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FLORIDA COUNSELING ASSOCIATION76th Annual FCA Convention November 13-15, 2025 |
We look forward to seeing you in Ft. Lauderdale on November 13-15 for the Fall 2025 Convention! The FCA Room Block for The Westin Fort Lauderdale is now open through October 8, 2025. Book your room today! |
Please continue to check back as we update our page for the 2025 Convention |
FCA 2024 Convention "For Your Records" |
2024 SCHEDULE-AT-A-GLANCE |
Thank You to our
| FCA Awards Thank you to all those who nominated someone in 2024. We look forward to your nominations in 2025! | Thank you to our 2024
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Thank you to our 2024 Convention Sponsors! |
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Jon Sperry, Ph.D., LMHC, LCSW, NCC Jon Sperry, Ph.D., LMHC, LCSW, NCC is an internationally recognized expert in Adlerian Psychology. He was awarded a diplomate in Adlerian Psychology in 2016 and also holds a certificate of study in Adlerian Psychology. He is a core faculty member in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program at Lynn University. He is a board certified licensed mental health counselor and a licensed clinical social worker in the state of Florida and has been a staff therapist at the Counseling and Psychological Services at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) since 2010. | Building Community With Rhythm and Music With increasing socio-political tension around the world, mental health practitioners are expected to address the complex mental health needs of their clients. Music offers one antidote to our current social conditions. A meta-analysis of 400 studies found that music can positively influence physical and mental health outcomes. Listening to music was even found to be more effective than prescription drugs in reducing anxiety among patients before surgery. Even further, listening to music and performing music can also help individuals increase participants’ sense of belonging and connection to others. This presentation will engage the participants in rhythm and group drumming activities that can foster connection and wellness. |
The Beginner’s Guide to Virtual Reality (VR)-Enhanced Exposure Therapy 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 a talk therapy session. Advancements in virtual reality (VR) technology, which have made VR technology more accessible and affordable than ever, 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, relaxation (mindfulness training and somatic quieting), behavioral activation, social skills training, and psychoeducation. Meta analyses of VR-assisted exposure therapies show large effect sizes compared to control conditions that are comparable to other in vivo exposure approaches (Carl et al., 2019; Eshuis et al., 2021;Wechsler et al., 2019). |
Dr. Aaron Norton, LMHC, LMFT 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, assistant professor of instruction at the University of South Florida Dept. of Mental Health Law & Policy, southern regional director, Ethics Committee liaison, and International Counseling Task Force chair for the American Mental Health Counselors Association, chair of the Government Relations Committee for the Florida Mental Health Counselors Association, and consulting editor for AMHCA’s The Advocate Magazine. He earned a BA in psychology, MA in rehabilitation and mental health counseling, and PhD in counselor education and supervision with a cognate in physiological psychology. He authored or co-authored the forensic evaluation section of the AMHCA Standards for the Practice of Clinical Mental Health Counseling, the proposal for AMHCA’s Clinical Mental Health Specialist in Forensic Evaluation (CMHS-FE) credential, NBFE's analysis and position paper on counselors and psychological testing, NBFE's guide to laws and rules governing counselors and testing in the US, the DSM-5 to DSM-5-TR update article published in the American Counseling Association's Counseling Today magazine, and he has been published in several academic journals and professional magazines in the mental health professions. He 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 administering and interpreting psychological tests and measures in both clinical and forensic settings and in providing training and instruction on assessment and evaluation as an instructor and clinical supervisor, 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. |
