Professional Travel Grants for Graduate Students
Posts tagged VCA15
VCA 2015
9 years
by
in Counselor Education
I was fortunate to have the chance to travel to the 2015 Virginia Counselors Association Conference. It was truly a pleasure to share this time with the many Longwood students, professors, and alumnus in attendance, as you can see in this photo. There were two significant highlights of the presentations for me. The first was getting a chance to hear Dr. David Kaplan from the ACA talk about the profession as we move forward and the many changes that are coming in accreditation and licensure. This was a reassurance that Longwood is moving in the right direction without leaving behind our alums and current students. Secondly, I was intrigued by how brain development and the biology of the brain was interwoven into so many of the presentations I was able to attend. This is a particular area of interest for me, and seeing that it is becoming a focus of the profession is propelling me to learn more going forward.
Virginia Counselors Association Convention
9 years
by
in Counselor Education
I recently had the opportunity to attend the Virginia Counselors Association Annual Convention for the second year in a row. The convention was held at The Homestead in Hot Springs, VA. At the convention, I attended several sessions on topics such as bully prevention programs, non-suicidal self-harm, overcoming tragedies, using students as leaders in counseling, having a growth mindset versus a fixed mindset, how counselors and attorneys work together, and using board games and computer games in counseling. The keynote speaker, Sherene McHenry, delivered an inspiring and informative address on love languages and how we can use them to strengthen relationships in both our personal and professional lives.
Aside from learning and expanding my counseling knowledge, my favorite part of the convention was networking with classmates, alumni, and professors from Longwood, along with my internship supervisor and other colleagues and professionals. Once again, the Virginia Counselors Association Convention left me feeling refreshed and even more excited and prepared to begin my career as a professional school counselor.
VCA 2015
9 years
by
in Counselor Education
I had the great opportunity to attend the 2015 Virginia Counseling Association Conference at the beautiful Homestead in Hot Springs, VA.
I attended presentations about mindfulness and yoga, attachment and trauma, international students and counseling efforts, emergency custody procedures, starting a private practice, moral injury in veterans and many more.
While I am passionate about learning all that I can about trauma and PTSD, the concept of “post traumatic growth” was new to me and was explored in a few breakout sessions.
It was wonderful meeting professionals in the field from all over the state. I enjoyed learning about various counseling settings and received advice from experienced professional counselors. It was fun to connect with Longwood professors, alumni, and classmates outside of the classroom as well! Thank you, Longwood University!
– Amy Kennel
VCA Conference 2015- Getting back to the Basics
9 years
by
in Counselor Education
I signed up as a volunteer at the VCA convention, because I wanted an opportunity to meet ANYONE I could. Well that and I love working, I honestly can’t sit still. My classmate and I started our journey to The Homestead after a riveting lecture on the DSM 5! The drive up added meaning to the song “over hills and through the woods”. However, we made it safely to the hotel and welcomed the jaw dropping view.
Eagerly, I hit my alarm at 6:15 a.m. to get ready for a day. I headed downstairs to meet a nice older gentlemen, who quickly shows me “the ropes”. In no time I was checking people in, before heading to a 7:30 morning mediation session. For people who know me, sitting quietly is hard. My mind goes a thousand miles per hour and I’m already thinking about what to do next after I write this blog! Even though I struggled in morning mediation, I did learn to “touch my thought”. The instructor told us that it will take some work to meditate, but if you acknowledge the thought (touch it) and move on, you won’t be tied down by it. I know that he meant for us to use it for medication, however I am using it in my day to day interactions. Instead of letting negative thoughts or feelings control my day, I acknowledge the thought/feeling and let it go.
After breakfast, I head back up to the registration table to help out until Professor Doyle’s presentation. His presentation was on Interdisciplinary Teamwork, specifically the counselor and the lawyer relationship. I also attending Professor Wynne’s presentation on The Power of Peers: Utilizing Students in Classroom Guidance Delivery. She also talked about using interdisciplinary teamwork, not with regard to the student, but in regard to working with teachers. However, now that I think about it, the students added a level of teamwork as well. Both of our Longwood professors did an excellent job and had great turnout! #golongwood I spent the rest of my afternoon in Relationship 101 and I am not Jason, I’m Jessica. They both were very interesting and I learned a lot.
I was not for sure what to expect from my first conference, but what I did learn is to get back to the basics. We all have busy lives and are sometimes forgetful of the small things. Some of us over-analyze, when all we really need to do is stop, take a deep breath and go back to what we know. I feel that conferences can be a place for you to learn new knowledge, catch up with your past, refocus your future and leave ready to fight another day. Maybe that is an overly optimistic viewpoint, but it’s what I took from the whole process. Since I am still working on my basics in Counseling, I will take what I learned and continue studying.
Wish me luck!
-Setera
VCA Conference at the Homestead 2015
9 years
by
in Counselor Education
I had the great pleasure of being able to attend the annual Virginia Counselors Association conference this past weekend. I was able to network with fellow graduate students in the counselor education program and meet professionals who were able to answer my questions and teach me more about the counseling field. The presentations were excellent and very informative for a graduate student to listen too. I learned so much during my attendance and would encourage all graduate students to seek such experiences during their studies!