MMHCA's CORE VALUES

The Professional Advocacy Committee: Building Intra-Counseling Relationships

By: Jaclynn Croyle, M.A. Counseling Student, and Professional Advocacy Committee Chair

The Theta Chapter of Chi Sigma Iota (CSI) recently announced starting a Professional Advocacy Committee.  This committee maintains that in order to help our clients and advocate for them, we need to advocate for our profession first.  While we need to bring awareness to what we do and the benefits we offer, we also need to help ensure that the profession has financial stability.  The Professional Advocacy Committee will focus on the following areas of advocacy: promoting professional identity, promoting legislative policy supporting the counseling profession, and marketplace recognition.  The committee recognizes that the profession will be stronger when there is unity among various counseling specialties.  Mental health, family and couple, career, addiction and school counselors are all counselors passionate about helping people, just in different areas of life.  Therefore, part of our mission includes building intra-professional relations, which includes co-sponsoring events with other Michigan counseling associations. 

Recently, the Theta Chapter co-sponsored with the Michigan Mental Health Counseling Association (MMHCA) the very successful Private Practice Essentials workshop.  The Private Practice Essentials workshop helped promote our profession by educating counselors on ways to be paid by insurance companies for providing services to clients.  The workshop addressed requirements for billing third party insurance carriers, which included getting a National Provider Identifier (NPI) number and applying for the Council for Affordable and Quality Healthcare (CAQA) number.  Strategies for receiving insurance reimbursement were discussed, such as a process known as "incident to" billing.  Finally, scope of practice and sound business practices were covered. 

Dr. Donald Deering, the current President of MMHCA, and Jim Blundo, the current Executive Director of MMHCA, donated their time as speakers for the workshop.  Their generosity allowed for the profits to be split between the two organizations and go towards future continuing education events for counselor passionate about helping people in all areas of life.  Upwards of 40 people attended the workshop.  CSI and the Professional Advocacy Committee are looking forward to continuing a relationship with the MMHCA, the first of many partnerships with professional associations.  Future co-sponsoring of events will allow us to work together to give back to the professional counselors in Michigan. 

The next CSI event occurs March 6, 2015 where the Theta Chapter has the pleasure of co-sponsoring the annual conference at Oakland University with MMHCA.  The theme of the 2015 conference is 'creativity in counseling'.  A key note speaker will start the morning off.  Lunch will be served and the afternoon will be full of multiple breakout sessions.  The Theta Chapter is excited to have MMHCA on board as a partner for the 2015 conference.  

Please contact Jaclynn Croyle, the Professional Advocacy Committee Chair, at jrcroyle@oakland.edu if you would like to get involved in this new initiative.

Michigan Mental Health Counselors Association (MMHCA)

 and EMU Chi Sigma Iota, Pi Omega Chapter (CSI)

This co-sponsored conference is designed to inform and enhance skills for Mental Health Professionals and Graduate Students in:

Grief and Loss Over a Lifetime

Friday, January 23, 2015

Eastern Michigan University - Student Center Rooms 300, 301 & 352

900 Oakwood St. Ypsilanti, MI 48197
 

Click here to see the Conference schedule
 

Keynote Speaker: Devika Dibya Choudhuri, Ph.D., LPC, NCC, CMHC, ACS

 Professor at Department of  Counseling & Applied Behavioral Studies at the University of Saint Joseph, West Hartford, CT

Dr. Choudhuri has taught graduate level courses in grief, trauma, and loss at the University of Saint Joseph and Eastern Michigan University. In addition to her experience in grief and loss counseling, Dr. Choudhuri is also knowledgeable about multicultural issues in counseling. Those who know Dr. Choudhuri admire her for her passion, dedication, and ability to reach people on a meaningful level.

• Attend keynote and breakout sessions about a variety of topics relating to grief and loss.
• Gain information about working with specific populations.
• Network with other mental health professionals.

Registration and Continental Breakfast: 8:00 to 8:30 AM

Conference: 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM

Informal networking 3:30 PM

Lunch on your own

5 NBCC CEU Credits     5 CEUs for Social Workers     5 SCECHs

Information/Registration online: http://www.mmhca.org/ Click on news/events page.

Registration Fees: (check one; no refunds after January 19, 2015)

___MMHCA Professional Members $75           ___ Non-Members $100 (no MMHCA membership)

___Professional Non-Members $125 (includes one year membership in MMHCA)

___CSI Graduate Students $40 (includes one year membership in MMHCA)

___Graduate Students $50 (no MMHCA membership)      

___Graduate Students $60 (includes one year membership in MMHCA)

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