FMHCA is a chapter of the American Mental Health Counselors Association, and is the only organization working exclusively for LMHCs in the State of Florida.
Florida mental health COUNSELORS association
2101 Vista Parkway Ste 233 West Palm Beach Florida 33411 (P) 561-228-6129 (E) Office@FLMHCA.org
Description: Working with clients who are experiencing chronic illnesses and chronic pain is a complex and often misunderstood population. In this training, Gabrielle will explain the common issues this population faces, the connection between physical health and mental health and trauma, and best tools to utilize with these clients.
CE Broker Tracking #: 20-912164
This is an event sponsored by FMHCA. This course is approved by the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling, LMHC, LMFT, LCSW – FMHCA CE Broker #: 50-748
Learning Objectives:
About the Presenter:
Gabrielle Juliano-Villani is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, owner, and founder of Colorado In-Home Counseling, a thriving group practice of 13 therapists, serving adults of all ages who struggle with anxiety, depression, grief/loss, chronic health conditions, trauma, life transitions, and stress management. Gabrielle has 15 years of experience working in the field of mental health, helping clients find better work/life balance and creating space for clients to reach their highest potential. Gabrielle is also a contributor and content creator to the Goodheart Collaborative, an app focused on burnout prevention for women in helping professions. Gabrielle will be published later this month on thriveglobal.com for an in-depth interview on burnout prevention, and has also contributed to psychwire.com. Gabrielle is passionate about bridging gaps and making mental health accessible to everyone. When she’s not working, Gabrielle is teaching Zumba or reading a psychological thriller at the beach!
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Description: Brain research and human development research is advancing co-occurring counseling to a place where clients will have a better opportunity to thrive. Clinicians often view substance use disorders primarily as cognitive and behavioral issues. A pathological perspective views substance misuse from a neurological issue. This workshop explores what is perhaps the key to understanding addiction, viewing it from an attachment disorder perspective. Vincent Felitti attributes adverse childhood experiences that have resulted in poor attachments and poor emotion regulation as a high-risk factor for addiction. Kathy Brous says, “alcoholics in particular may be born with a sense of separation which results in neurotransmitter deficits.” Bickhart, et al. (2010) reported that amygdala volume correlates with reported social network size and complexity. When considering what has been learned about the brain and “what works,” a new way of looking at addiction and recovery is needed. Schindler and Bröning demonstrated empirical evidence strongly supporting the correlation between patterns of attachment and SUD. As anticipated, more studies are needed utilizing SUD assessments that measure attachment disorder. Effective prevention and treatment start with understanding the role attachment disorders have in cooccurring disorders, and inversely understanding how healthy relationships positively impact recovery.
CE Broker Tracking #: 20-964626
Jack is the founder of Psuche Education, Counseling & Coaching Services. He previously served as the Executive Director at Clay Crossing, a residential facility for men. He retired from the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, having served as the Admissions & Assessment Director at a 48-bed residential facility serving women with co-occurring issues. He also served as the clinical director at a male residential facility. He developed a program, The Together We Thrive program, for the Ft. Gibson School District, a K-12 program designed to identify at risk children and develop initiatives to assist them. In his doctoral dissertation he integrated spirituality, human development theories and psychotherapy. He has previously presented at a variety of conferences, to include at an International Conference.
Description: High conflict divorce cases often result in years of litigation, frustration, and trauma for the children. As mental health professionals, we can be part of a more peaceful solution. Co-parent counseling offers an alternative therapeutic process that can promote healing, solution-focused, and collaboration.
CE Broker Tracking #:20-985820
Christine Hammond is a leading mental health influencer, author, and guest speaker. As an author of the award-winning The Exhausted Woman’s Handbook and more than 500 articles, Christine has more than one million people downloading her podcast Understanding Today’s Narcissist and more than 400,000 views on YouTube. Her new book, ABUSE EXPOSED: Identifying Family Secrets that Breed Dysfunction is available HERE. Her practice specializes in treating families of abuse, and trauma, with personality disorders involved which are based on her own personal experience. Christine is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Qualified Supervisor by the State of Florida, a National Certified Counselor, a Certified Family Mediator, a Collaborative Mental Health Neutral, a Qualified Parent Coordination, and a Certified Family Trauma Professional, with extensive training in crisis intervention and peaceful resolution.
