SACES Virtual Professional Development Webinar Series

SACES is pleased to offer webinars for training in a variety of areas for students, professional counselors, supervisors, and counselor educators.If you have questions about the webinar series, please contact webinars@saces.org. If you are interested in being a webinar presenter, please complete the SACES Webinar Presenter form.

SACES strives to ensure all information, presentations, and webinars are equitable and accessible for all. To request accommodations, please complete the webinar registration as you will find a space to request the necessary accommodations for each event. If accommodations are needed, please plan to register for the webinar events one week in advance to provide our support team enough time to fulfill all accommodations needed. Feel free to email our webinar team at webinars@saces.org to further discuss necessary accommodations, if needed.

Southern Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (SACES) has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 2076. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. SACES is solely responsible for all aspects of the program.

**Each monthly webinar will be recorded and available for viewing after the live event at http://www.saces.org/webinars.

April Webinar - April 17th, 2025, 12-1PM EST

Clinical Supervision and the Transition Process: Transgender and Gender Expansive Clients

Presenters: Drs. Isabel Farrell (President), Noelle St. Germain-Sehr (President-Elect), Michael Jones (Past-President), Derrick Shepard (Treasurer), Joe Campbell (Secretary and President Elect-Elect), Michelle Pinellas (Secretary-Elect), and our Graduate Student Representative-Designee, Kelci Ellis. 

            

Learning Objectives:

1. Attendees will learn how to assess various ways to get involved within SACES, such as attending events, volunteering for committees, and contributing to publications or webinars. 

2. Participants will connect with several Executive Committee Members and learn about their roles.  

3. Participants will be able to explain the personal and professional advantages of joining and actively participating at SACES.  

Registration: Getting Involved with SACES.

November Webinar - November 21st, 2024, 12-1pm EST

Clinical Supervision and the Transition Process: Transgender and Gender Expansive Clients

Presenters:

• Beck A. Munsey, Ph.D., NCC, LPC-S
• Ryan Holliman, PhD, LPC-S

Bios:

Beck A. Munsey Ph.D., NCC, LPC-S is a counselor, supervisor, and Full Professor. As a counselor, Dr. Munsey has a private practice in the Fort Worth, TX area primarily working with Transgender and Gender Non-conforming adults. In addition, he also works with other members of the LGBTGEQIAP+ community and mental health disorders regardless of identity. As a supervisor, he has a few LPC-Associates on his case load. He works with them to help develop their skills and earn their hours towards their full license as an LPC. In Dr. Munsey’s role as Full Professor at Tarleton State University in the Counseling Department, he supports the counseling program, and helps students develop skills and an understanding of what it means to be a mental health professional. He continues to lead advocacy efforts with TCA for the LGBTGEQIAP+ population. Dr. Munsey has done numerous presentations for Mental Health Professionals and School Counselors on ways counselors can provide affirming therapeutic practices for LGBTGEQIAP+ clients and students. As a transgender man, his hope is for others to see how living authentically, as their true self, is healing and can lead to success not only professionally, but also personally. Dr. Munsey can be found enjoying life by spending time with family and friends, and enjoying long bike rides. Also, he loves food and can be seen trying new restaurants, including finding new coffee spots.

Ryan Holliman, PhD, LPC-S is a licensed professional counselor and supervisor with extensive experience in clinical mental health and counselor education. He specializes in assessment and intervention strategies for diverse populations, with a focus on affirming care for marginalized communities. Dr. Holliman has a strong commitment to multicultural competency and providing supportive environments for clients, particularly those in the LGBTQ+ community. He actively engages in teaching, supervision, and research, aiming to enhance clinical practice through evidence-based approaches and professional advocacy.

Learning Objectives:

1. Participants will be able to help supervisees identify the psychological, emotional, and social challenges faced by transgender and gender expansive clients during the transition process, particularly in academic settings.

2. Participants will be able to identify culturally sensitive and affirming counseling practices when supporting transgender and gender expansive clients, fostering an inclusive and respectful therapeutic environment.

3. .Participants will be able to identify evidence-based interventions to assist transgender and gender expansive and the complexities of social, medical, and legal transitions, while maintaining mental well-being.

4. Participants will be able to outline strategies to advocate for institutional policy changes that promote the inclusion, safety, and well-being of transgender and gender expansive clients within educational settings.

