Keynote Speaker:

This year's Keynote will be presented by:

Dr. Karla Sapp 

Dr. Karla L. Sapp is currently licensed by the Georgia Composite Board of Professional Counselors, Social Workers, and Marriage and Family Therapist as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC#006883) and the Florida Department of Health as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (MH #16784). She also holds the following certifications: National Certified Counselor, Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor, Master Addiction Counselor, Certified Professional Counselor Supervisor, and Approved Clinical Supervisor.

Dr. Sapp is a FIERCE Social Justice and Legislative/Public Policy Advocate and was awarded the 2020 Mental Health Advocate Award from the Black Mental Health Symposium. Dr. Sapp virtually attended and successfully completed the Congressional Black Caucus Institute Advocacy and Campaign Training (ACT) in August 2020. Dr. Sapp is the recipient of a Congressional One-Minute, on the United States House of Representative Floor by Congressman E. “Buddy” Carter of GA-01 in February 2021. It is further noted that Dr. Sapp was an integral part of the Florida Counseling Association role in advocating for the Counseling Compact during the 2022 Florida Legislative Session which unanimously passed with Bipartisan Support and was signed by Governor DeSantis in April 2022.

Dr. Sapp speaks and presents on the global, national, regional, state, and local level at several conferences and events throughout the year.

73rd Annual FCA Convention Keynote Title: 

Becoming the Movement: Putting The ACT in ACTion As Counselor-Advocates

Description: Among the mental health profession, many professionals find themselves acting in dual roles. Counselor and Advocate are just two of the roles to which they become, as they recognize that their clients, organizations, and/or communities in which they live need more than what traditional counseling interventions can provide. This keynote session focuses on empowering today's counselors to become a part of a growing movement for advocacy, to include social justice and public policy.

 Plenary Speaker:

This year's Plenary will be presented by:

Natasha D'Arcangelo 

Natasha is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in the states of Florida, Oregon and Washington, a Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC), a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP), a Certified Compassion Fatigue Professional (CCFP) and a Compassion Fatigue Educator. She received her Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Argosy University, Sarasota. She works with adolescents and adults in her role as a staff therapist for Headspace Health. Her previous experience includes 15 years as an educator, community mental health work and private practice. She has presented on various topics including Destigmatizing Mental Health Care, Compassion Fatigue and Effective Techniques for Working with Teens. She operates from a cultural humility perspective and is an ally of the LGTBQIA+ community. She is especially passionate about working with clients who are struggling with trauma and anxiety.

73rd Annual FCA Convention Plenary Title: 

Sustainable Clinical Practice: Combating Compassion Fatigue

Description: Maintaining sustainable clinical practice requires burnout prevention knowledge and skills. In this interactive workshop, you will be walked through the neuroscience of compassion fatigue and be provided with specific tools to curb and revert the process. Participants will gain new insight and skills to manage clinical practice in more sustainable ways. This session will address the impact of working through the pandemic, specific issues that impact BIPOC clinicians and provide evidence-based techniques clinicians can immediately implement to improve their quality of life.