Description: Mental health professionals are at the front lines when marriages break down and spouses are facing or in a divorce process. What are the next steps? How can you help a spouse or couple through the transition of divorce while keeping their and their children's best interests in mind? Collaborative Process is a new emerging alternative-dispute resolution process that includes a multidisciplinary team of professionals in addressing the complex emotional, relationship, legal and financial considerations of divorce. Using an interest-based approach, professionals will learn how this process is different, more comprehensive and support in serving and protecting the needs and interests of a family transitioning into two homes.
CE Broker Tracking #: 20-996876
Born and raised in Toronto, Canada, Tammy completed an undergraduate degree at the University of Western Ontario with an Honors BA in Psychology. She moved to Florida in 2001 and completed a Masters of Science degree in Mental Health Counseling at Nova Southeastern University in 2003. Since entering the mental health field, Tammy has worked in a variety of settings and with various populations including community mental health and private practice: providing counseling to children, teens and adults who suffer from a variety of issues including mood and anxiety disorders, Borderline Personality Disorder, self-injurious behavior, relationship and other life issues. In the last 8 years Tammy has devoted her time and attention to specializing in working with teens, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and in helping individuals/families through the divorce process in a variety of ways including as an Accredited Collaborative Divorce Facilitator, a certified Family Mediator, a Co-Parenting Counselor, a divorce coach, and a Qualified Parenting Coordinator. In addition, Tammy is highly invested and active in promoting education and awareness of the Collaborative Process and is the current President of the Collaborative Family Law Professionals of South Florida, and serves on many local and statewide committees and projects to further this effort.
Fernanda Pedroso is a collaborative family law attorney practicing in all of South Florida and the managing partner at Collaborative Families Law Center. She practices exclusively in the area of Family law. Mrs. Pedroso is also a Supreme Court Certified Family Law Mediator. Her experience and approach to family law matters provides clients with efficient and effective resolutions that promote the best interest the family as a whole. Fernanda is a board member and Vice President of the Collaborative Family Law Professionals of South Florida, co-chair of the 17th Judicial Circuit’s Collaborative Pro Bono Project; and co-chair of IDEA—Diversity and Inclusion committee of the FACP. Her involvement with these groups seeks to educate the community on the benefits available to individuals and families handling their family law matters within the Collaborative Process.
Description: Decades of research suggest that misdiagnosis of mental disorders is a common medical error. For example, individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder are often misdiagnosed with Bipolar Disorder, and many children and adolescents are misdiagnosed with ADHD. Although many people who meet the diagnostic criteria for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) are undiagnosed, as many as 60 % of people who are diagnosed with MDD do not meet criteria for the disorder! Bipolar II Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, specific phobias, PTSD, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, OCD, eating disorders, Intermittent Explosive Disorder, and Body Dysmorphic Disorder are often missed by clinicians. Why is that? We’re often trained in graduate school to with cookie-cutter, seamless case examples, but in the real world, clients often don't present with "textbook" presentations of symptoms that neatly fall into a particular disorder. Many symptoms of mental disorders are "overlapping," meaning that the same symptom may be listed under several disorders. With the limited time that clinicians often have, how do we quickly formulate an accurate diagnosis? Find out by attending this 2-hour medical errors update! We'll use real case examples to show you how to use differential diagnosis resources for overlapping symptoms.
CE Broker Tracking #: 20-799937
1. Define “overlapping symptoms.”
2. Apply a 6-step differential diagnosis process.
3. Use the DSM-5 Differential Diagnosis mobile app to formulate a diagnosis for case scenarios involving overlapping symptoms.
Aaron Norton is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapy serving as Executive Director of the National Board of Forensic Evaluators, Adjunct Instructor at the University of South Florida, Southern Regional Director for the American Mental Health Counselors Association, and President of the Florida Mental Health Counselors Association. He has nearly 20 years of clinical experience at Integrity Counseling, Inc., was awarded Mental Health Counselor of the Year by the American Mental Health Counselors Association and Counselor Educator of the Year by the Florida Mental Health Counselors Association in 2016, Research of the Year by Florida Mental Health Counselors Association in 2020, and has been published in several social science journals and professional magazines in clinical mental health counseling.
Description: In the words of Mr. Rogers (Fred, not Carl), “Anything that's human is mentionable, and anything that is mentionable can be more manageable. When we can talk about our feelings, they become less overwhelming, less upsetting and less scary.” All major psychotherapies involving encountering—rather than avoiding—unpleasant thoughts and feelings. Though talk therapy is powerful, it can be augmented with experiences that activate the brain in ways not typically experienced in session. Advancements in virtual reality (VR) technology now permit clients and counselors yet another means to expand beyond the confines of the typical therapy room to share safe but powerful therapeutic experiences. This training session was designed to introduce counselors to VR-assisted therapy and how it can be used for exposure therapy as well as somatic quieting.