Recorded Webinar Link: Clinical Supervision and the Transition Process: Transgender and Gender Expansive Clients

October Webinar - October 24th, 2024, 12-1pm EST

Affirmative Clinical Supervision: An Integrative Model

Presenters:

• Sarah Stillwell, PhD, LPC-S, NCC
• Amanda St. Germain-Sehr, MS, MA, LPC, MT-BC

Bios:

Sarah has a specialization in Affirmative therapy for sexual orientation and gender identity minorities (SOGI) from Southern Methodist University and recently completed a PhD at  Texas A&M University-Commerce where their research focused on competencies for working with sexual and gender minorities. They currently work as an Assistant Professor at Loyola University- New Orleans where they primarily teach Multicultural Counseling and are working to develop an Affirmative Therapy Specialization. They maintain a part-time clinical practice as well. In the past, Sarah was the Clinical Coordinator of Affirmative therapy at a large private counseling practice with 4 locations in the DFW area where they educated and supervised other clinicians on how to be affirmative therapists. Sarah is also a gender-affirming mental health provider who provides one-time assessments for letters of clearance for medical and legal gender transitions. They also specialize in counseling for Ethical non-monogamous individuals and  relationships, as well as being kink-aware. Due to their passion for the SOGI community, they are also a volunteer leader with multiple divisions of the Texas Counseling Association (TCA), currently serving as the Senator for the Texas branch of the Society for Sexual, Affectional, Intersex, and Gender Expansive Identities (TxSAIGE) and formerly sitting on the Texas Counselors for Social Justice (TxCSJ) board for 6 years. With their connection to TCA, they have completed advocacy work in Texas for issues that impact counseling clients identifying as SOGI and the mental health field. Recently, they were recruited to co-chair a new committee representing Gender and Equity issues in counseling for the Southern Association for Counselor Education and Supervision. 

Amanda St. Germain-Sehr, MS, MA, LPC, MT-BC (she/her) is a Licensed Professional Counselor and a Board-Certified Music Therapist. Amanda has over thirteen years of clinical experience in counseling and music therapy working with a variety of client communities. Currently, Amanda is working as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Music Therapy and as the Music Therapy Clinical Training Coordinator at Texas Woman’s University. Amanda is also a doctoral candidate finishing her degree in Counselor Education and Supervision from Texas A&M University-Commerce. Additionally, Amanda maintains a part-time private practice working with adult clients. Amanda is a member of several professional counseling organizations and is currently serving as the president-elect for Texas Counselors for Social Justice, a division of the Texas Counseling Association. Amanda has multiple publications and has provided over 30 presentations related to her research interests in LGBTGEQIAP+ issues, professional development issues in counseling, burnout and self-care, and transpersonal perspectives in counseling and music therapy.

Learning Objectives:

1. Participants will be able to describe the Integrative Affirmative Supervision Model for working with supervisees of sexual/affectional and gender minorities and clients within these minority populations. 

2. Participants will identify at least two strategies to help create a safe, respectful, and empowering supervision environment where a supervisee can openly discuss their respect for all sexual/affectional and gender minorities and encourage discussion of issues relevant to these populations.

3. Participants will be able to thoroughly assess supervisees’ clinical competence and knowledge, including their developmental stage, knowledge and understanding of sexual/affectional and gender minority individuals’ issues, sensitivity to diversity and differences, and level of internalized homophobia/heterosexism/cissexism.  

Recorded Webinar Link: Affirmative Clinical Supervision: An Integrative Model

May Webinar - May 9, 2024, 12-1pm EST 

Resilience Rising: Empowering Children Through Mindfulness and Movement  

Presenters: 

Bios:

Saudamini Agarwal is a doctoral student in Counselor Education and Supervision at Virginia Tech and a Nationally Certified Counselor. She holds an M.S.Ed. degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and a Certificate of Graduate Study in Trauma Informed Counseling. Saudamini’s clinical work focuses on immigrants and refugees, particularly adolescents, children, and young adults. Much of her practice is working with clients presenting with adjustment difficulties, gifted and talented identity, cultural identity, grief, trauma, depression, and anxiety. She also has experience working with those with autism, ADHD, and self-esteem & body image issues. Her research interests include counseling immigrants and refugees, gifted and talented youth, multicultural identity development, and the use of alternative modalities like creative and expressive arts in counseling and supervision.

Eva Melendez is a doctoral student in Virginia Tech's Counselor Education and Supervision program. She holds an M.S.Ed. degree in clinical mental health counseling from Old Dominion University. Her clinical experience includes working with both teens and adults across multiple levels of care and health care settings. Her clinical experience includes working with 2SLGBTQI+ individuals, survivors of intimate partner violence and sexual violence, those experiencing grief, crisis, loss, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, substance use disorders, and more acute mental health disorders. In her clinical practice, she utilizes somatic, creative expression, and emotion-focused interventions. Her research interests include trauma, the use of creativity counseling, and inclusive care practices and therapeutic approaches with respect to BIPOC communities.

