The Virginia School Counseling Association conference was a wonderful time of confirmation, learning, and renewal. It was excellent to be around other school counselors from around the state and to really feel like I belonged there. I related to the information being presented and really felt like it pertained to me and would be useful for my future career. This year I have taken an interest in topics that I don’t have much knowledge in and will inevitably be faced with in my career such as suicide, self harm, and eating disorders. I was so excited to see these topics in the breakout sessions as an opportunity to learn more about them and to connect to them on a more personal level. I felt like I left the conference more equipped with information and useful resources to use in addressing these issues in my counseling career. While I spent a lot of time learning, it was also a great time of renewal as we learned a lot about self care. Although I hear all the time that it’s important to take care of yourself first so that you can be an effective counselor it was great to hear tips on how to do that and to see examples of how well it really works and the impact that it can have not only on ourselves but on our students and our families! The two days I spent at the VSCA conference gave me tools that I will be able to stow away in my toolbox for future use in my career and I’m thankful to have had the opportunity to attend. I definitely look forward to going back!