Welcome to the website of the Connecticut Mental Health Counselors Association

What is CMHCA?

CMHCA is the division of the Connecticut Counseling Association (CCA) that represents counselors whose focus is on providing mental health treatment to clients. Mental health counselors are employed in a variety of settings, such as clinics, hospitals, residential treatment programs, and private practice. CMHCA is also a branch of the American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA).

Who can be a member of CMHCA?

Anyone who is a member of CCA and has an interest in mental health counseling can be a member of CMHCA. This includes students in community counseling programs, masters and doctoral level clinicians, and Licensed Professional Counselors (LPC’s).

What does CMHCA have to offer?

CMHCA holds three to four division meetings a year in various locations across the state that members are encouraged to attend to gain knowledge about what your professional organization is doing for you, to network with colleagues, and to give feedback about your CCA/CMHCA membership. In addition, CMHCA co-sponsors workshops throughout the year, providing opportunities for CEU’s on topics of interest to mental health counselors. CMHCA also provides organized opportunities for networking with colleagues through informal regional social networking groups across the state. Advocacy for our profession and LPC’s is also a main focus of this division.

How can I learn more?

Read the CMHCA Goals for 2009-2010

Goal #1: Membership

This year's first goal is to maintain and increase membership of our division and the association as a whole. There is power in numbers with regards to legislative advocacy and increased resources for members.

It is important for the association to continually evaluate the needs of its members and recognize their participation. In an effort to maintain membership, CMHCA will perform annual needs assessment studies and surveys at Connecticut Counseling Association (CCA) conference and other times during the calendar year in order to evaluate members' satisfaction with the division/association. CMHCA will also conduct division meetings in different areas of the state throughout the year to encourage opportunities for feedback from members. In addition, CMHCA's Membership Chair will contact members who have failed to renew as a reminder and to serve as a liaison for questions/concerns regarding division membership issues.

To attract new members to CMHCA, counselors need to be informed of the advantages to membership. The association believes the advantages include but are not limited to opportunities for networking and continuing education, mental health advocacy, and a sense of professional integrity and identity. This past year, CMHCA sent a membership letter and application to all the LPC's in the state who were not already existing members of CCA. This effort paid off with a direct increase in division membership following the mailing. We plan to do this again this year and hope to see similar results. In addition, we will work closely with the CCA Graduate Liaison to conduct membership outreach efforts to graduate students in the state.

Goal #2: Professional Identity

Our second goal is to increase the professional identity of counselors in the state. To achieve this goal, CMHCA must work collaboratively with other mental health providers in the state and continue to educate mental health agencies, hospitals, and the state of Connecticut regarding the role and function of the counseling profession and Licensed Professional Counselors. In addition, we look to our national counterpart, the American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA) for support and guidance with this issue. Each year, CMHCA sponsors attendance at the AMHCA leadership and annual conference for a division member committed to holding a leadership position in the association.

CMHCA recently revised their LPC informative pamphlet and can make copies available for members interested in promoting professional identity in their workplace or other arenas. We also plan to do a mailing this winter of this pamphlet to mental health providers in the state, along with a letter, to further educate about and promote our profession. Also, the CMHCA board and members will continue to work with the CCA Legislative Committee in regards to counselor related issues at the state and national level.

Goal #3: Professional Development

Another goal for CMHCA is to increase opportunities for both formal and informal professional development for its members. Each year, CMHCA co-sponsors several workshops on various topics related to mental health counseling, offering CEU's through NBCC. We are continually looking for interested people willing to organize or facilitate workshops of interest to our members. In addition, the CMHCA President-elect is involved in the planning of the annual CCA conference each year, allowing for pertinent division member issues to be addressed during these events.

Professional development is also achieved through networking and supervision groups on the regional level. There are several members currently interested in establishing informal social networking groups in different areas of the state that CMHCA will facilitate initiation of. In addition, CMHCA continues to advertise and support the CCA Supervisors' List to provide members opportunities to meet with other counselors more formally in a group or individual setting.

CMHCA also holds three to four division meetings each year in different areas of the state to provide members opportunities to learn about happenings in their division and the association as a whole, to meet other counselors, and to get feedback from members regarding their hopes and concerns about the profession so that CMHCA can assist in addressing these issues.

See our LPC Brochure

Please contact a member of the CMHCA leadership board for more information about this division and its offerings.

The March 2010 CMHCA Newsletter is now available.CMHCA Newsletter March 2010

The Connecticut Mental Health Counselors Association announces a Professional Development Day on Friday, November 12, 2010.   Call for Proposals Submission Deadline