Dear Members,

Today marks the beginning of a shared journey, and I’m honored to serve as your President for the 2025–2026 term. As counselors, educators, advocates, and change agents, we stand at the intersection of deep personal work and broader systems change. Together, we hold space not just for healing, but for transformation.

This year, I invite us to embrace the theme “Rooted & Rising: Reclaiming Wholeness Through Connection, Culture & Care.”  It is both a call and a commitment to remain grounded in who we are and to rise—individually and collectively—as we meet the evolving challenges of our profession and our world.

Guided by the intentionality of this year’s Guidelines newsletter themes, we will explore:

• Presence over performance as we engage in Digital Detox and Reconnection, reclaiming the sacred in-person moments that fuel our humanity.
• Boundaries and balance as we confront The Cost of Caring, naming the impact of vicarious trauma while cultivating sustainable wellness.
• Liberatory narratives as we go Beyond the Diagnosis, affirming that healing is not one-size-fits-all, but rooted in culture, story, and strength.
• Radical renewal as we embrace Starting Again, honoring the beauty in reinvention, forgiveness, and post-traumatic growth.

This year, we’ll continue amplifying culturally responsive care, community-driven advocacy, and systemic change. We’ll spotlight the power of story-telling, ritual, and resilience. And we’ll create space for dialogue, for discomfort, for reimagining possibility and purpose.

To our new members: welcome! To our returning ones: welcome back! Your voice, your vision, and your value are essential to FCA. Together, let us build a community where we practice wellness and embody it. I look forward to learning with you, leading alongside you, and celebrating the collective wisdom that defines our profession.

With gratitude and purpose,

Alecia Rodriguez, PhD, LMFT, CST, NCC
President, Florida Counseling Association
2025–2026

July 1, 2025

If you are interested in a leadership position, please contact the FCA Office at fcaoffice@flacounseling.org