Ohio Counseling Association upcoming events

GCCA Workshop - Intro to Adventure Therapy: Where to Start and Where to Go (14 Aug 2026)

Fri, 14 Aug 2026 13:00:00 GMT

Town Hall: Government Relations Committee / Insurance Advocacy Committee (28 Aug 2026)

Fri, 28 Aug 2026 16:00:00 GMT

Stay tuned for more information!

OCA Leadership Certificate Program - Fall Series 2026 (29 Aug 2026)

Sat, 29 Aug 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Registration deadline: Monday, August 24, 2026

*Required in-person live Zoom sessions:

Session #1 (Saturday, August 29, 9-10:30am) &
Session #2 (Saturday, October 17, 9-10:30am)

The OCA Leadership Certificate Program (LCP) is an 8-week experience that is a FREE membership benefit for any graduate student, new professional, or seasoned professional discerning a possible future leadership role or who may already be serving in a position. LCP equips leaders with the most important tools and information they need to successfully hold a leadership position in OCA. Participants learn how to strengthen the effectiveness of a division/chapter/committee by applying best practices in successive leadership and through succession planning. They meet and network with their fellow participant leaders and receive mentorship and guidance for getting involved and helping to move the work of OCA forward.

Except for two 1.5 hour required in person Zoom gatherings, LCP allows participants to move through the program at their own pace through a series of pre-recorded learning modules. Modules are taught by past and present OCA leaders who share their experiences and insights related to some of the most significant aspects of being a leader in our association. All in person and recorded modules must be completed within the same series for which the participant is registered. The total time commitment is approximately seven hours and participants receive a certificate of completion and recognition at the All Ohio Counselor’s Conference.

Topics include:

Presidential Leadership & Vision
OCA History & Development
OCA Governance & Structure
Legislative Advocacy & Government Relations
Recruiting for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Cultural Dignity
Professional Development & Continuing Education
Treasurer Responsibilities - Finance & Budgeting
Marketing to Membership
The Intersection of Servant Leadership & Counselor Attributes
Reflections from a Past President

Participant OCA membership must be up to date in order to register. You must register using the email address associated with your OCA account.

Questions? Contact Laura Lewis, OCA Leadership Development Committee Co-Chair, at laurajlewiscounseling@gmail.com

For more info, CLICK HERE to visit the Leadership Webpage.

ACACO & SAIGEO Workshop - Supporting LGBTQIA+ Youth Experiencing Political Trauma: Counseling and Advocacy Strategies (29 Aug 2026)

Sat, 29 Aug 2026 12:30:00 GMT

8:30-9:30 AM

Supporting LGBTQIA+ Youth Experiencing Political Trauma: Counseling and Advocacy Strategies is a 60-minute session for counselors, social workers, and marriage and family therapists focused on understanding and addressing the psychological impact of sociopolitical stressors on LGBTQIA+ youth. It introduces political trauma, or distress caused by political rhetoric, policies, and systems that threaten identity, safety, and access to care, and explores how current issues like school policies and gender-related legislation affect youth mental health.

Grounded in Minority Stress Theory and trauma-informed care, the session examines how these stressors contribute to chronic stress, identity invalidation, and layered challenges across schools, families, and communities. Participants will learn practical, evidence-based strategies including identity-affirming counseling, coping skills, and safety planning, while identifying protective factors such as supportive relationships and inclusive environments.

The program also emphasizes ethical advocacy, offering ways clinicians can support youth through school collaboration and community engagement. Additionally, it addresses moral injury among helping professionals and provides strategies for resilience and sustainable practice.

Overall, the session equips clinicians and supervisors with tools, frameworks, and advocacy strategies to better support LGBTQIA+ youth navigating political trauma.

9:40-10:40 AM

Coping as Survival: Understanding Risk and Protective Strategies Among LGBTQIA+ Youth is a 60-minute session for counselors, social workers, and marriage and family therapists focused on suicide risk and coping in LGBTQIA+ youth. It explores how minority stress, stigma, and hostile environments increase mental health risks while shaping coping strategies related to safety, belonging, and identity.

Grounded in Minority Stress Theory and trauma-informed care, the session reframes behaviors often labeled “maladaptive," such as withdrawal, substance use, and self-injury, as potential survival strategies. Participants will learn to recognize the protective functions of these behaviors within youths’ lived contexts.

The program offers practical, affirming interventions including identity-affirming counseling, collaborative safety planning, coping-skill development, and family engagement when appropriate. It also highlights protective factors like supportive relationships and inclusive environments.

Additionally, the session emphasizes advocacy, systems awareness, and ethical considerations related to safety, autonomy, and confidentiality. Overall, it equips clinicians and supervisors with tools and frameworks to support resilience and provide culturally responsive care for LGBTQIA+ youth.

10:50-11:50 AM

Fostering Queer Joy and Resilience in Development: Today’s divergent and expansive generations are navigating an unprecedented wave of legislative attacks and erasure. For LGBTQIA+ youth and young adults, the developmental impacts are crucial for providers to understand and monitor. This session begins by grounding participants in the socio-political context shaping the lives of queer youth today, examining how discrimination and legislative attacks intersect with identity formation, mental health, and development across childhood and young adulthood.

