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Dear NAMRC Members: 

The National Association of Multicultural Rehabilitation Concerns (NAMRC) sincerely thanks all of the members who cast their ballot for the 2020-2022 officers. Before the Association can announce the results of the elections, it must facilitate a runoff election for three of the four available general board member positions.

Please click on the link to cast your vote: click here.

The ballot opens on Tuesday, November 12, and will close on Monday, November 18th, at 5:00 pm. 

Vote now!

Thank you. Valynica Wilson, Immediate Past-President

FUNDING AVAILABLE!

Virginia Commonwealth University is recruiting qualified candidates, including those with disabilities and from other minority backgrounds, with our new RSA traineeships in Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling. Would you be so kind as to forward the following message to anybody you think may be able to help us recruit the most worthy candidates for these traineeships? Please call me at 804-687-2890 or email me at creid@vcu.edu with any questions. Thanks!

Please disseminate:
Through two successful grant proposals, VCU’s Department of Rehabilitation Counseling now has available a limited number of traineeships sponsored by the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA).

Students funded by those traineeships commit to “employment payback” of working for two years for a state vocational rehabilitation agency (or nonprofit or other organization contracting with the state agency to provide services to vocational rehabilitation clients) in exchange for every full-time equivalent year of funding.

So, if a student is funded for two years of full-time study, that student would need to work in qualifying employment for four years to satisfy the payback obligation. There is also an option for financial repayment, as if the traineeship were a student loan, if the trainee decides not to work in qualifying employment.

We have two different RSA training projects: one is for students who seek to become vocational rehabilitation counselors, and the other is for students who seek to specialize in working in vocational rehabilitation settings with people who have mental health challenges.

Dr. Chris Reid (creid@vcu.edu) is the project director for the vocational rehabilitation counselor traineeship grant; Dr. Chris Wagner (ccwagner@vcu.edu) is the project director for the mental health specialty traineeship grant.

If you or another qualified applicant that you know are interested in either traineeship, please contact the respective project director, as soon as possible.

With appreciation,
Chris Reid

Dear NAMRC members,

Here are the results of the 2020-2022 elections:

• Caleb Cuthbertson – Student Representative (Alabama)
• Felicia Hunter – Treasurer (Michigan) 

Board of Directors

• Terrie Hylton (Michigan)
• Katavia Sloan (Georgia)
• Robert Stevens (Arkansas)
• Courtney Ward-Sutton (Oklahoma)

Additionally, the following individuals have agreed to serve as noted below:

• Alexis Duggan, Co-Chair Membership and Coalition Building Committee (Texas)
• Andre Washington, Co-Chair Professional Development Committee (Oklahoma)
• Danielle Antol, member, Publicity and Marketing Committee(Texas)

Valyncia Wilson, Immediate Past President

Michell L. Temple, President

CLICK HERE To Download the PDF

NAMRC would like to congratulate Dr. Stephanie Lusk for participating in the ACES INFORM at the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision ACES 2019 Conference on a panel discussion about research from within historically marginalized populations. 

October 10 – 13, 2019 in Seattle, Washington

The ACES INFORM Plenary session will focus on an open dialogue of the experiences of doctoral level, and junior faculty researchers from historically marginalized populations. As emergent researchers from historically marginalized populations, the thought and process of conducting, publishing, and presenting research in predominantly white spaces can be a daunting endeavor. Fear of professional ostracism for conducting research not only as a member of a historically marginalized population, but on the concerns and well being of this population may lead to direct confrontation of systems of oppression in professional societies, and society at large. The panel represents diverse positionalities to speak on this topic, from personal to professional standpoints, ultimately seeking to encourage doctoral students and new counselor educators from marginalized populations to go forth and develop research agendas to advance the field of counselor education and supervision, and society as a whole. 

