Tracks

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AMHCA has mapped out several suggested tracks/itineraries to make it easier for attendees to select their sessions.

For each session listed in a track the sheets include:

  • dates
  • times
  • titles
  • presenters
  • descriptions
  • learning objectives of each session, and
  • the target audience.

*Suggested track sessions are completely optional.

Suggested Tracks

  • Advocacy and Leadership Track
    The Clinical Mental Health Counselor Declaration (A Hippocratic Pledge) has a section that states, "I will advocate for the betterment of others, for equality, inclusion, and the intrinsic dignity and the inherent rights of every person, and for the advancement of health and well-being." With the charge of advocating for the well-being of individuals, families, and communities, it is prudent for counselors to learn how to advocate, not only for themselves and their profession, but for those in their community and their clients.
    Advocacy and Leadership Track

  • Child & Adolescent Track
    Children and adolescents often present different symptomatic presentations of these disorders compared with adults, requiring specialized knowledge of diagnosis and treatment. Several notable neurodevelopmental conditions emerge during early childhood, including autism and spectrum disorders and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Late adolescence is also the time when major mental disorders such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia develop, with prodromal symptoms often appearing earlier in adolescence. 
    Child & Adolescent Track

  • Couples and Family Track
    Counselors are required to be knowledgeable with the distinctive ethics and standards of practice in the treatment of families or couples. Counselors must be committed to comply with legal, ethical, and practice standards related to this work: e.g. consent to treat, confidentiality; mandated reporting, appropriate treatment facilities; referral relationships; etc. 
    Couples and Family Track

  • Developmental and Learning Disabilities Track
    Counselors must be committed to comply with legal, ethical, and practice standards related to this work: e.g. promotion of positive support networks, community inclusion and least restrictive environments; interdisciplinary collaboration; behavioral treatment models; adaptive equipment and environmental needs; assessment of co-occurring mental disorders; psychopharmacology, etc. A clinical mental health counselor demonstrates qualifying expertise with this population and enhances the services for people with developmental disabilities, and works with other specialists, state agencies, and third-party payers.
    Developmental and Learning Disabilities Track

  • Diversity and Multicultural Track 
    Mental health counselors have a responsibility to educate themselves about their own biases toward those of different races, creeds identities, orientations, cultures, and physical and mental abilities. They recognize the important need to be competent in regard to cultural diversity and are sensitive to the diversity of varying populations as well as to changes in cultural expectations and values over time. 
    Diversity and Multicultural Track

  • Ethics Track
    Mental health counselors subscribe to and pledge to abide by a principle code of ethics. They are expected to utilize carefully considered ethical decision-making processes when faced with ethical dilemas, make sound ethical decisions, and utilize ethical behaviors and best practices. 
    Ethics Track

  • Forensic Evaluation Track
    Knowledge and skills in forensic evaluation is a prerequisite when providing competent service to the judicial system and its stakeholders. In many judicial jurisdictions throughout the United States, there is a shortage of trained forensic mental health professionals to meet the demands of the criminal justice and family court systems, resulting in delays that risk violating defendants’ constitutional due process rights.
    Forensic Evaluation Track

  • Gender Identity and Sexual Identity Track 
    Gender-expansive populations, which encompass those whose gender identity differs from the sex assigned at birth, have been and continue to be harshly judged by many persons in society and often report feeling invisible. People in this population attempt and die from suicide at devastatingly higher rates than does the cisgender population (those whose sex assigned at birth matches their gender identity). LCMHCs have an ethical responsibility to honor diversity, and to promote health, wellness, and personal growth for all, no matter a person’s uniqueness or social and cultural context. In order to abide by this core value, LCMHCs’ practices must be guided by relevant knowledge and skill.
    Gender Identity and Sexual Identity Track