Tameka O. Grimes is an Assistant Professor of Counselor Education at Virginia Tech. She received her Ph.D. in Counseling and Student Personnel Services (P-16) from The University of Georgia, and her M.A. in Counseling from Wake Forest University. Her research explores professional identity construction of rural school counselors and school counselors’ roles in addressing racial trauma in students’ experiences in rural schools. Her service work supports school counselors in developing comprehensive school counseling programs. Additionally, Dr. Grimes serves on the editorial review boards for Teaching and Supervision in Counseling, Theory and Practice in Rural Education, and The Virginia Counselors Journal.

Description: Our research focuses on children and adolescents in rural settings, wherein the population and setting studied are historically marginalized. Topics covered will emphasize subtopics like race, ethnicity, gender, SES, and age to inform the audience.  Discussion of mindful and movement modalities as evidence-based practices that promote the diversification and cultivation of a strong social justice-oriented counselor, educator, and supervisor, especially in racial trauma care. Attendees will walk away with tangible strategies on how to use trauma-informed care practices and promote the same in their various capacities.    

Recorded Webinar Link: Resilience Rising: Empowering Children Through Mindfulness and Movement
Powerpoint Slide Deck: Resilience Rising: Empowering Children Through Mindfulness and Movement

April Webinar - April 18, 2024, 12-1pm EST 

Addressing the Needs of Clients and the Community Following Mass-Trauma Events: Best Practices from Crisis Counseling and Grief/Loss Counseling Approaches

Presenter: 

Bio:

Dr. Karen Jeannette is an Assistant Professor in and the Program Coordinator of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program in the School of Education and Human Sciences at Campbell University. Dr. Jeannette’s research interests include examining crisis and trauma-informed counseling following mass- trauma events in clinical mental health, school, and community settings.

Dr. Jeannette is a Licensed Professional Counselor, a Board-Certified National Counselor, and a Licensed Professional School Counselor with over 15 years of experience in the mental health profession. She has served in various capacities, including school counseling, residential treatment, private practice, and managed healthcare. Dr. Jeannette has also served as a counselor on active-duty military bases throughout the region and has a keen interest in working with military populations. In addition, Dr. Jeannette has presented at local and state conferences on the differences and similarities between crisis counseling and grief counseling, effective behavioral-focused parenting skills, and trauma-informed teaching in elementary and middle schools. 

Description: The information presented in this webinar values the unique needs of community groups who have been marginalized due to culture, background, race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, experience, national origin. Literature and research will be presented that encompasses a variety of communities and cultures across the United States, including the unique reactions to mass-trauma events based on culture and diversity. 

Recorded Webinar Link: Addressing the Needs of Clients and the Community Following Mass-Trauma Events
Presentation Slide Deck: Addressing the Needs of Clients and the Community Following Mass-Trauma Events

March Webinar - March 21, 2024, 12-1pm EST 

Teaching the Traumatized Counselor-in-Training: Cultivating a Trauma Informed Culture among Counselor Educators

Presenters: 

Bios: 
Dr. Sara L. Wood is a licensed professional counselor, educator, and consultant in the great Commonwealth of Virginia. She earned her Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision from Regent University and serves as the Director of Research and Residents at the Marriage Center in Chesapeake, VA, specializing in providing couples counseling and supervising residents working towards licensure. She has over a decade of experience in higher education and is currently an Associate Professor at Colorado Christian University, where she teaches quantitative research, program evaluation, and leadership courses as well as mentors the next generation of counselor educators.

Dr. Ela Cassellius is a full-time Director of Residency and Associate Professor in the Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program at Colorado Christian University. She has 10 years of teaching experience at the undergraduate and graduate levels and 15 years of clinical counseling and clinical supervision experience. Dr. Cassellius's degrees include a Doctorate of Education (Ed.D) in Counselor Education and Supervision (2015) from Argosy University in Denver, Colorado; a Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in Counseling Psychology (2008) from Bethel University in Saint Paul, Minnesota; and a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Psychology (2005) from North Central University in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Dr. Shauna Frisbie is a licensed professional counselor, an approved supervisor for licensed professional counselors, a national certified counselor, a certified eating disorder specialist, and an approved consultant for certified eating disorders specialists. She earned a doctorate in counselor education from Texas Tech University and is currently a Professor in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program at Colorado Christian University. Dr. Frisbie specializes in treating eating disorders and trauma in private practice and has extensive experience with EMDR.

