Illinois Counseling Association
Lewis and Clark Chapter Report – November 2008
Submitted by Tiffany Leigh Marsh, Chapter President
The Lewis and Clark Chapter is thriving in Southern Illinois. We have plans for another exciting year of presentations and active involvement throughout our community. You can keep up to date with the Lewis and Clark Chapter by visiting our web page at icalewisandclarkchapter.org .
Our Fall meeting held October 2, 2008 at Bella Milano’s Restaurant in Edwardsville, Illinois featured guest speaker Carolyn Welch Griffin. Carolyn is co-author of book “Beyond Acceptance, Parents of Gays Talk about Their Experiences” with Marian and Art Wirth. Her experience and knowledge base is gained from thirty years in parents of gays groups, including our local chapter from 1978 and in PFLAG from 1981 when it became a national organization and thirty years and counting as an advocate for gay rights. Carolyn shared with us a general list of facts about gays and lesbians, the morality of gays and lesbians, and how gays and lesbians handle stereotypes. She also discussed the issues gays and lesbians are exposed to as they develop from childhood, through adolescence and into adulthood. Carolyn shared what she heard and what she found out throughout her journey of addressing gay and lesbian issues.
Our Chapter will host another meeting on February 5, 2009 at Tony’s Restaurant in Alton, Illinois. This meeting will feature Keith Neuber. Keith founded I K.A.N. PRESENTATIONS in 1995 with a mission of providing affordable, quality training that has practical applications for business and personal life. Keith approaches each training with the energy and enthusiasm that keeps participants engaged, learning and motivated to make changes in their approach to the challenges of daily life. We are looking forward to having Keith present to us in February.
Our April presentation and meeting will feature guest speaker, Bill Miller with Principia College. Bill will discuss race, gender, and ethnicity issues facing today’s counselors.
The Lewis and Clark Chapter continues to work with IMHCA to cosponsor workshops in Southern Illinois. Most recently, on November 7, 2008 our chapter welcomed Fran Giordano to Collinsville Holiday Inn to present on “Helping Couples Manage their Anger and Work Through Conflicts”. We hope to continue to bring more workshops to the area and are eager to support ICA and other divisions interested in this endeavor.
We also plan to continue to work with our Regional Representative and local colleges/universities to promote the counseling profession and recruit new members and potential future leaders.
The Lewis and Clark Chapter is very excited about the plans in progress to hold a mini conference in our region in 2010. We are hoping to use this as stepping stone to help connect the gap between Northern and Southern Illinois and to promote the benefits of ICA to counselors in our region.
We invite you to join our membership of dedicated and committed professionals for support, information, and fun. If you would like to become a member or would like more information, please contact Tiffany Leigh Marsh at 618-210-7782 or .