WCA had a successful first year back after a period of inactivity.  After the initial interest meeting in April, several members traveled to Cookeville in July to attend TCA’s Leadership Development Conference with other TCA chapter leaders.

Last fall WCA held 2 regular meetings — one in Johnson City at Jack’s City Grill and one in Kingsport at Rush Street Restaurant.  At the first meeting in September, we hosted Leia Blevins who spoke on the topic of “Using PBS with Student who have Behavioral Challenges.”  There were 18 people present.

The second meeting at Rush Street in Kingsport, Dr. Robert Pack from ETSU spoke on “Prescription Drug Abuse in Appalachia.” There were 40 in attendance.

In the Spring,  WCA secured a $2500 grant from the Niswonger Foundation to bring Dr. Ted Remley from Old Dominion University to give a workshop on “Legal and Ethical Issues in Counseling.” WCA partnered with East TN State’s admission office and the Eta Tau Sigma Chapter of Chi Sigma Iota to host the workshop which 78 people attended in February.

The most recent meeting was held at Knight’s in Johnson City and had 8 people present.  Members voted on new officers and discussed potential fundraising opportunities.

Check the tab “2012-2013 Meeting Dates” to mark your calendar for summer and fall meetings.

Don’t miss this opportunity to get 6 CEU’s for FREE!!!!

Date: February 10, 2012

Time: 9:00am – 4:00pm

Location: ETSU’s Culp Center, Ballroom Left

Mental Health Professionals face legal and ethical challenges in their practices on a daily basis. Dr. Remley will provide a process for resolving both legal and ethical issues in a manner that has proven to be effective. Dr. Remley is a lawyer, licensed counselor, and Director of the CACREP-accredited counseling master’s and Ph.D. degree programs at Old Dominion University where he holds the Batten Endowed Chair in Counseling. He has written three textbooks focused on legal and ethical issues in the counseling field and is a former Executive Director of the American Counseling Association.

Topics for the workshop:

• Confidentiality
• Work Place Pressures
• Providing Service for clients at risk for suicide or violence
• Working with  Minors
• Reporting Suspected Abuse and Neglect
• Keeping Records
• Clinical and Administrative Supervision

Limited Seating

RSVP to drremleyworkshop@gmail.com

Welcome to Watauga Counseling Association’s website and thank you for visiting. Whether this is the first time you’ve explored the site or are revisiting, WCA is excited to provide information about upcoming events and opportunities.  Please check back often as we continue to work this summer to update information, finalize plans for Fall 2011, and REACH OUT to members!

Registration for the WCA Spring Workshop with Gerald Corey has begun!!

WCA members will register by emailing wataugacounseling@yahoo.com !  This workshop is FREE for current WCA members.   (If you are not a WCA member who would like to attend, also email wataugacounseling@yahoo.com to have a brochure and registration form emailed to you.)  Read on for more details…

 

Dr. Gerald Corey will give 2 presentations on March 16^th, 2009.  He will present a 3 hour Ethics workshop from 9 – 12 and a 3 hour Group Work workshop from 1:30 – 4:30.  Registration for Ethics begins at 8:30am; for Group Work at 1:15 pm. You may register for one or the other or both.  

 

How to Register:

 

Email wataugacounseling@yahoo.com before March 9th, 2009.  This is the absolute deadline for WCA members to register and attend for free.  If you do not register with me for the workshop by March 9th, you can still attend but you will have to play the full fee for the workshop.  (Price is $50 for half day; $95 for full day) I recommend that if you know you are going to attend, you register right now – it’s too easy to say “I’ll do it tomorrow” and then forget about it until after the deadline has passed.

 

Before you register, however, your membership must be CURRENT.  If your membership has lapsed or will expire before March 16th – you must renew your membership before registering.  If you email me to register and you are not on the current WCA membership list – I will not put you on the registration list.  If you are unsure of your membership status – simply email me or Becky Murray (bmurray48@hotmail.com) and we can tell you. 

