chapters are very student friendly in many ways. In addition to providing opportunities to network with professionals and other students, the Chapters have members who can assist them with licensure applications, mentoring and learning about our profession. Presentations by guest speakers can be useful educationally. Please encourage your students to get involved.
Debbie Arundale
Regional Chapter Coordinator


Counselor Educator News: Fall 2012 Edition
NYMHCA’s New Professional Development Chair
Hello all. My name is Christie E. Weidenhamer and I wanted to give you a brief description
of who I am and my role at NYMHCA. I live and work in the Rochester area. I am a doctoral
student at the University of Rochester and work part time in my private practice, Mental
Health Counseling & Consulting Services. I have been given the privilege of chairing the
Professional Development Committee.
As the chair, my goal is to provide members with a variety of continuing education opportunities.
If you have ideas for continuing education opportunities or professionals you would
like to see present, let me or any of the Professional Development Committee members
know.
I am very excited about what we are doing for NYMHCA members and the counseling profession,
as a whole. My role as the chair person is to encourage, motivate, and inspire a
group of members to help me develop and maintain a Professional Development Program.
There are a number of tasks which have been assigned and I need members to help me with
these tasks. If you are interested, please give me a call or e-mail me.
Here is what you will expect in the coming months. Chapter presidents will be contacted regarding
what continuing education opportunities their members need. A survey will be developed
and sent to members about what topics and what avenues of learning members are
interested in. Lastly, you will also be hearing more about me, the committee members, and
what we are doing to help meet your continuing education needs.
The Professional Development Committee is open for business. Please call, or e-mail me or
committee members. I look forward to hearing from you. I am excited for what we are doing
here and want this program to benefit all our members.
Christie E. Weidenhamer M.Ed., NCC, LMHC
585-406-2684
ceweidenhamer@gmail.com

Counselor Educator News: Fall 2012 Edition
NYMHCA LEADERSHIP
Board of Directors
President
Dr. Joseph Franco
JFranco@pace.edu

President Elect
Steve Doblin
sdoblin1@yahoo.com

Past President
Robert Eschenauer
Eschenauer1@verizon.net

Treasurer
Karina Cedeno
KGC2940@aol.com

Secretary
Kailey Horan
kh80417@pace.edu

Membership Chair
Diane Spizzirro
dspizzirro@cnr.edu

Regional Chapter Coordinator
Debbie Arundale
DebCCMHC@aol.com

Student Representative
Adam Leggett
ALeggett@goddard.org

Committee Chairs
Convention Coordinator
Judith Ritterman
NYMHCA@optonline.net

Ethics/Bylaws
Rachel Jordan
rjordan@sjfc.edu

Insurance
Richard Ferguson
Richard_Ferguson85@yahoo.com

Public Awareness
Richard Kessler
rdk2@optonline.net

Professional Development
Christie Weidenhamer
ceweidenhamer@gmail.com

License Exam Prep Promotions
Coordinator
Kelley Spada
Kelley.o.spada@gmail.com

Strategic Planning
Patricia Goodspeed-Grant
pgoodspeed@brockport.edu

Diversity (Open)
Newsletter Editors
NYMCHA News
Christine McLaughlin
mclaug11@my.canisius.edu

Counselor Educator Newsletter
Michael Venuti
mvenuti2@nycap.rr.com

NYMHCA Journal Editors
(Open)
Executive Director
Judith Ritterman
NYMHCA@optonline.net

NYMHCA Office Administrator
Theodora Heinz
nymhca2@optonline.net

Do You Have a NYMHCA Regional Chapter in Your Area? The chapters have much to offer you and
your students.

• Metro NY Chapter Leader: Sarah Noel, president@nymhcametro.org. This chapter covers all 5 boroughs of NYC.

• Greater Rochester Area Chapter Leader: Kate Stanford, stanfordkate@yahoo.com.

• Buffalo/Niagara Chapter Leader: Kayte Conroy, wnymhca@gmail.com.

• Long Island Chapter Leader: Deb Arundale, DebCCMHC@aol.com.

• Capital Region Chapter Leader: Donna Lochner, lochnd@aol.com.

