Washington Mental Health Counselors Association

Insights Newsletter

December 2025

Table of Contents

WMHCA Elections are Right Around the Corner
WMHCA 2025 Scholarship Recipients
Presenters Announced for Weaving Connections: Building Inclusion and Connection in Therapy
Universal Human Rights Month
Scam: Emails Soliciting Attendee Lists
Upcoming Self-Care Series
AMHCA: Call to Action
Upcoming Community Events
New On-Demand CE Courses
Job Board

WMHCA Elections Are Right Around the Corner

Feeling frustrated by changes in our field? Looking for a meaningful way to make an impact? With elections approaching and the annual conference ahead, now is an ideal time to get involved with WMHCA. Members are encouraged to attend board meetings, contribute their skills through committees or task forces, and connect with colleagues who are actively shaping the profession.

The JEDI Committee plays a central role in this work—advancing justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion by re-examining organizational structures through an antiracist lens, shaping policy recommendations, and supporting trainings that strengthen counselors’ ability to serve Washington’s diverse communities. Serving on the WMHCA Board or a committee is a tangible way to deepen your commitment to JEDI principles while helping guide the future of our association and profession.

Members who share these values are encouraged to begin attending events now and consider running or supporting candidates in the upcoming elections.

If you are interested in being on our WMHCA Elections Committee you can join with HERE.

To get involved in other committees you can see our full calendar with this LINK.

WMHCA 2025 Scholarship Recipients

WMHCA's Ellen Carruth Outstanding Scholarship Award Recipient

Anida Pobric

2025 WMHCA Scholarship Recipients:

Aggie Burstein

Alexander Avalos

Andrew Sterling

Betul Coban

Daniela Thibeau

Jeannie Curtis

Julia Veilleux

Karyn Paige

Kate Petty

Kiran Frank

Lauren Lewis

Meng Ren

Shanie Matthews

Veronika Lisuk

Presenters Announced for Weaving Connections: Building Inclusion and Connection in Therapy

WMHCA is excited to announce our presenters and topics for our upcoming inaugural conference. We are thrilled to have Ashley McGirt (Therapy Fund Foundation) secured for our keynote. The whole list of presenters and presentations can be found with the link below. Next month we will have the schedule finalized.

If you haven't booked your room yet, please do so using our room block link. Space is limited and rooms are filling up quickly. Also if you are flying in remember to check out our Alaska Airline discount code. All conference information can be found on our dedicated conference page on our website.

Complete Presenter List

Universal Human Rights Month

This month is dedicated to human rights. For some, this is a topic of passion; for others, a topic that elicits a “We know, we know. Why do we need to keep discussing this?” This is not an attempt to take anyone’s beliefs away. It is an appeal to all who have chosen this profession and agreed to uphold a Code of Ethics. Our ethical mandate requires us to pursue professional competence—and competence grows through exposure not only to what aligns with our beliefs, but also, and perhaps more importantly, to what challenges them.

Across our field—from academic settings to clinical practice—there is a growing confusion about what human rights are, who they apply to, and why they matter more now than ever. Human rights are often described as universal: the right to education, healthcare, safety, dignity, bodily autonomy, and due process. But those working in counseling, social services, education, or community mental health know that these “rights” are not experienced uniformly or equally.

In this moment, the distinction between rights and privileges has never been more important. We have long assumed that many rights—our right to practice our profession, our students’ right to learn safely, our clients’ right to walk into an office without fear—were guaranteed. But today, we must confront a new reality: rights can be restricted, eroded, or taken away, and the systems we rely on are no longer functioning as intended.

SCAM: Emails Soliciting Conference Attendee List

Some members have been receiving emails from rogue list brokers claiming to have access to an WMHCA conference attendee list for sale. This scam is common among organizations that put on conferences and events. Please know that WMHCA does not rent, share, or sell your email address to any third party organization.

These scammers are trying to phish for your information and gain access to financial resources. The companies have no association with WMHCA.

Learn More

Upcoming Self Care Series

WMHCA is pleased to welcome Dr. Kira Mauseth for a two-part self-care training series designed for helping professionals. These 1 CE courses offer practical, neuroscience-informed reminders of why caring for ourselves is not optional—it is foundational to ethical, effective clinical work.

The first course focuses on personal resilience, offering accessible strategies to strengthen purpose, connection, adaptability, and hope amid the ongoing systemic and professional stressors facing therapists today. The second course addresses burnout and restoration, helping participants identify what depletes and restores them, develop healthier boundaries, and reconnect with the compassion rewards inherent in clinical work.

Together, these trainings provide meaningful opportunities for reflection, skill-building, and renewal—supporting therapists in sustaining both their well-being and their capacity to care for others.

You don't have to attend both. Click the links below to learn more and register.

Personal Resilience in the Everyday: Developing Core Competencies

January 21, 2026 at 10:00 am

Health for Helping Professionals: Taking care of yourself as you care for others

February 25, 2026 at 11:00 am

AMHCA: Call to Action

Federal Loan Caps and the Exclusion of Counseling and Therapy Programs from "Professional" Status by the Department of Education

Summary of Issue:

The American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA) is deeply concerned by the Department of Education’s preliminary implementation guidance for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1), which establishes new federal student loan caps for graduate and professional students beginning July 1, 2026 and issues the Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) to replace existing loan repayment programs, including the Grad PLUS Program and much of the Parent PLUS program. Under these changes, counseling and therapy programs—including Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Marriage and Family Therapy, and related master’s and doctoral degrees—are (1) not included among the eleven “professional degree” programs though this degree meets a professional and licensure standard and (2) therefore will be restricted to the lower graduate-level cap of $20,500 per year for student loans rather than the $50,000 per year for professional degrees.

Why it matters:

Excluding counseling programs from the professional-degree designation creates a harmful and artificial distinction between Licensed Mental Health Counselors (LMHCs) and other health-care professions such as physicians, dentists, pharmacists, and—even more concerning—clinical psychologists, who were included on the professional list. This reinforces outdated stigma suggesting that mental health providers are not true health professionals, contradicting parity laws and decades of advocacy to ensure equitable care and coverage. Classification issues and loan caps will create barriers and directly undermine AMHCA’s decades of work to establish LMHCs as highly trained, independently licensed mental health professionals essential to meeting the nation’s growing behavioral-health needs.

Click here to read more and learn how to contact members of congress.

Upcoming Community Events

Free events for you to connect with peers, share insights, discuss current challenges in the field, and build a strong local support system. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just starting out, come share your experiences and expand your professional network.

Ballard: February 7th, 2026 1 pm - 3 pm more info HERE

Kelso: 9:00 am on the first Friday each month at the Red Leaf Coffee in Kelso for Cowlitz County counselors. Anyone that is interested or has questions please email hollymarie@soularchaeologycounseling.com

These events are organized by WMHCA members and not hosted or sponsored by WMHCA.

If you are interested in hosting events in your area email info@wmhca.org.

New On Demand Continuing Education Courses

Guided Meditation Skills for Therapists 2 CE's

Many therapeutic approaches incorporate meditation-informed practices as interventions to help clients resource themselves, practice intrapsychic skills, or address deeply rooted materials. Facilitating meditation effectively is its own unique skill set that does not always come naturally. This course will focus on the possible uses of meditation to facilitate therapy and support clinicians in developing the skills and confidence in their own ability to effectively and safely facilitate clients into and out of a guided meditative state.
Check out all of WMHCA's On Demand Offerings