 

What Registration Information I Need:

 

1 – Name:

2 – Current Email:

3 – Which presentation you wish to attend: Ethics, Group Work or Both (registration for each session is seperate so I need to know this!)

 

Lunch will not be provided.  6 Continuing Education credits are available.

 

We are very excited to have the opportunity to provide this workshop in conjunction with the ETSU Counseling Program and Frontier Health!  I hope to see all of you there and know that this year’s Spring Workshop will be a great experience!

 

At our November meeting, several attendees requested a copy of the poem “The Invitation” that Faith Mahoney read in her presentation.  Here it is!

“The Invitation”

It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living.
I want to know what you ache for,
And if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing.
It doesn’t interest me now old you are.
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love,
For your dreams,
For the adventure of being alive.
It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon…
I want to know if you can sit with pain; mine or your own,
Without moving to hide it, or fade it, or fix it.
I want to know if you can be with JOY; mine or your own.
If you can dance with wildness and let ecstasy fill you
To the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful,
Be realistic, or to remember the limitations of being human.
It doesn’t interest me if the story you are telling me is true.
I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself.
If you bare the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithful and, therefore, be trustworthy.
I want to know if you can see beauty even when it is not present everyday.
And, if you can source your own life from IT’S presence.
I want to know if you can live with failure; yours and mine,
And still stand on the edge of a mountain
And shout to the silver of the moon, “YES”!
It doesn’t interest me to know where you live
Or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up after a night of grief and despair,
Weary and bruised to the bone
And do what needs to be done for the children.
It doesn’t interest me who you know or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back.
It doesn’t interest me where or what or with whom you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away.
I want to know if you can be alone with yourself
And if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.

Oriah Mountain Dreamer
(an Objibway woman)

WCA Members,

For those of you in attendance at our Sept. 18th meeting who would like/need a Certificate of Attendance for your own records for NBCC, staff development, etc. please email Brooke Britton at Brooklyn263@yahoo.com and include your mailing address so one may be mailed to you.

Hello WCA Members!

First off — the 2008-2009 meeting dates have been set!  We will meet on Sept. 18, Nov. 20, Jan. 22, and April 16 from 6-8pm at Logan’s Restaurant in Johnson City.  The speaker for the September 18th meeting will be me – I’ll be talking about grief and loss.  We still need speakers for later meetings so if you know of anyone or would like to present something yourself – please let us know!

Second- There have been two officer changes.  Trish Clyburn and Kelly Haught have stepped down as co-president & treasurer (respectively) due to professional time restrictions.  I would like to thank both of them for the work they have done and wish them the best.  Kellie Ross is willing to step in as treasurer.  If anyone else is interested in the treasurer position, please contact me.  We will vote on this at our September 18th meeting.

Third- Dr. Pat Robertson has inquired about WCA member’s support in starting a ALGBTIC (Association for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender Issues in Counseling) division in TN.  This division has been a part of ACA for many years and this is a wonderful opportunity to promote diversity and social action in both our profession and our state.  If you are interested in learning more and helping get this started – please email Dr. Robertson at robertpe@etsu.edu.

Almost done!  If anyone is interested in helping with membership recruitment, PR, the workshop, member news, etc.  please let me know!  The more members that help out, the less work for everyone! 
Again, our first meeting is September 18th, 2008 from 6-8pm at Logan’s Restaurant in Johnson City.  Mark your calenders and I look forward to seeing you there!

Emily
2008-2009 WCA President

Welcome to the new website for the Watauga Counseling Association!  This site will provide you with news and updates about happenings in WCA, give you a central place to go or to refer others to find out more about WCA, review meeting minutes, leave comments and questions about WCA happenings, and much more. 

An email address has also been set up for WCA and you can reach any of our officers at wataugacounseling@yahoo.com if you have any questions.  

We are currently building this site up and would welcome any suggestions you, the members, have for what you would find useful or like to see here.  WCA and this site are for and about you – tell us what you need! Also email us any news or changes in your life (promotions, publications, personal life events, etc) so we can share the excitement will all our members!