Dr. Beth Robinson, Ed.D., LPC-S, is a Professor in the School of Counseling at Colorado Christian Christian University, a visiting lecturer in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program at Harding University and was previously a Professor of Pediatrics at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.  She is a licensed professional counselor, an approved supervisor for licensed professional counselors, and a certified school counselor. She has used those credentials to work with abused and traumatized children for more than 25 years as a counselor. Dr. Beth has also lived with foster and adoptive children in her own home and written books for professionals, parents and children. 

Description: This webinar will directly address practical applications of social justice when examining Carello’s (2020) framework for trauma informed higher education. Specifically, Principle 5: Empowerment, Voice, and Choice invites counselor educators to consider how diversity, equity, power dynamics, and inclusion are implemented within the department culture. Furthermore, Principle 6: Social Justice encourages counselor educators to intentionally analyze their program policies and procedures related to privilege, oppression, and diversity. Both principles and the framework as a whole promote using our expertise and authority as counselor educators in advocacy to create a safe departmental culture and move towards effectively addressing all forms of collective trauma and injustice for counselors-in-training and the profession (Carello, 2020).

Recorded Webinar Link: Teaching the Traumatized Counselor-in-Training: Cultivating a Trauma Informed Culture among Counselor Educators
Presentation Slide Deck: Teaching the Traumatized Counselor-in-Training: Cultivating a Trauma Informed Culture among Counselor Educators   

February Webinar - February 29, 2024, 12-1pm EST 

Understanding Multiracial Individuals’ Experiences of Microaggressions in Counseling and Counselor Education: A Call to Action in Social and Cultural Foundations

Presenter: 

Bio: Peeper McDonald, holds a PhD in Counselor Education and Practice and is a National Certified Counselor, Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Georgia, and an Approved Clinical Supervisor who works as an Assistant Professor in Counseling and Psychology at Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia. Her research and clinical interests include: Professional identity, social justice and advocacy issues, and multicultural issues in counseling. She has presented and published on these topics, with specific focus on the racial mislabeling, color-blindness and discrimination, and identity development of Multiracial individuals. As a Biracial, but White-presenting person, she loves learning about the complex nature of Multiracial identity and the roles privilege and oppression play within these intersectional identities and how these impact those in our community

Description: This webinar will address practical applications and strategies for all of the following: social justice, diversity, equity and inclusion and anti-discrimination in counseling, counselor education, supervision, and research because of the very nature of the topic being one which explores the microaggressive experiences of an understudied and underrepresented minoritized group (the Multiracial population) within counselor education and professional counselor settings. The themes revealed as a result of this study contend that the counseling profession is not immune to microaggressions, despite the profession's value of social and cultural foundations, underscoring a need for further education and training as well as social justice and advocacy work for the Multiracial population with far-reaching implications for other minoritized groups.  

Recorded Webinar Link: Understanding Multiracial Individuals’ Experiences of Microaggressions in Counseling and Counselor Education 
Presentation Slide Deck: Understanding Multiracial Individuals' Experiences of Microaggressions in Counseling and Counselor Education

November Webinar - November 30, 2023, 12-1pm EST

The Impact of Recent Legislation in the SACES Region: What Can School Counselors Do?

Presenters:

Learning Objectives:

Recorded Webinar Link: The Impact of Recent Legislation in the SACES Region: What Can School Counselors Do?

November Webinar - November 16, 2023, 12-1pm EST

How does state legislation affect counselor education and supervision?

Presenter:

Kathy Ybañez-Llorente, Ph.D., LPC-S 

Bio: Kathy Ybañez-Llorente, Ph.D., LPC-S, (she/her/ella) is an Associate Professor and Program Coordinator in the Professional Counseling Program at Texas State University. Dr. Ybañez-Llorente has a long history of service to the profession including serving as President of TACES, TACES Liaison to the Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors, co-chair and member of the ACA Ethics Committee and Professional Standards Committee. She served as the Parliamentarian for the ACA Governing Council and Executive Council under President Heather Trepal, as well as the Treasurer and President of the Association for Specialists in Group Work (ASGW). She currently serves as ASGW Immediate Past-President and co-chair of the Ethics Committee for the Texas Counseling Association. Additionally, Dr. Ybañez-Llorente served as a member of the Counselor Occupational Licensure Interstate Compact Advisory Group and worked with the National Center for Interstate Compacts to develop the Counseling Compact legislation that has now been enacted by 30 states across the nation to secure portability for professional counselors. 

Learning Objectives:

Recorded Webinar Link: How does state legislation affect counselor education and supervision?

