2026 Pre-Conference Workshops

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• Required Courses for Re-Licensure

  • When
    04 Feb 2026
  •  
    8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
  • Location
    1501 International Parkway Lake Mary, Florida 32746
  • Spaces left
    51

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  Description: Ever get bored with the same old ethics, laws and rules, and medical errors continuing education hours for re-licensure? Dr. Norton sure has, and that's why he tried to create something a little different! First, you'll enjoy 3 hours on "The Counselor’s Survival Guide to Ethical Counseling in a Politicized Era. Second, you'll spend 2 hours learning some practice tools for differential diagnosis when you're working with challenging and complicated symptom presentations during the "Avoiding Medical Errors by Using Tools for Differential DSM-5-TR Diagnosis component. We'll then finish with a 3-hour overview of changes in laws and rules that impact the work we love so much. Our goal is for you to emerge from this training feeling refreshed, engaged, and updated! Earn 3 hours of ethics, 2 hours of medical errors and 3 hours of laws and rules required for re-licensure. 

  CE Broker Tracking Numbers:

  • Prevention of Medical Errors: DSM-5-TR Resources for Differential Diagnosis: 20-1292226
  • 3 Hours Laws and Rules Overview: 20-1292227
  • The Counselors Survival Guide to Ethical Counseling in a Politicized Era: 20-1294606

  Learning Objectives:

  1. Describe the interaction between political beliefs and counseling ethical codes.
  2. Use several tools for DSM-5-TR differential diagnosis in clinical practice.
  3. Identify and describe the stages of "root cause analysis." 
  4. Adhere to new laws and rules governing the mental health counseling profession.

  This event is sponsored by FMHCA, an NBCC-Approved Continuing Education Provider. FMHCA NBCC Provider# 2058. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified.  FMHCA is solely responsible for all aspects of the program. 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

  
  

  About the Presenters:

  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 (NBFE), assistant professor of instruction at the University of South Dept. of Mental Health Law & Policy, International Counseling Task Force chair for the American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA), consulting editor for AMHCA’s “The Advocate Magazine,” and chair of the Government Relations Committee for the Florida Mental Health Counselors Association. 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, served on panels responsible for creating certification standards and exam content for three forensic specialty certifications offered by NBFE, and has been published in several journals and professional magazines. He has 20 years of experience as a psychotherapist and 15 years of experience in forensic evaluation and clinical supervision.

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• 4 Hour Qualified Supervisor Update

  • When
    04 Feb 2026
  •  
    8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
  • Location
    1501 International Parkway Lake Mary, Florida 32746
  • Spaces left
    56

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  Description: Every third biennium, a qualified supervisor shall obtain 4 hours of supervisory training continuing education. This continuing education course is structured to meet the qualifications for a qualified supervisor pursuant to Section 491.005, F.S., and subparagraphs 64B4-11.007(3)(a)2., paragraph 64B4-21.007(3)(b), and subparagraph 64B4-31.007(3)(a)2., F.A.C. These hours shall count toward satisfaction of the continuing education hours required for license renewal for the biennium in which the hours are taken. 

  CE Broker Tracking #: 20-1295314 

  This event is sponsored by FMHCA, an NBCC-Approved Continuing Education Provider. FMHCA NBCC Provider# 2058. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified.  FMHCA is solely responsible for all aspects of the program. 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:

  1. Review changes to Florida laws and rules relating to Interns and Supervisors
  2. Discuss various electronic delivery systems for supervision and methods for ensuring confidentiality
  3. Discuss ethical, legal and regulatory issues of supervision, including documentation of the supervisory sessions
  4. Review challenges in supervision.

