West Central Illinois Professional Counselors Association

Report to the Illinois Counseling Association

February, 2016

The West Central Illinois Professional Counselors Association (WCIPCA) continues to meet regularly in Macomb, Illinois. Leadership for WCIPCA includes Terri Shafer whoserves as president; Estela Pledge whoserves as treasurer; and Jim Di’Tulio who serves as Secretary. WCIPCA has a paid membership of 28 professionals. Fifteen of the members belong to ICA.

WCIPCA’s intention is to providepresentations ofvarious interests to WCIPCA members and the Macomb area on a regular basis. An Education Committee conducts research and selects topics/speakers of interest to the membership in place of the March meeting. The Education Committee applied for and received a $1,000 grant from the Illinois Counseling Association Foundation to help with the program that will be presented on March 11, 2016. As of this date, the program topic will be co-dependency and the speaker will be Ross Rosenberg. The program will be located in Macomb, IL and will provide at least 6 CEUs for counselors, social workers, and psychologists.

WCIPCA meets on a monthly basis except in January, June, and July. The monthly meetings include a brief business meeting followed by a guest speaker. With ICA’s assistance, WCIPCA members receive 1 CEU each month. For longer workshops, CEU’s may be obtained by LCSW’s as well. Since November, 2015 the following topics have been presented:

November, 2015

Presenters: Jacey Downing MSEd, LCPC, Heidi Mench, BS in Independent Studies, and Jamie Becker, BS

Psychosocial Rehabilitation (PSR)

The goal of this presentation will be to inform the WCIPCA members of the PSR program that is offered at NCBHS. We will discuss the program requirements, how we determine the clients need the service, an overview of the DLA 20-Daily Living Activities, and how the program has changed over the years.

December, 2015

Explorations of the Digital Self

Presenter: Chris Corbett, PsyD, LCP

This discussion will focus on the impact of increased rates of digital interaction with the world. It will look at how this medium is impacting our development, focusing on the development of self, and how we interact with our world. Pros and cons of this process will be presented, and finally, implications for clinical practice will be discussed. Relevant research will be summarized.

The Application of Interpersonal Neurobiology to Counseling Practice

Presenter: Leslie W. O’Ryan, Ed.D., LCPC, NCC

COMING SOON! March 11, 2016

The Human Magnet Syndrome: Why We love People Who Hurt Us

Presented by: Ross Rosenberg, M.Ed., LCPC, CADC, CSAT

Sponsored by: West Central Illinois Professional Counselors Association, Illinois counseling Association Foundation, and Illinois Mental Health Counselor Academy

(A flier for this workshop is attached. Please feel free to share it. The event is listed on the ICA calendar.)

The members of WCIPCA are a diverse professional group. We strive to meet the needs for professional networking across all work settings. We encourage all of our members to educate themselves on the latest research in their professions as well as striving to provide presentations on topics they express interest in. Our membership represents a wealth of experience and contribution in the field.

Terri F. Shafer, MS Ed., NCC, LCPC

President, WCIPCA