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May is Mental Health Month - Come to Celebrate!
AMHCA and AMHCA Foundation invite you to celebrate
May as the Mental Health Month
and to emphasize the positive aspects of
Mental Health for every individual.

May 3: March for Mental Health

May 5-11: National Mental Health Counseling Week

May 7: Mental Health Awareness Day

For PBS 90-minutes documentary
about recognizing, and researching depression -
DEPRESSION: OUT of the Shadows - please click here

PETITION
for a Mental Health Awareness Commemorative
POSTAGE STAMP

Your Association-AMHCA

Boost Your Knowledge
with a Pre-Conference Workshop in San Diego
This year, AMHCA offers three pre-conference workshops-on ethics and risk management, building a successful private practice, and debriefing versus psychological first aid. All will be offered concurrently, on Thursday, July 17, from 1:30-5:30 p.m.
> Click here to download the entire Annual Conference program with details on the pre-conference workshops.
> Click here to register for the conference.

The San Diego Bay and city skyline.

May Is Mental Health Month
Join the activities taking place all over the country next month in support of the mental health counseling profession. AMHCA's Foundation, AMHCF, kicks off the month on March 3 with a March for Mental Health. May 7 is the first annual Mental Health Awareness Day. National Mental Health Counseling Week is May 5-11. To get in on the activities, contact your state chapter, or contact AMHCA at 800-326-2642.
> Access list of chapters

Your Profession

Antidepressants" Antidepressants Get More Than Their Fair Share of Credit
Use of antidepressants by middle-aged and elderly people accounts for likely only 10 percent of the recent fall in suicide rates among that group, according to a study of 2 million Danes age 50 and over that is being published in the May issue of the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
> Read more

Too Many Choices
People faced with numerous choices, whether good or bad, find it difficult to stay focused enough to complete projects, handle daily tasks, or even take their medicine, according to an article published in this month's Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Researchers found that even if people are having fun making decisions, their cognitive functions are still being depleted with every choice they make.
> Click here for summary of article findings.
> Click here for full text of the article.

Beck Institute Dispels Three Misunderstandings
about Cognitive Therapy
Myth: Cognitive Therapy is all about changing your thinking, and does not involve behavioral change. Myth: Cognitive Therapy only deals with surface layer problems, and it doesn't do much to change the root of people's problems. Myth: All Cognitive Therapists do the same kind of therapy, so if I have already tried a cognitive therapist and it didn't help, that means the treatment itself doesn't help.
> Read more

Your Practice

Tune in to PBS for Documentary on Depression
DEPRESSION: Out of the Shadows, a 90-minute documentary about clinical depression that will air May 21 on public television stations across the country, tells the dramatic stories of individuals of different ages and diverse backgrounds who live with depression. The documentary also features medical experts discussing the causes and treatments of depression. Following the film, broadcast journalist Jane Pauley will host a 30-minute roundtable discussion in which panelists offer advice on recognizing and treating depression.
> Read more

Family Children's Coalition Creates Bill of Rights for Children with Mental Health Disorders and their Families
Created because of the inconsistency of accessible mental healthcare services throughout the country, the Children's Bill of Rights includes "Treatment must be family-driven and child-focused," and "Children and families need and deserve access to mental health professionals with appropriate training and experience. Primary care professionals providing mental health services must have access to consultation and referral resources from qualified mental health professionals."
> Read more

Advocate Sneak Preview

Articles from the not-yet-published May 2008 Advocate.

FEATURES

May Is Mental Health Month-Celebrate!: AMHCA participates in a month of activities bringing attention to the profession and to the importance of mental health awareness.

Volunteer Your Time to Help Teens While You're in San Diego: Conference attendees can volunteer at a San Diego Teen Recovery Center by working with the youth there, conducting a youth-friendly presentation on co-occurring disorders, family relationships, or cultural diversity. Volunteers could also choose to participate in recreational activities with the teens.

There Is Lots to See and Do While You’re in San Diego for AMHCA's Annual Conference: Take up AMHCA's unofficial conference motto, "Come for the conference ...stay for a vacation," and see the many wonderful sites of California's second-largest city.

PLUS REGULAR DEPARTMENTS, INCLUDING

AMHC Foundation: Student Scholarships Available, plus list of donors
Chapter News: Florida
Counseling TIPS: Do Counselors Need to Apologize?
The Last Word: Mental Health Awareness and the Workplace
News From Washington:

Urge Congress to Pass Strong Parity Legislation
What You Can Do
Sen. Hatch Is Honorary Chair of National Mental Health Counseling Week

New Members: The names of the 158 new members who recently joined AMHCA
Noteworthy:

May Brings Special Focus to Mental Health, Mental Health Counseling
Stamp Petition Encourages Mental Health Awareness, plus table showing state-by-state tally of signatures in support of the petition
Counselor Leaders Network at ACA Conference
DoD Program Seeks LPCs to Work With Military Families

The President's Say:

Celebrating Mental Health
Questionable Assumptions
Shifting the Emphasis to Fitness, Not Just Fixing

AMHCA Celebrates the First-Ever Mental Health Awareness Day

American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA) celebrates the first-ever Mental Health Awareness Day on May 7.