From there, the session shifts — intentionally and substantively — toward queer joy. Drawing on desire-based frameworks and a celebratory lens, participants will explore how centering joy, culture, and community can serve as direct avenues of support and resistance. Rather than positioning queer youth solely as vulnerable or at-risk, this session invites practitioners to also see them as whole people deserving of spaces that affirm, uplift, and celebrate their identities. The session closes with structured reflection and a practical activity, giving participants time to consider how these frameworks can be woven into their own work and communities.

Presenters:

Nicolas Smith, LPCC, NCC, LICDC
Kailey Bradley, LPCC-S, PhD, CCMHC, FT
Shannon O’Mara, CT
Mariah Payne, MA, LPCC

Approved for 3 General CE hours

by the Ohio Counseling Association,

Accepted by the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board

OARTC & OASERVIC Workshop: Spiritual Wounds – Counseling Approaches to Navigating Religious Trauma (04 Sep 2026)

Fri, 04 Sep 2026 14:00:00 GMT

More information to come.

OCA First Friday Lunch & Learn — Elevating Ethical Decision Making: Applying the Values-Based Conflict Model in Counseling Practice (04 Sep 2026)

Fri, 04 Sep 2026 16:00:00 GMT

Join OCA President, Dr. Chase Morgan-Swaney, Ph.D., LPCC-S, LMHC, NCC, CCMHC, ACS, for OCA's September First Friday Lunch & Learn!

Ethical dilemmas in counseling are rarely as simple as finding the “correct” answer in a code of ethics. More often, counselors find themselves balancing multiple responsibilities at once: professional standards, cultural awareness, clinical judgment, and their own personal values, while still prioritizing client autonomy and well-being.

This one-hour live webinar introduces the Counselor Values-Based Conflict Model (Kocet & Herlihy, 2014), a practical framework designed to help counselors work through situations where their values, the values of the profession, and a client’s belief system are discordant. Rather than offering one-size-fits-all answers, the model helps clinicians slow down, reflect, and respond with intention. The training will look at how our own assumptions, emotional reactions, cultural background, and deeply held values can shape clinical decision-making, often without us realizing it.

The session walks through a five-step process for working through value-based conflicts: clarifying the nature of the issue, identifying what is truly at the core of the concern, recognizing any barriers to providing appropriate care, seeking consultation or supervision when needed, and carefully weighing possible responses before choosing the one that best supports the client’s welfare.

Through case study analysis and guided reflection, participants will practice distinguishing between an ethical dilemma and other challenges such as personal discomfort, uncertainty, or gaps in competence. The discussion will also highlight common areas where value conflicts arise, including identity, culture, religion or spirituality, relationships, sexuality, and health-related decisions.

CEs have been applied for.

OASGW & ACACO Workshop: Developmental and Ethical Considerations When Integrating Superheroes in Group Work for Youths (12 Sep 2026)

Sat, 12 Sep 2026 13:00:00 GMT

This program explores lifespan and developmental considerations for children and adolescents and connects these foundations to effective, ethical group work practices. Participants will examine developmentally informed approaches to grief in group settings, including the use of superhero-based themes and activities to support engagement, emotional expression, and resilience. The workshop includes a sample curriculum and an interactive demonstration activity that shows how these techniques work in real time. Ethical considerations specific to child and adolescent group work, such as consent, safety, cultural responsiveness, and scope of practice are also addressed. Overall, this program provides counselors, social workers, and marriage and family therapists with practical, developmentally grounded tools they can apply directly in clinical practice and in supervision, enhancing their ability to facilitate grief groups that are creative, evidence-informed, and therapeutically effective.

Approved for 1 Ethics and 2 General CE hours

by the Ohio Counseling Association,

Accepted by the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board

All Ohio Counselors Conference (AOCC) 2026 (04 Nov 2026)

Wed, 04 Nov 2026 05:00:00 GMT

Registration for AOCC 2026 is now live!

Visit oca.events for more information.

OCA Leadership Certificate Program - Winter Series 2027 (09 Jan 2027)

Sat, 09 Jan 2027 05:00:00 GMT

Registration deadline: Monday, January 4, 2027

*Required in-person live Zoom sessions:

Session #1 (Saturday, January 9, 9-10:30am) &
Session #2 (Saturday, March 6, 9-10:30am)

Topics include:

Presidential Leadership & Vision
OCA History & Development
OCA Governance & Structure
Legislative Advocacy & Government Relations
Recruiting for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Cultural Dignity
Professional Development & Continuing Education
Treasurer Responsibilities - Finance & Budgeting
Marketing to Membership
The Intersection of Servant Leadership & Counselor Attributes
Reflections from a Past President

Participant OCA membership must be up to date in order to register. You must register using the email address associated with your OCA account.

Questions? Contact Laura Lewis, OCA Leadership Development Committee Co-Chair, at laurajlewiscounseling@gmail.com

For more info, CLICK HERE to visit the Leadership Webpage.