  About the Presenter:
  Dr. Denny Cecil-Van Den Heuvel (also known as Dr. Denny) received her Ph.D. in Counselor Education with a minor in Psychology at North Carolina State University. She attained her licensed in North Carolina and continues to hold that license.    During this time, Dr. Cecil-Van Den Heuvel also founded a state association, License Professional Counselors Association of North Carolina (LPCANC), along with her colleagues, and was President for two years and promoted legislative groundwork for Licensed Professional Counselors in the 1990s. Currently, LPCANC has over 1100 members and is under the umbrella of the American Mental Health Counselors Association.  Dr. Denny is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and a Licensed Marriage and Family Counselor in the state of Florida. Dr. Denny served as President of the Mental Health Counseling Association of Palm Beach County for two years, President of the Florida Mental Health Association for one year. She is currently a member of the 491 Licensure Board in the State of Florida for seven years.  Dr. Denny retired from academia in March 2019 as Program Director of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Master Program at South University in Royal Palm Beach, FL.  She was instrumental in attaining CACREP accreditation at her university and other South Universities across the U.S. while she served as Chair of 10 campuses.  Dr. Denny currently runs her part time private practice where she enjoys direct client interaction currently via cyber-counseling. She specializes in treatment of trauma, adolescent issues, and couple and family therapy from her long-term experience with this population. Dr. Denny treats adults, children, adolescents, couples, and families.  She works with trauma often and is trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) for shock trauma and Neuroaffective Relational Therapy Certified (NARM) for developmental trauma.

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• Qualified Supervisor Training (QST)

  • Start
    04 Feb 2026
  •  
    8:00 AM
  • End
    05 Feb 2026
  •  
    12:00 PM
  • Location
    1501 International Parkway Lake Mary, Florida 32746
  • Spaces left
    59

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  Description: This course meets State of Florida education requirements for LMHCs, LCSWs, & LMFTs to become credentialed as Qualified Supervisor. This course also meets the Florida Certification Board of Addiction Professionals for Ethics and Professional Development Core Competencies. This dynamic and interactive training will provide you the tools and information that are essential for providing supervision to developing professionals in the field of mental health.

  CE Broker Tracking #: 20-1296940

  Learning Objectives:

  1. Participants will review ethical standards relevant to clinical supervision
  2. Participants will explore liability issues related to clinical supervision
  3. Participants will learn practical approaches to supervision recordkeeping
  4. Participants will role play challenging supervisory situations
  5. Participants will learn ways to help supervisees develop theoretical conceptualization skills
  6. Participants will learn approaches to multicultural and diversity supervision
  7. Participants will become familiar with the major models of supervision for clinical social work, marriage and family therapy or mental health counseling;
  8. Participants gain skills to develop a personal model of supervision, drawn from existing models of supervision and from preferred styles of therapy
  9. Participants has tools and skills to consider becoming a supervisor and (for those of you who are supervisors) strengthen your meetings with interns
  10. Participants will understand the co-evolving dynamics of therapist-client and supervisor-therapist-client relationships
  11. Participants will explore distinctive issues that arise in supervision
  12. Participants will address the contextual variables in practice such as culture, gender, ethnicity, power and economics
  13. Participants will become familiar with the ethical, legal and regulatory issues of supervision
  14. Participants will review the Florida laws and the board rules governing interns and supervision
  15. Participants will understand the role of evaluation in supervision
  16. Participants will answer the Who, What, and Why of supervision

  This event is sponsored by FMHCA, an NBCC-Approved Continuing Education Provider. FMHCA NBCC Provider# 2058. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified.  FMHCA is solely responsible for all aspects of the program. 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

  
  

  About the Presenters:

  Scott Jones has been training and teaching for 10 years and owner of New Directions Counseling since 2013.  He relies on interaction and uses questions along with group scenarios to guide and train and looks for input from the class.  He recently is certified as a Florida Supreme Court Mediator/Arbitrator and is currently supervising 10 interns and has a 100% passing rate of the LMHC exam due to training during the internship.  He also gives quarterly LMHC exam group face-to-face meetings in Dr. Phillips which is in Orlando.  He is also available for consultation in starting private practice with experience of assisting two other providers with starting their own private practice that continues to grow.