November Webinar - November 2, 2023, 12-1pm EST
The Rainbow Belt: Advocating for LGBTQIA+ Clients in the South

Presenter:

Bio: Dr. Mickey White (he/him) is an Assistant Professor of Counseling at East Tennessee State University. His work centers the experiences of transgender, non-binary, and gender expansive individuals, with a special emphasis on self-disclosure and mental health access in Appalachia. He is a past Emerging Leader for the Southern Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (SACES) and the Society for Sexual, Affectional, Intersex, and Gender Expansive Identities (SAIGE), and currently serves as SAIGE’s secretary. He received the 2022 President’s Award from SACES and was recognized by the Tennessee Licensed Professional Counselor Association as Counselor Educator of the Year in 2023. He has presented several times on increasing quality of care for LGBTQIA+ populations in both outpatient and inpatient mental healthcare settings, improving trans-affirming practices for mental health providers, and has published scholarly articles on trans-affirming practice. 

Learning Objectives:

1. The attendees will be able to identify which current legislations impact professional counselors and the counseling profession in serving LGBTQIA+ population (e.g., anti-trans).
2. The attendees will be able to recognize how the current legislations impact professional counselors and the counseling profession in serving LGBTQIA+ population (e.g., anti-trans).
3. The attendees will be able to examine roles and processes of counselor advocacy on behalf of the profession and the clients to address the legal implications in serving LGBTQIA+ population (e.g., anti-trans).

Recorded Webinar Link: The Rainbow Belt: Advocating for LGBTQIA+ Clients in the South

October Webinar - October 26, 2023, 12-1pm EST
Professional Advocacy Primer: Advocacy in the Legislative Arena

Presenter: 

Isabel C. Farrell, PhD, LPC, NCC

Bio: Dr. Isabel Farrell, PHD, NCC, LPC (OK) is an Assistant Professor of Counselor Education at Wake Forest University. Dr. Farrell received her undergraduate degree in psychology and her master's degree in counseling psychology from Northeastern State University. She earned her doctorate in counselor education from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She has worked in a variety of clinical settings, including community counseling with bilingual Latinx children and families, domestic violence and sexual assault survivors, and career counseling. 

Her research agenda focuses on social justice and professional advocacy, and underserved populations, with a focus on immigrant communities. Dr. Farrell is the past recipient of the SMCA 2017 Outstanding Counseling Advocate of the Year award, the SACES Courtland Lee Social Justice Award, and the 2023 American Counseling Association Carl D. Perkins Government Relations Award. Dr. Farrell served as ACA Public Policy and Government Affairs Committee chair for two terms, served on the board for NCAMCD, and has served on various committees for CSI, CSJ, ACES, EBACA, SACES, and TLPCA.  

Dr. Farrell lives in Winston Salem, NC with her husband and 2 daughters. She enjoys traveling and is an amateur baker.

Learning Objectives:

Recorded Webinar Link: Professional Advocacy Primer: Advocacy in the Legislative Arena

February Webinar - February 23, 2023, 12-1pm EST

Effective Counseling Strategies to working with Children and Adolescents with Autism

Presenter: 

Jennifer Jenkins, Ph.D., LPC, NSC, BC-TMH

Bio: Dr. Jennifer Jenkins has been a part of the counseling field since her first class at Virginia Tech in 2006. At Virginia Tech, she completed her Masters in Counselor Education and  completed her doctorate in Counselor Education and Supervision from Capella University. Professionally, Dr. Jenkins has worked as licensed School Counselor in the states of Virginia and Tennessee, an intensive in-home counselor (VA), a private practitioner (Warner Robins, GA) and Assistant Professor at Albany State University (Albany, GA) in the Counselor Education program. Research interests include counseling children, adolescents, and young adults with autism spectrum disorder, play therapy, the therapeutic alliance and Covid-19 effects on young adults. Personally,  Dr. Jenkins has 3 children (26, 15, &13), a loving and patient spouse, 1 very large chocolate lab and 2 quirky cats. She loves spending time with her family and pets, listening to music, going to concerts, and the art of crochet.

Description:

This webinar will address a critical need for the autism population in regards to mental health concerns. This webinar will provide counselors and counseling faculty with real-time strategies to encourage future counselors to not be afraid of working with children and adolescents with autism. By providing specific education on this population and their mental health concerns combined with effective counseling interventions, counselors, counseling faculty, and counseling students can increase their overall awareness, champion inclusion, and provide a much needed service for those with autism.