CE Broker Tracking #: 20-965742
Dr. Aaron Norton is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with certifications in addictions, alcohol and drug counseling, rehabilitation counseling, clinical mental health counseling, trauma treatment, forensic mental health evaluation, forensic behavioral analysis, and psychometry. He serves as Executive Director of the National Board of Forensic Evaluators, a national not-for-profit board officially endorsed by the American Mental Health Counselors Association that provides training, certification, and professional advocacy for licensed mental health professionals specializing in forensic mental health evaluation. He is an Instructor at the University of South Dept. of Mental Health Law & Policy. He serves as Southern Regional Director and Ethics Committee Liaison for the American Mental Health Counselors Association and Chair of Government Relations Committee for the Florida Mental Health Counselors Association. He is the Consulting Editor for AMHCA’s The Advocate Magazine. He also works at Integrity Counseling, a group private practice, providing therapy, forensic and clinical evaluation, and clinical supervision to mental health counselor and marriage and family therapist interns as a Qualified Supervisor. He has 20 years of experience in the counseling profession, specializing in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) issues, cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety and depressive disorders, and substance use treatment. He was awarded Mental Health Counselor of the Year by the American Mental Health Counselors Association in 2016, Counselor Educator of the Year by the Florida Mental Health Counselors Association in 2016, Researcher of the Year by the Florida Mental Health Counselors Association in 2019, and he was awarded AMHCA’s Public and Community Service Award in 2020. An experienced writer, presenter, and trainer, he has been published in NAADAC’s Addiction Professional, American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, Journal of Gay and Lesbian Social Services, Journal of Individual Psychology, Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, and The Advocate Magazine, the official magazine of the American Mental Health Counselors Association.
Description: We know that meditation and mindfulness practices help us to find balance, reduce anxiety and find personal clarity. But, do you know how to meditate and practice mindfulness? Do you know how to teach your clients to do so? In this interactive seminar, you will learn about meditation, why it is a great complimentary practice for counseling and self care, and how to do it. Enhance your own self care and expand your toolbox to teach and support your clients.
CE Broker Tracking #: 20-1038018
Stacey Brown is a Licensed Mental Health Therapist with almost thirty years of experience. She has maintained a private practice for 22 years, has served as a professor in AS, BA and MA higher education programs, and has served in leadership and counseling capacities in both for-profit and nonprofit organizations. Stacey is an artist in her own right, favoring an intuitive, abstract painting style. Through her own personal work in healing, she has enjoyed the integrative qualities of many healing modalities such as Reiki, yoga, meditation, and artwork. All of these modalities are integrated seamlessly into her work as a psychotherapist. Continued learning and a desire to teaching motivate her to continue to grow and expand, offering her unique style to others to encourage their own healing.
Description: Trauma imprints varying responses and reactions on all aspects of a being: the brain, the body and the psyche. This presentation will explore treating trauma from this holistic and neurobiological perspective. Learn the detailed structure and layers of trauma and how to successfully treat them using an evidence-based technique from the field of Energy Psychology which rapidly clears trauma from the conscious mind, subconscious mind, and body.
CE Broker Tracking #: 20-1040742
List the two major categories of trauma and define the differences between them
Describe the layers of trauma with their components.
Demonstrate the use of a meridian tapping technique for releasing eliminating traumatic emotion
Hillary is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (MH13684), she has Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara, California. She has been in private practice in Maitland, Florida for 12 years and also has experience as a counselor in inpatient psychiatric settings. Hillary utilizes a holistic approach to psychotherapy focused on mind/body integrative healing. She specializes in helping clients find relief from symptoms of anxiety, depression, PTSD, developmental trauma, and toxic relationships. Her treatment model is based on a perspective that focuses on treating the underlying issues that contribute to unwanted symptoms. Additionally, Hillary has completed extensive training in Integrative mental health, Energy Psychology, Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), and Healing From the Body Level Up (HBLU).