  • Geriatric Track
    Older adults, those aged 60 or above, make important contributions to society as family members, volunteers and as active participants in the workforce. While most have good mental health, many older adults are at risk of developing mental disorders, neurological disorders or substance use problems as well as other health conditions such as diabetes, hearing loss, and osteoarthritis, to name but a few illnesses that may present in older persons. Furthermore, as people age, they are more likely to experience several conditions at the same time. Mental health problems can be under-identified by health care professionals and older adults themselves, and the stigma surrounding mental illness can make older adults reluctant to seek help. Substance use problems among the elderly can also be overlooked or misdiagnosed.
    Geriatric Track

  • Integrated Care, Practice Issues, and Healthcare Reform Track 
    AMHCA believes that mental health counseling is at the core of healthy individual. Integrated care models hold promise in addressing many of the challenges facing our health care system. We believe that the clinical and policy expertise that CMHCs possess and can provide will be invaluable to other primary care physicians in developing innovations in integration to improve the nation’s public’s health, with the goal of dramatically reducing the unacceptable high morbidity and mortality rates experienced by Americans with mental illness. 
    Integrated Care, Practice Issues, and Healthcare Reform Track

  • Military and Veterans Affairs Track
    It is important for mental health counselors to recognize the values and needs of this special population. Counselors can be effective meeting the needs of this population when they are aware of the specific challenges and cultural norms that are a large part of serving in the military. 
    Military and Veterans Affairs Track

  • Neuroscience and Biological Bases of Behavior Track 
    AMHCA continues to be a leader in promoting our understanding of the role of neuroscience in the training, research, and practice of clinical mental health counseling.  In addition to a robust interest network, AMHCA is the first counseling association to establish neuroscience-related standards, publish a special edition and create a special section in our journal, and establish a task force to provide direction on the future of neuroscience in our field. 
    Neuroscience and Biological Bases of Behavior Track

  • Specialized Clinical Assessment Track
    Through the use of assessment techniques, both client and counselor can gain an awareness of the unique constellation of traits, qualities, abilities, and characteristics that define each individual as unique. The assessment process considers mental and emotional well-being, physiological health, as well as relationship and contextual concerns. 
    Specialized Clinical Assessment Suggested Track

  • Substance Use and Co-Occurring Disorders Track
    Practitioners working in substance use and addictions must be knowledgeable with the distinctive ethics and standards of practice in the treatment of substance abuse and co-occurring disorders. Counselors must be committed to comply with legal, ethical, and practice standards related to this work: e.g. consent to treat, confidentiality; mandated reporting, appropriate treatment facilities; referral relationships; etc. This year at the AMHCA Conference our substance use/addictions track focuses on teens, trauma and substance use, helping difficult clients, complex trauma, building resilience, medical marijuana and more.
    Substance Use and Co-Occurring Disorders Track

  • Supervision Track
    Clinical mental health counselors maintain a program of peer review, supervision and consultation evenafter they are independently licensed. It is expected that clinical mental health counselors seek additionalsupervision or consultation to respond to the needs of individual clients, as difficulties beyond their rangeof expertise arise. While need is to be determined individually, independently licensed clinical mentalhealth counselors must ensure an optimal level of consultation and supervision to meet client needs.
    Supervision Track

  • Technology Assisted Counseling Track 
    Mental health is adapting to the use of advanced communication technologies and the Internet for delivery of care and care support. By using advanced communication technologies, clinical mental health counselors are able to widen their reach to clients/patients in a cost-effective manner, ameliorating the mal-distribution of specialty care. 
    Technology Assisted Counseling Track

  • Trauma and Crisis Assessment and Treatment Track 
    Many individuals seek counseling to resolve symptoms associated with traumatic or chronically distressful experiences. Those experiences may include single-episode traumatic events (such as a mugging, assault, tornado, etc.), or complex trauma (sometimes referred to as developmental trauma or poly-victimization) experienced in childhood, adolescence, or adulthood featuring chronic abuse, neglect, or exposure to other harsh adversities. 
    Trauma and Crisis Assessment and Treatment Track