Join us for ACA’s 2023 Mid-Year Update and Q&A

Join CEO Philip Armstrong and Deputy CEO Jodie McKenzie as they provide a mid-year update and answer questions live. They will also take a look at what the rest of 2023 has instore for ACA and members.

The event will be held via Zoom and will be available to watch at a later date. Click the here to register your attendance via Eventbrite: https://tinyurl.com/mr2y5dbj

Event details:
Tuesday, 8 August 2023, 6.00pm AEST via Zoom
Please check your local time.

Only registered participants will receive the Zoom link to join session. The link will be provided 2 days prior session, with reminders on the day of.

Do you have a question?

Members, don’t miss this opportunity to ask Philip and Jodie your questions. Members can submit questions live on Zoom during the session. Alternatively, email your questions ahead of time to [email protected], to ensure your question is not missed.

Announcing Michelle Mitchell as Keynote Speaker at the ACA 2023 Conference

When it comes to essential dates for your professional calendar, circle this one in red! From September 29th to October 1st, Sydney plays host to the unmissable ACA 2023 Conference. This event sets the stage for discussions, debates, and discoveries centered around resilience in mental health. It’s a golden opportunity for mental health professionals to gather, grasp, and grow from the pioneering breakthroughs and transformative strategies in resilience practices.

View the full program here.  Visit www.theaca.net.au/conference.php for more information.

Introducing one of the Keynote Speakers: Michelle Mitchell

Michelle began her career as a classroom teacher but soon discovered a special interest in wellbeing. In 2000 she quit teaching and established a harm prevention charity, called Youth Excel. Her days were filled with running small group support programs for girls ‘at risk’ of dropping out of education, and she soon became well known for successful outcomes with tweens and teenagers who did not flourish under more traditional forms of therapy. Over the next 20 years, Youth Excel continued to grow and expand. The Youth Excel Centre was established – a multi-disciplinary clinic offering psychology, counselling, mentoring for children and teenagers. It was there that her team of twelve offered big-hearted, innovative services to over 150 families each week. Michelle personally had the privilege of working with many hundreds of young people and their families as a mentor. Today Michelle uses her experience to write and speak in schools, community events and through media. Her best-selling parenting and children’s resources, including the highly popular Everyday Resilience Journal, have sold over 100,000 copies worldwide and have been translated into several languages.

Other highlight presentations include:

  • Dr Mike Millard, psychiatrist and clinical director of the Clinical Research Unit for Anxiety and Depression
  • Dr Jan Orman, GP consultant at Black Dog Institute
  • Elise Carrotte, Clinical, Quality and Evaluation Advisor at SANE

Miss it, and you miss out! Visit www.theaca.net.au/conference.php for more information.

Join your peers at the ACA 2023 Conference!

Join your peers and sector professionals to explore resilience-building throughout the mental health sector!

ACA is excited to be bringing our Annual Conference to Sydney, New South Wales, in September of this year!
The Conference will be held over three days, continuing our tradition of delivering top-notch training, cutting edge workshops and invaluable opportunities to network and learn from industry experts.

Tickets are limited, don’t miss this opportunity!

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The Conference offers a range of programs and packages to build the professional capacity of front-line mental health providers, academics, researchers, and private practitioners, by providing insight into the delivery of mental health services at all levels.

REGISTRATION OPTIONS

Take advantage of the early bird promotion running until Monday 17 July 2023, 12.00am. Don’t miss out!

For more information or to register, visit: https://www.theaca.net.au/conference.php.

ACA Conferences Return

We are pleased to announce the return of ACA Conferences in 2023, to be held in Sydney, New South Wales from Friday, 29 September to Sunday, 1 October 2023.

This event will showcase leading mental health research from Australia’s foremost educational institutions and best practice applications from local experts before an expected audience of around 400 domestic and international delegates; it is a highly anticipated event for 2023.

Objectives and outcomes: The conference aims to build the professional capacity of front-line mental health providers, academics, researchers and private practitioners, by providing insight into the delivery of mental health services at all levels.

Theme: The theme for this conference is Resilience. We welcome all interpretations including and not limited to community trauma, climate anxiety, neurodiversity, drugs and alcohol, human centred design and innovation, etc.

To submit an abstract: Mental health professionals, researchers, students, community workers, teachers, academics, policy and project officers and other interested parties are invited to submit theoretical and empirical research abstracts related to the conference theme, Resilience, to [email protected]. Abstracts must directly explain the relevance of the chosen topic, the research question, theoretical background and the contribution that research makes to the development of mental health service delivery. Empirical papers should provide an overview of their methodology, analysis and main findings. Ultimately, the conference paper will comprise 3,000 words maximum.

Submission procedure: Abstracts are subject to blind review by an independent reviewer to ensure selection is based on merit. Please insert your name and membership number, where applicable, for both categories (paper and alternative), in Microsoft Word or PDF format with double-spaced, 12pt Arial font and numbered pages. Please email to [email protected].

Alternate Format Submissions (Symposia, Panels, etc.): 
We also welcome submissions for alternative types of sessions, including symposia, interactive panel discussions, workshops, and other innovative formats (feel free to be creative!). These submissions should include a title page with the names, affiliations, and roles of people who will be leading, presenting, or speaking in the session. Alternate format submissions should be no longer than 3,000 words (including title page, abstract, figures, references, etc). Successful submissions will typically be assigned a 1.5-hour session within the conference program, there is, however, limited capacity for alternative session formats; allocation will be based on merit.

Deadline: 18 January 2023 4pm AEST

Further Information: Further conference information will be announced in due course.
Alternatively, please contact [email protected] if you have any questions about submitting an abstract.

The Australian Counselling Association thank you for your submissions and look forward to reading your work!

ACA Live Q&A!

ACA will once again be hosting a virtual Q&A session from ACA headquarters this Tuesday 23rd August, 6.30pm AEST via Zoom.

Join CEO Philip Armstrong live as he answers member questions about the industry, upcoming AGM and proposed structural change. We will also take a look at what the rest of 2022 has instore for ACA and its members.

The event will be held via Zoom and will also be made available to watch afterwards for ACA members.

Click here to register via Eventbrite.

Please note, there is a maximum capacity on this Q&A – first in, best dressed. Only registered participants will receive the Zoom link to the session.

Event details:
Tuesday, 23rd August 2022, 6.30pm AEST via Zoom
Please check your local time.

Do you have a question? Members, don’t miss this opportunity to ask Philip your questions. Members can submit questions live on Zoom during the session. Alternatively, email your questions ahead of time to [email protected], to ensure your question is not missed.

We hope you can tune in!

Your complete guide to ACA Chapter Meetings!

Chapters are established and governed by ACA for the purpose of providing benefits and opportunities to ACA Members through collegial networking opportunities. An added bonus of Chapter participation is access to ongoing professional development and group supervision.

The role of Chapters is to provide members with a forum to meet like-minded people and discuss the industry, professional, and other relevant issues. All ACA Members are asked to consider joining their local Chapter, as they are an excellent networking venue. By joining and becoming proactive, attendees have the opportunity to network and engage with like-minded professionals while gaining insight into professional counselling.

Please click here to view the 2023 Chapter Calendar. 

 

 

 

How do I claim my points?

Chapter attendance accrues 3 OPD points for participation. Professional Development points will be recorded in the approved ACA logbook and uploaded at the member’s discretion to their online profile.

 

Are you interested in being a Chapter Convenor?

Is there a Chapter missing where you live? Are you interested in a rewarding role where you can meet people in the industry, gain new skills and share your knowledge? Please send us an email with your expression of interest to [email protected].