vca-funI had the pleasure of attending and presenting a poster at the 2016 Virginia Counselors Association (VCA) Conference in Williamsburg, Virginia. The conference was excellent overall, and particularly in the focus on LGBTQ related issues and in social justice issues faced in the counseling profession today. My presentation, about trauma assessment measures that are commonly used with children, was well received. It was particularly rewarding to have conversations about this with fellow professionals in the field who do similar work to my work in the school system. The ability to share ideas with these people was the most powerful thing that happened at the conference. The exchange of immediately useful ideas and information changed how I respond to a couple of common daily occurrences at my school.

 

Spending time with the professors, alumni, and current graduate students at the school was another positive. It was enlightening to have professional and personal conversations with people and to talk about where the Longwood program has been and where it is going.