Article archive / August 1, 2014
Originally published: . Volume 5, No. 12. Source pages: 5.
Recently, it was the pleasure of the Psychology Times to interview Mr. John Crawford, current President of the Louisiana Counseling Association. We asked him about his views regarding current issues facing counselors in the field and also about the upcoming annual conference to be held at the International Hotel in New Orleans, September 20-23, 2014.
Mr. Crawford, a native of Alexandria, received his Master's Degree from Webster University in St. Louis, is currently employed at the Central Louisiana Human Services District in Alexandria as a Drug and Alcohol Abuse Counselor.
Previously, in 2010, he received the Carl D. Perkins Governmental Relations Award at the American Counseling Association for his work regarding elevating the status of Licensed Professional Counselors within the civil service to that of Licensed Clinical Social Workers.
Crawford told the Times that one of the foremost issues facing Licensed Professional Counselors (LPCs) has involved the relationship with the Veteran's Administration and the classification of LPCs within the system, particularly those who are qualified by their training to serve as mental health counselors and therapists.
Despite demonstrated training and experience, Crawford explained, counselors have been slow to be hired by the agency, whereas social workers seem to be the preferred professional hired for counseling positions. Little progress in this area has been made so far, Crawford felt.
In tune with this theme, Mr. Crawford noted that the Louisiana Counseling Association (LCA) sponsored legislation in the 2014 legislative session to change the official designation of counseling interns. Senate Bill 194 was put forth to rename interns to Provisional Licensed Professional Counselors, a step to clarify the actual credentials of interns who obtain two years post degree experience prior to licensure.
Crawford explained that it was felt that this title would raise the professional profile and improve the employability of persons completing the post-degree supervision requirements at both the state and federal levels.
Also, Crawford noted that those from LCA had made steps to improve communication and cooperation among mental health practitioners. Included in these efforts, Crawford recently participated in the first Annual Mental Health Forum, co-sponsored by the LCA and the Louisiana Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. The Forum was attended by leaders of six different mental health professional organizations, including those from the fields of psychology, counseling, and social work.
For the first time ever members of the mental health professions discussed their various positions on legislation that were being proposed for the 2014 Louisiana legislative session, with the goal of cooperating and negotiating areas of differences. Crawford said that in his estimation, progress was made in terms of building bridges among the various mental health professions represented.
Finally, and germane to the theme of the upcoming September conference, Mr. Crawford stated that although often as counselors and therapists we tend to concentrate on deficits and problem areas – which often by their nature are quite grim–we often forget the healing power of laughter.
In contrast to a negative based orientation, he said, what might be accomplished from a strength based approach, one that aimed at a sense of happiness and well-being?
Inspired by a Reader's Digest article, “The Healing Power of Laughter,” Crawford helped create the theme for the upcoming September LCA Conference: “The Healing Power of Laughter and Its Effect on the Client.”
Keynoting the conference on Sunday, September 21 will be Dr. Robert Smith, incoming president of the American Counseling Association. His topic will be: “What Counselors and Counselor Educators Need to Know.” Dr. Smith is the department head of the Counseling and Educational Psychology Department at Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi Campus.
Dr. Samuel Gladding will lead off as Monday's keynote speaker. Gladding is chair of the Department of Counseling at Wake Forest University and served in 2004 as President of the American Counseling Association. Dr. Gladding will speak on “Some Fun and Funny Facts about Wellness and How Humor Adds to Your Health.”
Some of the pre-conference workshops include, “What Makes People Happy,” presented by Dr. John Simoneaux, “Human Trafficking,” presented by Alliece Cole, Donna Frank, and Dr. Courtney Eichelberger, and “Shedding Light on School Counseling Ethics,” by Michael Lefort. Additional information is available from LCA.
LCA Past-President Paul Ceasar (L), current LCA President John Crawford, and Executive Director Diane Austin look over registration at last year’s annual convention of the La. Counseling Association.
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.