Dr. Linda Barclay is AMHCA President-Elect

AMHCA is pleased to announce that Dr. Linda Barclay has been elected President-Elect and will serve in 2009-2010.

AMHCA Partners with PBS Documentary

On May 21^st PBS will nationally broadcast Depression: Out of the Shadows.

U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch to Serve as Honorary Chair of Mental Health Counseling Week

The American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA) is pleased to announce that Senator Orrin G. Hatch (R-UT) has agreed to serve as Honorary Chair of Mental Health Counseling Week, to be held May 5- 1, 2008, during National Mental Health Month.

AMHCA Applauds House Passage of Mental Health Parity Bill

In a historic vote on March 5, 2008, the U.S. House of Representatives passed, by an overwhelming vote of 268 to 148, the Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act (H.R. 1424).

California Mental Health Counselors Association (CAMHCA) Launches First Website

AMHCA is proud to announce that California Mental Health Counselors Association (CAMHCA) has its first website. Please visit them at www.camhca.org.

AMHCA Regrets University Shooting

AMHCA extends our condolences to the students, faculty and administration at Northern Illinois University as well as their families, friends and loved ones.

AMHCA Names Award for Dr. Linda Seligman

The AMHCA Board of Directors has named the annual counselor educator award after the late Linda Seligman and it will now be called the Dr. Linda Seligman Counselor Educator of the Year Award.

AMHCA Launches Electronic Petition for Mental Health Awareness Stamp

The American Mental Health Counselors Association is pleased to launch a website petition for a Mental Health Awareness Commemorative Postage Stamp.

2008 AMHCA Awards to Embrace Diversity, Celebrate Achievement

Please click here for award categories and how to nominate individual or a state chapter.

The Member Service Committee invites AMHCA members to submit nominations for an individual in one of several categories as well as nominations for AMHCA state chapters (both large and small) that have made outstanding progress in the last year.

Rhode Island Chapter Joins Unified Dues

AMHCA now has 18 state chapters in the Unified Dues Program with the recent admission of Rhode Island.

AMHCA Annual Conference Registration Now Open

AMHCA Annual Conference Registration for San Diego (July 17-19, 2008) is now open.

AMHCA Welcomes Puerto Rico Chapter

AMHCA is pleased to announce the establishment of a Puerto Rico chapter. The Puerto Rico leadership has been working over several months with the AMHCA national office addressing the chartering process.

AMHCA Attends Presidential Candidates Town Hall Meeting in South Carolina

On November 29^th AMHCA was represented by Dr. Paul Carlson, a long-time member, at the Columbia, South Carolina presidential candidate Town Hall Meeting.

Utah and California Chapters Join Unified Dues

AMHCA now has 17 state chapters in the Unified Dues Program with the recent admission of Utah and California.

AMHCA Partners with FedEx and Kinko's For New Member Benefit

AMHCA' newest business partner is FedEx and Kinko’s. AMHCA members will be eligible for discounts from both companies.

Dr. Jose' Szapocznik to Keynote

The San Diego Annual Conference keynote will be delivered by Dr. Jose' Szapocznik.

AMHCA to Publish New Membership Directory

AMHCA in partnership with Harris Connect will publish early in 2009 a new edition of the AMHCA Membership Directory.

The AMHCA Foundation Announces Logo

AMHCA Foundation has announced its’ logo. Foundation Chair Dr. Bob Bakko has stated, "The Foundation Board is most pleased to release the logo in time for the Annual National Conference in New Orleans".

Mental Health Counselors included in New Medicare Legislation

The American Mental Health Counselors Association and its partners’ efforts to pass Medicare reimbursement for state-licensed mental health counselors took another step further on June 26, 2007, with the introduction of H.R. 2860, the Health Care Access and Rural Equity (H-CARE) Act of 2007.

Congress Passes Legislation to Include Mental Health Counselors in VA Programs

The American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA) today applauded the passage of S. 3421, the Veterans Benefits, Healthcare, and Information Act," legislation that, among other things, will allow the Department of Veterans’ Affairs to hire mental health counselors.

AMHCA’s Mental Health Awareness Year is Official!
Make the Mental Health Awareness Stamp a Reality-Join the Petition Now.
Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack signed a proclamation designating The Year of Mental Health Awareness and supports a nationwide petition drive for a new Mental Health Awareness stamp. To join the petition use this form or contact AMHCA at 800-326-2642.

Join or Renew Now

American Mental Health Counselors Association
801 N. Fairfax Street Suite 304
Alexandria, VA 22314
800-326-2642 | 703-548-6002
Fax 703-548-4775

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