American Mental Health Counselors Association Annual Conference

Share Your Knowledge!
NOTE: We are now ONLY accepting poster presentations from graduate students. Deadline is May 30, 2016.

AMHCA is a growing community of over 7,000 mental health counselors. As stewards of the profession, our members are committed to furthering the education of licensed mental health counselors. Join this community of experts by submitting a presentation. We want you to share your expertise on key counseling topics. If accepted, programs will be presented at the 2016 AMHCA Annual Conference in New Orleans on July 14-17. You will engage counselors and students from all over the country and be given the means to stay connected with them year-round. Don’t miss this opportunity to influence the next generation of mental health counselors and inspire passionate discussion among your peers. Submit your program today.

ABOUT THE CONFERENCE
The American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA) Annual Conference is the only national professional conference for licensed mental health counselors. AMHCA members, mental health counseling students, and other mental health professionals are invited to present their research and share their expertise at this conference. Take this opportunity to get involved and share your work with your colleagues. AMHCA is an approved CEU provider for NBCC. As an NBCC ACEP provider, AMHCA is responsible for ensuring that all aspects of our CEU offerings are in compliance with the NBCC Continuing Education Provider Policy.

PRESENTATION FORMAT
There are two presentation categories:

1. ORAL PRESENTATIONS:
Presentations can be either 1, 1.5, or 2 hours (including Q/A) and are designed to be interactive and produce identifiable outcomes. Three-hour presentations may be granted on a limited, case-by-case basis. Presentations may be made by single or multiple presenters, or in panel formats.

This year, we are seeking presentations in the following areas:

• Children/Adolescents/Family
• Clinical Supervision and Ethics
• Disaster and Crisis Mental Health
• DSM 5, ICD-10, Assessment and Diagnosis
• Evidence Based and Emerging Practices - Innovative Treatments, Expressive and Creative Therapies, Skill Building, and Practice
• Integrated Care, Practice Issues, and Healthcare Reform
• Military and Veterans Issues
• Substance Abuse and Co-Occurring Disorders
• Telehealth and Wed based Counseling
• Trauma - Assessment and Treatment
• Traumatic Brain Injury, Brain Function and Neuroscience
• General/Other

2. POSTER PRESENTATIONS:
Posters are displays of innovative practices and award‐winning programs, documents and ideas/questions. Posters will be placed throughout the conference and presenters will be available at select times to answer questions about the materials displayed. AMHCA will provide easels for your poster presentation. Posters should not exceed the standard poster board size of 36” x 48”. Detailed information about your poster board presentation should be provided in a conference attendee handout, which should be submitted via the online portal by June 17. Attendees will receive a web link to print handouts prior to the conference.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES Deadline: Presentations must be received in the online portal by December 16, 2015.
Required Content ─ Abstracts must include the following information, as indicated on the online form:

• Presentation Title (75 Characters Maximum)
• Type of Presentation (Oral or Poster, Single or Multiple Presenters, Panel)
• Program Categories (Graduate student poster presenters may leave this blank.)
• Level of Program: Intermediate or Advanced (Graduate student poster presenters may leave this blank.)
• Primary Presenter Contact Information, including AMHCA Membership Category
• Contact Information for Co‐Presenters
• CV/Resume for all presenters
• Short Biography for Each Presenter (50 Words Maximum for Each Presenter)
• Presentation Annotation (50 Words Maximum – for use in program, web, etc.)
• Program Description to include:

• Abstract (600 Words Maximum, follow APA style requirements)
• Learning Objectives: Define objectives you intend the audience to achieve by the end of your presentation
• Description of accompanying materials or handouts
• AV Needs: All rooms will have an LCD projector with screen and a wired mic. Any additional equipment (computers, phone/internet connections) MUST BE PROVIDED BY THE PRESENTER OR ARRANGED DIRECTLY WITH THE HOTEL AT THE PRESENTER’S EXPENSE
• Presenters must also be prepared to answer the following questions:

• Marketing: Are you selling or endorsing a product or service?
• Commitment: Do you agree to register for the conference and be present for the presentation? Failure to register by May 25, 2015 may result in losing the privilege to present.
• Audio Recording Release: Are you willing to have the session audio-recorded?
If any of this information is not included, the presentation will be considered incomplete and will not be reviewed.

NEXT STEPS
1. Create a user account in the online portal. Start by clicking the 'Join Now' button located at the top of this webpage.
2. Follow the instructions in the portal to submit your program by answering the required questions.
3. AMHCA will acknowledge receipt of all proposal applications via email immediately upon submission. You can also save your application and come back to it before submitting; your username and login will be emailed to you by the system.

Abstract Review Process: The AMHCA Conference Planning Committee, chaired by President-Elect Suzanne Walker, MS, CCMHC, LCAS, LPC will review all presentations. Presentations will be selected based on topic, relevance to conference theme (Building Professional Resilience in Challenging Times), speakers’ qualifications on the topic, and intended audience. The Committee will send notification by email to the presenters of acceptance or rejection. The main presenter will be responsible for notifying others participating in the program of the outcome. All applicants will be notified of the status of their submissions in late February 2016.

Registration and Travel Costs: All accepted presenters will need to register for the conference. Travel costs are not paid by AMHCA. Details on this process will be sent once you are accepted.

If you do not receive an email acknowledgment upon submission of your program, please contact AMHCA’s Conference Manager, Scott Circle, at conference@amhca.org. Each applicant is responsible for verification that his/her proposal has been received.

PLEASE NOTE - AMHCA will only acknowledge programs received via the Online Program Submission Management system.

Start by clicking the 'Join Now' button located at the top of this webpage to create an account and submission.

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