Dear Community Partners and Stakeholders,
The Florida Counseling Association (FCA) has been dedicated to promoting mental wellness in our Florida communities and beyond through service, counseling, and education to community members. However, as an organization dedicated to providing the most current and best clinical practices to professional counselors which include mental health, marriage & family, and school counselors, FCA offers professional development opportunities to professional counselors across the state and country. One of FCA’s initiatives is the traumatology symposium geared towards helping professional counselors increase their skills and knowledge in recognizing and treating individuals affected by traumatic events. This is a well-needed initiative as Florida communities have experienced many tragedies such as the 2016 Pulse mass shooting in Orlando, Florida, the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas School mass shooting in Parkland, Florida, and the opioid epidemic including overdose deaths. People have also been affected by individuals of various ages dying by suicide and bullying in schools and on social media. Additionally, other forms of community violence such as gang rivals and killings, police-involved shootings, families impacted by chronic illnesses, poverty, racism, sexism, oppression, discrimination, marginalization, and other forms of tragedies continue to affect people in Florida communities.
Therefore, we’d like to announce that FCA in collaboration with Jacksonville University will be hosting the 2019 Traumatology Symposium: “Connecting the Pieces: Healing through Culturally Sensitive Trauma Informed Care.” This year’s symposium will take place on May 17-18, 2019 on the campus of Jacksonville University in Jacksonville, Florida. The symposium is geared towards professional counselors and counseling students who want to enhance their knowledge and skills to proactively and during crises assist individuals and families.
Please share this information with the professional counselors in your community who may be interested in attending. Vendor opportunities are also available. You can find more detailed information about registering for the event at https://www.flacounseling.org/Traumatology-Symposium. You may also contact Dr. Letitia Browne-James, Symposium Coordinator at letitiabrowne@hotmail.com for more information.