• Central Region Chapter Leader: Tom McKellop, TMckello@yahoo.com.

• Mohawk Valley Chapter Leader: Ric Hesse, rshesse@hotmail.com.

• Hudson Valley Chapter Leader: John Asuncion, president@nymhcahudsonvalley.org

• Westchester Chapter Leader: John Theodore, jtheodore@iona.edu

• NYMHCA Office Administrator: Theodora Heinz, nymhca2@optonline.net

New York Mental Health Counselors Association
NYMHCA is a non-profit association dedicated to clinical counseling professionals in New York State. As a demonstration of this dedication to the counselors of New York, we maintain the NYMHCA Newsletter and NYMHCA website, keeping members informed of the progress and report of mental health counselors across the state. To learn more about legislative action, board development, advocacy, conventions, events, chapter activities, links, resources, and how you can be a supportive member of this pioneering effort, join NYMHCA. Visit our web site NYMHCA.ORG!

The Counselor Educator News is published semi-annually by the New York Mental Health Counselors Association, 206 Greenbelt Parkway, Holbrook, New York 11741-4411. We invite members and other professionals to submit articles, commentary, inquiries, workshops, scheduled events, book & video reviews, and/or any other information relevant to the counselor educator profession to the CEN Editor: Michael Venuti at mvenuti2@nycap.rr.com.

We’re on the Web!
WWW.NYMHCA.ORG

Guidance Expo

GUIDANCE EXPO 2012
	October 22, 2012 9:30 AM - 2:30 PM Westchester County Center White Plains, NY 10606
The Guidance Expo is literally an exposition of guidance and counseling ideas and activities. It features a rich menu of over 40 professional seminars regarding issues and concerns that affect the elementary, middle, high school and college admission counselors. In addition, it brings together a large variety of exhibitors, consultants, model programs, exhibits of computer software, guidance books, materials and products, community agencies and college representatives. It is sponsored by the Westchester Putnam College Conferences, Inc. It is offered free. Pre-registration is required. To register for Guidance Expo 2012, go to www.guidanceexpo.net. You will find program descriptions, registration form and directions. To exhibit at the Guidance Expo, go to www.guidanceexpo.net for an Exhibitor's Registration form and travel directions. There is no charge to exhibit.

Internship Application Meetings

Be sure to attend if you plan on starting your internship next semester:

 

Mandatory School Counseling internship meeting

Thursday, September 20^th 3-4:30, Lally symposium

Mandatory CSSA internship meeting

Thursday, September 27^th, 3:00 p.m., Lally symposium

**Advisor approval needed before internship, see internship handbook for form or go to http://www.strose.edu/academics/schoolofeducation/counseling/departmental_news right hand side**

Healing the Hurting Child:

The Necessary Dimension of Child-Centered Play Therapy

presented by

Dr. Gary Landreth

http://www.njcu.edu/playtherapy/

Date & Time:

Friday,  October 26^th, 2012
9am to 4pm (registration starts from 8:30am)

Place:

New Jersey City University Student Union Center MPR B

Workshop Description:

This workshop will focus on the perceptual world of the child, the dynamic elements of the relationship that facilitate the play therapy process, structuring the relationship in the playroom, “reading” themes in children’s play, the four healing messages needed by a child who is hurting, child-centered play therapy skills, helping children develop self-control and self-responsibility, the ACT model of therapeutic limit setting, the language of facilitating change in children, and guidelines for selecting appropriate toys and materials.

Workshop activities will include spontaneous demonstrations by Dr. Landreth dealing with specific problems in the play therapy experience, skill building exercises, and critique of video tapes of Dr. Landreth’s play therapy sessions.  Handouts will be provided.

Registration:
Early Bird Fee (till October 12^th, 2012):

• Professional $65 (register)
• Student $45  (register)

Late Registration Fee (From October 13^th, 2012):

• Professional $75  (register)
• Student $55  (register)

 

Additional Details: 

• Lunch will be provided at the workshop site. 
• We do not accept cash payment or a purchase order.
• If you are a student, please present your valid student ID at the registration desk on the day of workshop.