Description: This presentation aims to introduce attendees to several science-backed cognitive, behavioral, and mindfulness-based strategies to optimize clients’ mental performance by improving their abilities to initiate focus and sustain concentration. Strategies covered will help attendees assist clients in developing a “mental warm-up” to transition into focus, maintaining concentration and regaining focus during mental tasks, and mentally recovering after intense periods of focus. Attendees will learn strategies for optimizing focus in high-stress situations plus be introduced to neurofeedback and mindfulness-based practices that can provide long-term benefits for focus and concentration. Additionally, this presentation will highlight the impacts of diet, exercise, stress, and alcohol and cannabis on focus and concentration.
CE Broker Tracking #: 20-1042964
Collier Shepard is a licensed mental health counselor at the University of Central Florida’s behavioral health services. At UCF, Collier provides neurofeedback and heart rate variability training, substance abuse counseling, and facilitates a cannabis psychoeducational group to students. Collier earned a master’s in clinical mental health counseling at the University of Alabama and also holds a master’s in exercise and sport sciences from the University of Memphis and a bachelor’s in psychology from Ole Miss.
Description: During this webinar, you will learn strategies to build a private practice from the beginning, in an ethical and smart manner. You will learn about how ethics impact business planning and decision-making. You will receive marketing tips and strategies to help you earn an income that creates the life you want.
CE Broker Tracking #: 20-942331
Amanda Landry is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Certified Addictions Professional, National Certified Counselor and private practice consultant. She’s the owner of a group practice, Caring Therapists with several locations in Florida. Caring Therapists specializes in working with children through adults. Amanda is the author of Guided Journal for Women with Anxiety on sale on Amazon and wherever books are sold. Amanda is trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Emotionally Focused Couples Counseling, Trauma- Focused CBT and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. Amanda is the founder of My Private Practice Collective, an online community for therapists in private practice. She is a private practice consultant who helps solo and group practices build smart practices. In 2018, Amanda was awarded Counselor of the Year by the Florida Mental Health Counseling Association. She is the secretary of the FMHCA and the PBMHCA. She is a volunteer for Delta Phi Epsilon Sorority as the chair of the Wellness Committee. She has served as a chapter advisor for DPhiE since 2007. Amanda has helped numerous Registered Interns with supervision and starting their private practice. She is a Qualified Supervisor in the state of Florida.
Description: Grief and loss are ever present - yet we often are not taught how to help children, teens and adults. Cultural norms, countertransference and societal pressures combine to make talking about death, divorce and loss difficult. Models of grief and loss, talking with bereaved children and teens, as well as typical versus atypical grief reactions will be processed. This webinar will serve as a guide for therapists to infuse their practice with art, play and sandtray activities that will support bereaved and grieving individuals. Therapists will be able to incorporate learned skills into their clinical approach and techniques into in person and online telehealth services. Ethical considerations, diversity and limitations will also be explored.
CE Broker Tracking #: 20-973246
Marla Berger has been working with children, teens and adults providing experiential therapies since 2000. After receiving her Bachelors Degree from University of Florida and her Masters Degree in Art Therapy from University of Louisville, she specialized in working with children and their families. In the wake of the Parkland tragedy in 2018, she has been serving the community in supporting trauma and loss. She knows the working through traumatic experiences can be difficult to talk about, so incorporates art, play, sandtray and equine assisted services into her therapy program. She is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Registered Art Therapist, Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor, Eagala Advanced Certified in Equine Assisted Services and trained in Natural Lifemanship which is a Trauma-Focused Equine Assisted Psychotherapy modality. Since 1999, Marla has been speaking locally and nationally on a variety of topics including how to incorporate experiential therapies for grief, loss and trauma.
Description: Participants will learn the signs that someone is thinking about suicide, specific steps they can take to engage the person in turning toward life, and important information about how to support survivors of suicide loss as a prevention strategy. This is an experiential workshop and participants will have the opportunity to practice asking questions and engaging in suicide prevention with gentle guidance in a supportive learning environment.
CE Broker Tracking #: 20-1079880
Maureen Pollard is a registered social worker with 30 years experience in the field. She operates a private practice in Cobourg, Ontario, Canada and specializes in grief and trauma, as well as resilience and wellness for professionals in high-stress, trauma exposed workplaces. She is also an author and a songwriter.
Description: Terms like "schizophrenic," "psychotic," and "sociopath" are often headliners in news stories, painting a negative, and often frightening, picture of mental illness. In this workshop, participants will be exposed to the stigma surrounding Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders, and gain knowledge and skills to "debunk" these myths, learning to serve as better advocates for people experiencing mental illness. Participants will also increase their assessment skills and diagnostic competency in the area of Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders, in preparation for work with people experiencing diagnoses from this spectrum.