Recorded Webinar Link: Effective Counseling Strategies to working with Children and Adolescents with Autism

March Webinar - March 23, 2023, 12-1pm EST

Navigating Autism Diagnosis: Overcoming Challenges for Minority Populations

Presenter: 

Carlos Castañeda, MA, LPC, NCC

Bio: Carlos Castañeda is a Licensed Professional Counselor and owner of the practice, The Missing Peace Counseling & Consultation PLLC. Carlos lives in Austin, Texas and is a Ph.D candidate in counselor education and supervision at Texas Tech University. Carlos is a Doctoral Fellow Under the NBCC Foundation's Minority Fellowship Program. He is a specialist in treating and advocating for individuals with autism.

Description:

This webinar will present current research on the disparities in autism diagnosis and treatment for minority populations, particularly in regards to people of color and women being misdiagnosed. This will provide a foundation for understanding the systemic barriers and biases that contribute to these disparities. I will then provide a detailed overview of assessment tools and techniques that have been developed specifically to address cultural and linguistic diversity, and minimize the potential for bias in the diagnostic process. I will also provide examples of effective interventions and strategies that have been used in real-world settings to improve the identification and treatment of autism in minority populations. These will include things like community-based participatory research, culturally and linguistically appropriate interventions, and training programs for healthcare providers to improve their autism competency. Throughout the webinar, I will also address the importance of incorporating social justice, diversity, equity and inclusion in counseling, counselor education, supervision, and research, by providing some practical examples and strategies for how to do this, and how to integrate these considerations in professional practice and research. Finally,  I will provide an open session for a Q&A. This will provide an opportunity for attendees to ask any questions they may have about the issues covered in the presentation and get further clarification about the strategies discussed, providing an opportunity for attendees to take away knowledge and apply it in their practice.

Recorded Webinar Link: Navigating Autism Diagnosis: Overcoming Challenges for Minority Populations
Password:$h=rBE^3

April Webinar - April 27, 2023, 12-1pm EST

Autism & Neurodivergence: Current Trends in Treatment & Advocacy

Presenter: 

Ali Cunningham Abbott (she/they/ella/elle), PhD, LMHC, Qualified Supervisor (QS)

Bio: Ali Cunningham Abbott is an Associate Professor and Program Director for the CACREP-accredited clinical mental health counseling program at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida. She received her PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision from Florida Atlantic University in 2014. Prior to teaching at Lynn, Cunningham worked as a faculty member and Assistant Director for the Center for Autism & Related Disabilities (CARD) at Florida Atlantic University. She has worked with the regional autism community for 15 years. In addition to teaching and supervision, she currently provides individual and family counseling services in a part-time private practice setting and specializes in guiding autistic clients through self-discovery and diagnostic process.

Christin Fontes, M.A.Ed.

Christin Fontes is a newly licensed professional counselor living and working in Ohio. After receiving a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder during her graduate studies, Christin was called to grow against professional norms she was learning in real time. Christin has experience working in inpatient substance use and college counseling settings. Christin has presented on the ethics of group telehealth counseling and the costs of disclosing for neurodiverse counselor trainees and she is a mentee with the Counselors for Social Justice.

Description:

The talk focuses on socially just and inclusive practices for autistic and neurodivergent clients who represent racial, sexuality and gender diverse identities. It will help clinicians learn about the lived experiences of autistic adults and receive messages from the community that can better inform cultural responsiveness and avoid unconscious ableism as practitioners. 

Recorded Webinar Link: Autism & Neurodivergence: Current Trends in Treatment & Advocacy
Password: B*wFa7D5

May Webinar - May 11, 2023, 12-1pm EST

Preparing Counselors to work with Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Presenters: 

Julie Hill (she/her), Ph.D., ALC, CRC, NCC

Bio: Dr. Julie Hill is an assistant professor and the clinical coordinator in the Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling program at Auburn University. She graduated with her Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision with an Emphasis in Rehabilitation from the University of Arkansas and her M.Ed. in Counseling and Career Development from Colorado State University. She has worked with individuals with various disabilities in a number of different settings for several years and currently provides group and individual counseling for young adults with intellectual disabilities enrolled in an inclusive post-secondary education program. Dr. Hill believes all individuals should have access to qualitative mental health services regardless of barriers, including disability status.  

Claire Hebert (she/her), M.Ed., ALC, NCC 

Claire Carriere Hebert, M.Ed., ALC, NCC currently serves as an adult psychotherapist for individuals with SMI and IDD diagnoses at a local community mental health agency, where she provides person-centered mental health care and treatment planning for her consumers. Claire graduated from Auburn University’s M.Ed. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program in 2022 and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision at Auburn University. Additionally, Claire has six years of experience working in inclusive post-secondary education programs for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities serving as a mentor and graduate assistant while completing her studies. Claire is originally from Lafayette, Louisiana, and has a passion for advocating to help promote quality services for individuals with disabilities. 