  Dr. Denny Cecil-Van Den Heuvel (also known as Dr. Denny) received her Ph.D. in Counselor Education with a minor in Psychology at North Carolina State University. She attained her licensed in North Carolina and continues to hold that license.    During this time, Dr. Cecil-Van Den Heuvel also founded a state association, License Professional Counselors Association of North Carolina (LPCANC), along with her colleagues, and was President for two years and promoted legislative groundwork for Licensed Professional Counselors in the 1990s. Currently, LPCANC has over 1100 members and is under the umbrella of the American Mental Health Counselors Association.  Dr. Denny is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and a Licensed Marriage and Family Counselor in the state of Florida. Dr. Denny served as President of the Mental Health Counseling Association of Palm Beach County for two years, President of the Florida Mental Health Association for one year. She is currently a member of the 491 Licensure Board in the State of Florida for seven years.  Dr. Denny retired from academia in March 2019 as Program Director of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Master Program at South University in Royal Palm Beach, FL.  She was instrumental in attaining CACREP accreditation at her university and other South Universities across the U.S. while she served as Chair of 10 campuses.  Dr. Denny currently runs her part time private practice where she enjoys direct client interaction currently via cyber-counseling. She specializes in treatment of trauma, adolescent issues, and couple and family therapy from her long-term experience with this population. Dr. Denny treats adults, children, adolescents, couples, and families.  She works with trauma often and is trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) for shock trauma and Neuroaffective Relational Therapy Certified (NARM) for developmental trauma.

  
  

  
  

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• Expanding Metaphor, Themes & Processing In Therapy

  • When
    04 Feb 2026
  •  
    8:00 AM - 3:00 PM
  • Location
    1501 International Parkway Lake Mary, Florida 32746
  • Spaces left
    60

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  Earn 6 APT Credits and 6 General CEs

  Description: We know the basics - tracking, reflection, metacommunicating...but how come we keep asking questions and getting stuck with clients? The basics of experiential therapies - art, play, sandtray and equine assisted psychotherapy are actually the opposite of what we're trained to do. Learning how to fully integrate reflection and metacommunication skills takes time and effort. This workshop will be a hands-on, experiential time to practice, role-play and build clinical skills. During this workshop the presenter will break down common misconceptions about non-directive and directive experiential therapies, including what reflection, tracking and metacommunicating actually looks and sounds like in an art, play, sandtray or equine assisted psychotherapy session. The attendees will learn how and when to ask a question, as well as why the power of play is the foundation for many services. This workshop will build on the foundations of Child Centered Play Therapy and Adlerian Play Therapy, as well as provide a basic understanding of the incorporation of art and sandtray into services. Storytelling, role play and experiential activities will be interwoven into the presentation to allow attendees to leave with skills they can bring directly into their therapy session regardless of theoretical orientation. This presentation will cover services for young children through adults in a variety of settings and presenting issues.

  CE Broker Tracking Numbers: 20-1312852

  APT Approved Provider: 20-618

  Learning Objectives:

  1. Identify the core principals of reflection, tracking and metacommunication
  2. Define how CCPT and Adlerian play differ in approach
  3. Demonstrate the theoretical basis for CCPT and Adlerian play through role play and improv experiences
  4. Link client's statements into reflection and metacommunication of their personal metaphors to treatment goals

  This event is sponsored by FMHCA, an NBCC-Approved Continuing Education Provider. FMHCA NBCC Provider# 2058. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified.  FMHCA is solely responsible for all aspects of the program. 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

  About the Presenters:

  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 began to specialize in working with children and their families. She knows that working through traumatic experiences can be difficult to talk about, so incorporates art, play, sandtray and equine assisted services into her therapy program. In the wake of the Parkland tragedy in 2018, she has been serving the community in supporting trauma and loss. She is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Registered Art Therapist, Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor, EMDR Trained, Eagala Advanced Certified in Equine Assisted Services and Natural Lifemanship Intensive Trained Practitioner which is a Trauma-Focused Equine Assisted Psychotherapy modality. Marla is the owner of a specialized group practice in Coral Springs and Parkland devoted to serving children, teens and adults through experiential services. Since 2000, Marla has been speaking locally and nationally on a variety of topics including how to incorporate experiential therapies for grief, loss and trauma. She frequently presents in her art and play therapy office on incorporating experiential modalities in Coral Springs, while at the barn in Parkland she trains on equine assisted psychotherapy and nature based services.