CE Broker Tracking #: 20-1088768
Jennifer Barr, MSW, LCSW, is a social work faculty member at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville. Ms. Barr began her social work career working with clients who experienced domestic and sexual violence. After receiving her MSW, Ms. Barr gained a majority of her practice experience and received her LCSW working in the field of mental health and substance abuse, providing a wide range of clinical services to persons experiencing severe and persistent mental illness, in both inpatient and community-based settings. Prior to joining the UNF faculty, Ms. Barr worked in the field of higher education. She also provides services to veterans and their support systems, and serves as an auditor in the Florida prison system.
Description: The Florida legislature recently passed a bill (SB 254) that the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization, referred to as a “gender-affirming care ban.” Does this bill really ban gender-affirming care? What are its potential implications for mental health counselors and the clients they serve? What about other bills that were passed directly (or indirectly) relate to our work with LGBTQ+ clients (e.g., SB 1580, SB 1320, HB 1521)? And what’s the deal with that “guideline” issued by the Department of Health last year against “social gender transition” for adolescents? Does that change anything for counselors working with transgender youth?
Get updated and informed with this 1.5-hour webinar! The Chair of FMHCA’s Government Relations Committee and FMHCA’s President will provide a brief overview of legislative actions and government guidelines impacting counselors working and their LGBTQ+ clients, and a panel of counselors specializing in work with LGBTQ+ clients will discuss these measures and answer questions posed by attendees.
CE Broker Tracking #: 20-1097560
Dr. Aaron Norton is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with certifications in addictions, alcohol and drug counseling, rehabilitation counseling, clinical mental health counseling, trauma treatment, forensic mental health evaluation, forensic behavioral analysis, and forensic psychometry. He serves as Executive Director of the National Board of Forensic Evaluators, a national not-for-profit board officially endorsed by the American Mental Health Counselors Association that provides training, certification, and professional advocacy for licensed mental health professionals specializing in forensic mental health evaluation. He is an Assistant Professor of Instruction at the University of South Dept. of Mental Health Law & Policy. He serves as Southern Regional Director, Ethics Committee Liaison, and International Counseling Task Force Chair for the American Mental Health Counselors Association and Chair of the Government Relations Committee for the Florida Mental Health Counselors Association. He is the Consulting Editor for AMHCA’s The Advocate Magazine. He co-authored the Forensic Evaluation section of the “AMHCA Standards for the Practice of Clinical Mental Health Counseling,” authored the proposal for AMHCA’s Clinical Mental Health Specialist in Forensic Evaluation (CMHS-FE) credential, and served on the expert panel that created the standards and written exam for the Florida Certification Board’s Certified Telehealth Practitioner (CTP) credential. He has 20 years of experience as a psychotherapist and clinical supervisor specializing in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) issues, cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety and depressive disorders, and substance use treatment. He was awarded Mental Health Counselor of the Year by the American Mental Health Counselors Association in 2016, Counselor Educator of the Year by the Florida Mental Health Counselors Association in 2016, Researcher of the Year by the Florida Mental Health Counselors Association in 2019, and he was awarded AMHCA’s Public and Community Service Award in 2020. An experienced writer, presenter, and trainer, he has been published in several academic journals and professional magazines in the counseling profession.
Laura Peddie-Bravo, LMHC, NCC is the current President Elect of the Florida Mental Health Counselors Association, FMHCA. Laura graduated from The University of Central Florida’s CACREP accredited Counselor Education program in 1998. She obtained her NCC credential in 1999 and obtained her license in 2001. Laura owns a private practice, The Bravo Counseling Group, LLC, in Winter Park, Florida. She is married and the mother of three young adult children, one of whom has Autism Spectrum Disorder. Among her specialties are Depression, Anxiety, PTSD, Bi-Polar, OCD, Domestic Violence, and Personality Disorders. Working with clients and families with Autism Spectrum Disorder is a special passion for her. Laura also enjoys serving the profession of counseling, and she has been a member of and volunteered for professional associations since she was a graduate student.
Logan Bell is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Qualified Supervisor in the state of Florida. He works across the LGBTQIA+ spectrum helping patients navigate aspects of development and managing comorbid mental health concerns. Logan specializes in work with severe mood disorders, including bipolar disorder, active suicidal ideation, and death work, operating from a psychodynamic and cognitive behavioral lens. Logan also works with LGBTQIA+ advocacy groups and aims to help other clinicians better understand the law, ethics, and ways to help.