Description:

This webinar will address and assist with closing the current gap in confidence and skills needed by practitioners to provide quality mental health services to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Through use of statistics and case studies, conceptualization will take place in efforts to identify how stigma has played a role in assessment and treatment of co-occurring mental health concerns for individuals with IDD to help amplify the voices of those seeking quality mental health care, who have historically been turned away due to mental health professionals viewing this population as outside their scope of practice. Through discussion of practical skills that can be used in the counseling room, as well as providing education on how IDD symptoms might present or impact mental health symptoms, counselors will leave feeling more equipped to challenge and decrease stigma when it comes to providing mental health care to these populations.  

Recorded Webinar Link: Preparing Counselors to work with Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Password: t?d=s!5X

After registering for the webinar, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the training.

Questions about the SACES webinar series? Visit saces.org/webinars or contact the SACES Webinar Committee at SACESwebinars@gmail.com.

Past Webinars

(Click links to find webinar information and recordings)

May 2022:

Understanding the Dynamics of Families in Crises: Legal and Ethical Implications for Counselor Educators and Supervisors Working with Court-Ordered Families

Webinar Description: This webinar will discuss the legal and ethical obligations of counselor educators and supervisors who are working with supervisees who are counseling court-ordered families. The presenters will discuss relevant ACA Ethical codes, discretionary confidentiality, the informed consent process, and multidisciplinary collaboration. Emphasis will be given to supervision theory and the role of the supervisor in providing direction to the supervisee. The webinar will close with a discussion of vicarious liability and how counselor educators and supervisors should approach their work to protect their license.

Click here for the webinar recording

April 2022:

A Minoritized Counselor Educator’s Guide to Managing Cultural Taxation

Webinar Description: The experiences of minoritized counselor educators are well-documented. In addition to maintaining rigorous teaching and research agendas, minoritized counselor educators are often tasked with extensive service commitments that surpass their non-minoritized counterparts. The current presentation addresses the concept of cultural taxation in counselor education. The presentation will carefully outline how cultural taxation is manifested in the academy and the subsequent impact on the minoritized faculty member. This interactive session will also offer practical strategies to manage cultural taxation for both faculty and administrators.

March 2022:

Preemptive Gatekeeping in Counselor Education: Identifying Graduate Students as Candidates for Intervention before Remediation.

Webinar Description: Join us as we guide counselor educators through a proposed process that seeks to identify struggling counseling students in an effort to intervene before requiring program remediation. Participants will benefit from learning common trends and warning signs of struggling students, potential ethical violations, and ways to determine whether counseling graduate students are incompatible with the counseling profession.

Click here for the webinar recording

February 2022:

Ethically Speaking: Preparing School Counselors-in-Training to Implement Trauma-Informed Practices

Webinar Description: One out of every three children and adolescents has encountered an adverse childhood experience and the impact is often intensified within underserved communities and schools. Thus, school counselor educators and supervisors have an ethical obligation to prepare school counselors-in-training to address inequities and promote trauma-sensitive learning environments for all students. When school counselors are equipped with the tools to implement trauma-informed practices within their school counseling programs and overall school environments, students will feel safe, comfortable, and ready for learning.

Click here for the webinar recording

December 2021:

The Supervisor’s Role in Building Supervisees’ Empathy for Clients who Express Discriminatory Views

Webinar Description: Experiencing discriminatory views from clients during counseling can be overwhelming, leaving the supervisee/counselor to explore and deal with their emotions.  The webinar will address supervisees’ immediate reactions to the discriminatory views and help them to respond in a manner that is not harmful to the therapeutic relationship. The presenters will address the role of the supervisor in building supervisees’ empathy toward clients who express such views, including applying critical self-reflection and reflective listening.  In addition, we will present how the utilization of broaching , Relational Cultural Theory (RCT), and Moral Foundations Theory (MFT) can assist the supervisor in implementing the empathetic skills in supervisees to support them in counseling clients with discriminatory views.

February 2021:

Fostering Empathy in Graduate Students: Experiential, Student-Focused, and Innovative Approaches

Among the many roles and responsibilities of counselor educators and supervisors, the fostering of empathy development among students is tantamount. Attendees will learn experiential, student-focused, and innovative approaches that have proven successful in developing empathy in students and supervisees. 

