The
The Advocate
Website : www . amhca . org Phone : 703 / 548 – 6002 or Magazine
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Website : www . amhca . org Phone : 703 / 548 – 6002
The Advocate Magazine is published quarterly , by the American Mental Health Counselors Association ( AMHCA ). Issues are posted at www . amhca . org / advocatemag , where they can be downloaded as PDFs .
45 th AMHCA President , 2021 – 2022 Beverly Smith , PhD , LPC , CPCS , NCC , MAC , ACS , CCMHC , NCSC , CFT , BC-TMH , HS-BCP , CCTP
Publisher AMHCA
Consulting Editors
Angele Moss – Baker , LPC , LMFT , MAC , DCMHS- COD AMHCA Past President , 2021 – 2022 44 th AMHCA President , 2020 – 2021
Aaron Norton , PhD , LMHC , LMFT , MCAP , CCMHC , CRC , CFMHE AMHCA Southern Region Director
Editor in Chief Whitney Meyerhoeffer
Editor Kathleen McCarthy
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Article submission guidelines : Send copy for The Advocate Magazine to AMHCA no later than six weeks prior to issue date . Email copy to Kathleen McCarthy at mccarthy . kathleen @ gmail . com and CC wmeyerhoeffer @ amhca . org .
© 2021 , American Mental Health Counselors Association . All rights reserved . No portion of this publication may be reproduced by any means without the written consent of The Advocate Magazine editor or AMHCA ’ s executive director & CEO .
The President ’ s Perspective
By Beverly Smith , PhD , LPC , CPCS , NCC , MAC , ACS , CCMHC , NCSC , CFT , BC-TMH , HS-BCP , CCTP 45 th AMHCA President , 2021 – 2022
Still . Here .
We thought COVID-19 would have been over and done by now . Instead , we find ourselves still here . Still . Here . In the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic . And here with a range of responses to this reality : yes , organizational mourning , but also celebrations , challenges , and ambivalence . Some people are eager to move on with life as they once knew it ; yet others are determined to create an improved way of existing and co-existing in our diverse world . What are the pertinent questions we must ask ourselves — AMHCA members and leaders alike — that will address how we move our organization forward through the pandemic and beyond ? These are the questions before us :
• How do we resolve organizational ambivalence ?
• How do we focus on our mission and vision in a new era ?
• How do we pivot to embrace our new era , one that thirsts for a deeper level of diversity , equity , and inclusion ?
• How do we maintain relevance while being sustainable in a changing world ?
• How do we address these layered questions for AMHCA and ourselves — recognizing that leaders across America are grappling with the same questions to provide layered , action responses that will result in an improved product or service ?
What works for one organization may not work for AMHCA . At AMHCA , we are pivoting to ensure longevity by revisiting our strategic plan , seeking financial growth opportunities , ensuring that our committees are diverse and welcoming of inclusion , providing relevant programing , attending to our brand , engaging new members , and clearing pathways for leadership that inspire change for AMHCA to expand its reach for a greater impact .
Making Room for Everyone
AMHCA has been in the professional counseling arena for 45 years . We are still here ! While I believe many more productive years lie ahead , my immediate goal for AMHCA is not only to survive the economic crisis , but to thrive , and to lead the association in this era and space in a way that makes room for more people to contribute to AMHCA ’ s greatness . Making room for everyone promotes diversity , equity , and inclusion . Making room means we recognize and remove the barriers for others so that they can share their voice and experiences and lend a hand to constructing an improved AMHCA . Making room means the door is open for enhanced methods of collaboration . Making room means no one has to leave their identity outside the door to be present at the table . Making room means that new leaders do not have to defend themselves or their ideas by themselves . Making room is embodied in the philosophy that we are truly “ in it together .”
Making Room for Growth
Please reach out to your state chapter , region director , AMHCA committees and task forces ( click the relevant link at www . amhca . org / about / about-us ), and to fellow members through AMHCA ’ s Open Forum https :// bit . ly / 3uZRDIW to lend your expertise to our efforts to advance your profession . We are still here and we are in it to win it together ! Join us as we make room for growth . Invite other professionals to join us , share sponsorship opportunities , and commit to the future of AMHCA . As an organization , we will continue to clear paths for authentic leadership , advocacy , and strategic support , to promote multiculturalism and social justices , and to provide enhanced membership services by continuing reimagining AMHCA . # StillHere # LetsGo # LetsGrow
4 The Advocate Magazine Summer 2021 American Mental Health Counselors Association ( AMHCA ) www . amhca . org