https://acesonline.net/aces-conference-information/

Panelist: Stephanie L. Lusk, Ph.D., CRC

Stephanie L. Lusk, Ph.D., CRC is currently an Associate Professor at the University of Mississippi. She earned a doctorate in Rehabilitation Education and Research and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Arkansas and a Master’s in Rehabilitation Counseling from Arkansas State University. She has over 16 years of prior work experience in education, career development, transition planning, and addictions treatment. She developed curriculum for the Rehabilitation Counseling and Behavioral Addictions (RCBA) certificate program at North Carolina A&T State University and the master’s Addiction Counseling program at the University of Arkansas. She has created training programs for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Colombo Plan, which is based Sri Lanka as well. She has also served on advisory boards for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Stephanie is the recipient of over $4 million in grant funding from the Department of Education, SAMHSA, and the Center for International Rehabilitation Research and Information Exchange (CIRRIE). She has conducted over 20 local, national, and international presentations throughout the course of her career. Her most recent publications center on medicinal marijuana, cannabinoids, and opioid use disorders. She published an edited text entitled Counseling the Addicted Family: Implications for Practitioners that focuses primarily on the unique treatment issues encountered when providing services to individuals with substance use disorders and their families. She is also the author of numerous textbook chapters on opioid, cocaine, and alcohol addictions; supervision; multicultural issues; co-occurring disorders; and treatment. In 2015, she received the Rehabilitation Educator of the Year Award from the National Council on Rehabilitation Education (NCRE).

Greeneville, TN—The NBCC Foundation, an affiliate of the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC), recently selected Michell L Temple, of Greeneville, Tennessee, for the National Board for Certified Counselors Minority Fellowship Program (NBCC MFP). As an NBCC MFP Fellow, Temple will receive funding and training to support her education and facilitate her service to underserved minority populations.

The NBCC MFP is made possible by a grant awarded to the NBCC Foundation by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The Foundation administers the MFP, including training and collaboration activities, such as webinars, that are open to all National Certified Counselors (NCCs). The goal of the program is to strengthen the infrastructure that engages diverse individuals in counseling and increases the number of professional counselors providing effective, culturally competent services to underserved populations.

The NBCC Foundation will distribute $20,000 to Temple and the other 19 doctoral counseling students selected to receive the fellowship award. Temple is a graduate of Emerson College, in Boston, Massachusetts, the University of West Georgia, in Carrollton, Georgia State University, in Atlanta, Ithaca College, in New York, and is currently a doctoral student in the counselor education and supervision program at Regent University, in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Temple currently serves as the Mental Health Counselor and ADA Coordinator at Tusculum University, where she provides counseling and disability services to enrolled students. She is a certified rehabilitation counselor and National Certified Counselor. She is also licensed as a professional counselor in the state of Georgia and a professional counselor with Mental Health Service Provider designation (temporary) in Tennessee. Temple intends to serve as core faculty in a counselor education program teaching core and elective courses that integrate disability studies and trauma-informed care content both didactically and experientially. She plans to bridge the gap between counseling services and underserved minority communities by contributing to the available research knowledge in the areas of culturally competent Christian counseling, the process of integration of personal and professional values and beliefs for counseling professionals, and the relationship between counselor awareness of trauma on cultural competency. This fellowship will help Temple engage in research and training activities related to people with disabilities from diverse backgrounds, addiction, and counselor education. The fellowship will also help her get involved in professional organizations.

The NBCC Foundation has also awarded 30 $10,000 master’s-level fellowships through the MFP-Mental Health Counseling-Master’s (MFP-MHC-M) and 40 master’s-level fellowships of $15,000 through the MFP-Addictions Counselors (MFP-AC).The Foundation plans to open the next NBCC MFP application period in fall 2019. To learn more about the NBCC MFP and its fellows, please visit www.nbccf.org/Programs/Fellows.

ABOUT THE NBCC FOUNDATION

The NBCC Foundation is the nonprofit affiliate of the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC), based in Greensboro, North Carolina. NBCC is the nation’s premier professional certification board devoted to credentialing counselors who meet standards for the general and specialty practices of professional counseling. Currently, there are more than 66,000 board certified counselors in the United States and over 50 countries. The Foundation’s mission is to leverage the power of counseling by strategically focusing resources for positive change.