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This webinar is sponsored by Capella University

December 2020:

Grant Writing in Counselor Education: Strategies for Identifying and Developing Strong Proposals

Grants provide researchers/practitioners the opportunity to conduct innovative, impactful, and socially significant research. Yet, counselor educators may feel unprepared to navigate the grant development process. In this webinar, we will discuss strategies for new investigators to identify a high-impact, fundable area of research science that also supports development of a grant portfolio. We will present a collaborative framework and team science approach to proposal development. Finally, we will discuss select funders and funding mechanisms with specific examples as they relate to counselor education specialty areas.

Sponsors: This webinar was sponsored by Counseling Books, Etc., Liberty University's Counselor Education program, and South University Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program.   

November 2020:

School Counselors can do Virtually Anything: School Counseling in a Virtual World

School counselors are tasked with meeting the career, academic and social/emotional needs of students through the implementation of a comprehensive school counseling program. Due to the recent pandemic, many schools across the country have moved to some form of virtual education. This impacts every aspect of a school environment, including the school counseling program. Virtual school counseling, although effective, presents a whole new array of challenges. This session will focus on how to approach these challenges practically and also guide professional school counselors in meeting the diverse needs of all students.

Sponsors: This webinar was sponsored by Dove Self-Esteem Project, Liberty University's Counselor Education program, and South University Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program

October 2020:

Creative, Supportive, and Evaluative Techniques for Online Supervision

This workshop applied the framework of traditional counseling supervision models as teaching tools in providing instruction and feedback in online supervision platforms. The presenters actively demonstrated their student-centered, creative, supportive, and evaluative approaches to supervision in an online environment which can translate to using with clients during telemental health sessions. This session included participation opportunities in an interactive online platform.

Sponsors: This webinar was sponsored by Ascend Wellness, Liberty University's Counselor Education program, and Sam Houston State University's Counselor Education program.

September 2020: 

Antiracist Leadership in Higher Education and Counselor Education

This was a SACES Presidential sponsored panel presentation. SACES hosted a panel discussion with three prominent higher education and counselor education leaders, who are also all SACES members: Dr. Kent Butler, UCF’s Interim Chief Equity, Inclusion and Diversity Officer and President-Elect of ACA and Dean Andrew Daire, Dean of the VCU School of Education. The panel was moderated by Dr. Marlon Johnson, co-chair of the SACES Social Justice and Human Rights Interest Network.

Sponsor: This webinar was sponsored by the Florida Atlantic University Counselor Education Program.

Webinar Materials: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1RbUAS-GNTLJZtiP_iEgtPHspM3d6zBEz?usp=sharing

July 2020:

Research Team Collaboration with Doctoral and Masters' Students

This webinar will identify the process of creating a collaborative research team with three separate universities.  The webinar will offer steps one can take to offer research opportunities to both doctoral and masters' level students, as well as creating a team based approach to research.

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June 2020:

Structured Peer Feedback in Supervision and Skills Development Courses

Peer feedback is an important vicarious experience holding potential to increase counseling self-efficacy and behaviors related to performance. Researchers have reported that supervisees perceive peer feedback to be at times more helpful than supervisor feedback yet peer feedback in group supervision was less constructive and not always helpful (Borders, Welfare, Greason, Paladino, Mobley, Villalba, & Wester, 2012). This presentation will explore the use of peer feedback and ways to integrate the Structured Peer Group Supervision model in teaching and supervision of counselors in training.

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May 2020:

Cross-Racial Supervision in Black and White

The central purposes of supervision are to foster the supervisee's professional development and to ensure client welfare. It is imperative for White supervisors to have a clear understanding of their own personal awareness, knowledge, and skills in relation to multiculturalism when working with African American supervisees. This presentation will highlight approaches to cross-racial supervision that can improve supervisor's cultural understanding.

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April 2020:

Using 21st Century Contracts as a Tool for Building Egalitarian Supervisory Relationships

As supervisors and supervisees enter into new supervision relationships, it is easy to overlook key elements that can create friction in the relationship. This talk explores components that should be identified and negotiated in a 21st century contract including virtual supervision options, social media policies, payment structures, and much much more. (An article on the topic in Counseling Today)

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March 2020:

Advocacy Considerations for LGBTQ+ Youth and Youth of Color in K-12 Public Schools

Despite some progress, LGBTQ+ youth are still excluded from many state protections. This reality places equity out of reach for this marginalized student population, particularly youth of color, and jeopardizes student safety. Counseling professionals are uniquely positioned to counter these barriers, yet many feel their role is or are unsure of their own rights within their organization. This presentation takes this seemingly grey dilemma and reveals a clearer path forward for ensuring a safer and more supportive environment for our precious LGBTQ+ youth.

Click here to view the LGBTQIA Issues in School Counseling Resource List
Click here to view the recording of this webinar

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