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• Managing Stress and Trauma in First Responders: Building Resilience and Supporting Mental Health

  • When
    04 Feb 2026
  •  
    8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
  • Location
    1501 International Parkway Lake Mary, Florida 32746
  • Spaces left
    25

  Register

  
  

  Description: First responders are routinely exposed to high-stress situations that can lead to both acute and chronic trauma. This comprehensive training program is designed to educate first responders, supervisors, and organizational leaders on the psychological impact of emergency response work, providing them with practical tools to manage stress, recognize trauma, and build resilience. Throughout this interactive session, participants will explore the physiological and neurological effects of stress, understand the cumulative impact of trauma, and learn evidence-based strategies for helping first responders in maintaining mental well-being. The program will cover key topics such as trauma informed care specific to first responders and the role of the counselor in fostering a supportive environment. By the end of the training, participants will have a deeper understanding of mental health challenges in first responders, as well as actionable strategies to enhance their personal and professional resilience. The program will incorporate case studies, interactive discussions, and hands-on exercises to reinforce learning and encourage practical application. T his training is essential for mental health professionals working with emergency personnel, and counselors embedded with agencies who wany to help leadership implement long-term mental health initiatives within their organizations.

  CE Broker Tracking Number: 20-1314592

  Learning Objectives:

  1. Recognize and Understand Stress & Trauma: Define acute and chronic stress, as well as Big "T" and Little "T" trauma, and understand their cumulative effects on first responders. Identify the physiological and psychological impact of stress on the brain and body.
  2. Develop Resilience and Coping Strategies: Learn how to teach first responders evidence-based techniques for helping first responders manage stress, including cognitive reframing, mindfulness, and healthy lifestyle habits. 
  3. Promote a Supportive Culture: Understand the role of the counselor in reducing stigma, fostering open discussions, and providing mental health resources that work for first responders.

  This event is sponsored by FMHCA, an NBCC-Approved Continuing Education Provider. FMHCA NBCC Provider# 2058. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified.  FMHCA is solely responsible for all aspects of the program. 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

  About the Presenters:

  Meredith Moran, Ed.D., LMHC, CCTP is a dedicated professional with over two decades of experience in the fields of counseling, criminology, and law enforcement. Dr. Moran earned her Doctor of Education in Counseling Psychology from Argosy University in 2008, with a dissertation focused on the stressors experienced by male and female police officers. She also holds a Master of Arts in Criminology and a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology, both from the University of South Florida. Currently, Dr. Moran serves as the Senior Academic Program Coordinator at St. Petersburg College, where she conducts marketing outreach and program coordination for the Applied Mental Health Certificate for First Responders. In addition to her academic role, she owns and operates Front Line Wellness, providing mental health counseling with a specialty in trauma, and incorporating animal-assisted therapy into her practice. Dr. Moran’s career is marked by her extensive work in substance abuse and mental health counseling, including significant roles at Operation PAR, where she held positions ranging from Counselor to Administrative Director. She is also a published author and frequent presenter at conferences, focusing on critical topics such as trauma-informed care, substance abuse, and mental health among first responders. Her research interests include suicide prevention, PTSD, and gender-related stress, reflecting her ongoing commitment to advancing knowledge and improving practices in these critical areas. Dr. Moran is an active member of several professional organizations and continues to contribute to the field through both her clinical work and academic endeavors.

  
  

  

  Mary Farrand Police Chief | Law Enforcement Instructor | Criminal Justice Professional. Mary Farrand is a dedicated law enforcement professional with over two decades of experience in policing, leadership, and criminal justice education. She currently serves as a Police Commander at the Gulfport Police Department, where she has held progressive roles since 2001. Her career began as a Police Officer, advancing to Sergeant, and ultimately to her current leadership position. Prior to law enforcement, she worked as a Communications Telecommunicator at the Clearwater Police Department. Mary holds a Master of Science in Criminal Justice with a focus on Behavioral Studies from Saint Leo University and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Criminal Justice Administration from St. Petersburg College. She has also earned an Associate of Arts degree in Liberal Arts. A certified law enforcement instructor, Mary has successfully completed extensive training in areas such as child abuse investigations, field training, domestic intervention, officer discipline, internal affairs, and crisis intervention. She is also a Force Science Analyst, a Speed Measurement Instructor, and an expert in managing field training officer programs. Passionate about officer development and public safety, Mary is committed to fostering a culture of professionalism, accountability, and community engagement within law enforcement.

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