Each president of AMHCA has an opportunity to select a location and plan a trip during their commitment to the office (President-elect, president, past president). As the current past-president, I have decided to go to Scotland. On May 6th and 7th of 2020, we will be in Edinburgh, Scotland, which for me is a truly magical place. Of course this is a travel opportunity and you may stay as long as you like, but we'd appreciate AMHCA member participation as we visit the University of Edinburgh for planned events.
The goal is to have some interchange – learn how they prepare clinical mental health counselors and perhaps understand and compare some of the differences between the two countries. We will also prepare a presentation for anyone there who wishes to learn about our transition from a non-licensed specialty to a major discipline licensed in all 50 states, and of course how we prepare our graduate students for a career in the field. On the second day, May 7th, they have a student postgraduate research conference, where their masters and doctoral students present on their research projects and we have been invited to attend. This is not a conference but rather a travel opportunity and it will give us a chance to build relationships.
According to their website, "The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1582, is the sixth oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's ancient universities. The university has five main campuses in the city of Edinburgh, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university. The university played an important role in leading Edinburgh to its reputation as a chief intellectual centre during the Age of Enlightenment, and helped give the city the nickname of the Athens of the North."
Attendees may stay where you wish, but I have selected the hotel KM Central, which is stated to be a 4 minute walk from the University of Edinburgh, and is described on the hotel website as follows: "The modern layout and stylish design of the rooms provide everything you need to relax and unwind after a day enjoying the sights and sounds of Edinburgh. Each room has top of the range Elite mattresses to ensure you get a great night's sleep - large TVs with a wide choice of Freeview channels and free WiFi. Our newly fitted bathrooms come with drencher showers - fluffy towels and complimentary Arran Aromatics shampoo and shower gel." Apparently it also has a golf course and restaurant.
As for the hotel and flights, each guest (or couple or family) needs to make their own reservations. Remember, this is a travel opportunity, but not a conference and so each of us needs to decide how long we will be staying and when and how we will fly there. As stated, you need not stay in the selected hotel. However I do want to know who is planning to attend as you are of course invited to scheduled events and activities. Please feel free to email me at hagoodman@comcast.net.
As for the hotel "Please direct your guests to the on-line booking page
www.book.accom.ed.ac.uk. Alternatively the reservations team can be contacted by phone +44 (0)131 651 2007 or e-mail at bed.breakfast@ed.ac.uk . Please note that we do require full payment at the time of making bookings. If you wish to make payment by credit or debit card, do not send these details be e-mail.
Please call the Reservations team directly on; 0131 651 2007.
The standard selling rate for KM Central is as follows for Bed & Breakfast:
• Room Type & occupancy Jan - Mar Apr - Jun
• Oct - Dec Jul - Sep August
• Double room (single occ.) £109.00 £119.00 £139.00 £164.00
• Double room £129.00 £139.00 £159.00 £184.00
• However there are often special offer, non-refundable or Room Only rates available on-line.
Kindest Regards,
Sian Cusack
Reservations Co-Ordinator
Accommodation, Catering and Events
I am very excited about this trip, and if you haven't been to Edinburgh, you may want to visit the website at
https://edinburgh.org/. This is where you'll find the Official Guide to Edinburgh. It is an amazing place. We also want to limit participation, so please make your decision soon – and don't forget to let me know. All AMHCA members and their guests are welcome. Flight fill up fast, depending on where you are traveling from and your selected dates, so please don’t delay.