Two (2) Clinical Assistant Professors in Department of Counseling and Psychological Services

Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA

The Department of Counseling and Psychological Services (CPS) at Georgia State University is searching for two full-time Clinical Assistant Professors to begin Fall 2020. CPS is a collaborative and interdisciplinary department that trains counselors, counselor educators, counseling psychologists, and school psychologists at the master’s, educational specialist, and doctoral levels. Our programs are CACREP, APA, or NASP accredited. Faculty provide exceptional education and training to all our students, and affirm professional identities across our multiple programs. 

Qualifications:  Individuals chosen for these two positions must meet the following minimum criteria:

• An earned doctoral degree (by August 1, 2020) from a CACREP-accredited Counselor Education program.
• Be license-eligible (LPC) in Georgia by start date. 
• Eligibility for certification as an Approved Counseling Supervisor (ACS) and/or Certified Professional Counseling Supervisor (CPCS) in Georgia. 
• Have experience in (or show potential for) teaching core CACREP and specialized courses in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling, School Counseling, and Clinical Rehabilitation masters programs. Show a willingness to teach, supervise, and mentor Counselor Education and Practice doctoral students.
• Have clinical and supervision experience in one or more of the following: Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling, Clinical Mental Health Counseling, School Counseling, or Counselor Education.
• One of the two positions will require that the applicant either be a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) or demonstrate CRC-eligibility prior to start date.

These two positions are open to candidates with a range of clinical and teaching interests that are aligned with the field of Counseling. Some preference will be given to applicants with expertise in the following areas:

·     Children/adolescents 

·     Family systems

·     Culturally diverse persons living with mental illness (i.e., abnormal psychology)

·     Trauma and Trauma-informed care

Responsibilities: Major areas of responsibility for these individuals include teaching, clinical supervision, and service to the Department of Counseling and Psychological Services, College of Education and Human Development, and to Georgia State University. These individuals will be expected to teach courses, and train students across all four CACREP accredited programs. Lastly, individuals selected for these positions will be expected to serve either as the Clinical Coordinator for the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program or coordinate the basic counseling skills training program for the CPS department.  

Clinical faculty members within the CPS Department are highly valued, significantly contribute to the teaching and training within our CACREP accredited programs, and serve in important leadership roles within our department. Opportunities for promotion are available for full-time clinical faculty members.  Additional responsibilities may include participating in curriculum assessment and development; supporting students to develop identities as ‘scholar-practitioners’; contributing to program administration, teaching, advising and mentoring masters and PhD students; and providing service to community and professional organizations

GSU is ranked as the #2 most innovative institutions in the country, ranked #25 for social mobility, and ranked #10 in campus ethnic diversity. To this end, GSU and the CPS department value diversity. Candidates from underrepresented groups (e.g., racial and ethnic minority individuals, women and gender minority people, sexual minority individuals, and persons with disabilities) are especially encouraged to apply. Atlanta is an exceptionally diverse and vibrant metropolitan area that provides numerous opportunities for cultural events. 

Applicants should submit a letter of application, curriculum vitae, statement of teaching, an unofficial or official transcript of highest degree earned, and the names of three professional references to Lydia Ewonus either via email (lewonus@gsu.edu) or mail to Lydia Ewonus, Counseling and Psychological Services, P.O. Box 3980, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia 30302-3980. 

Preference will be given to applications and supporting documents received by October 18, 2019, but the position will remain open until a suitable candidate is selected. Please be advised that should you be recommended for a position, the University System of Georgia Board of Regents policy requires the completion of a background check as a prior condition of employment.

Click here to download NAMRC 2020 Conference Postponed Announcement

Date: March 30, 2020

To: NAMRC Membership

From: National Association of Multicultural Rehabilitation

Re: 2020 Annual Training Conference

As the situation with the coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to develop daily, the NAMRC Board of Directors convened in March to discuss the potential implications of the pandemic on this year’s conference participaton.  It is with the care and concern of our members and potential conference attendees that the National Association of Multicultural Rehabilitation Concerns has canceled this year’s conference!

The location for the 2021 NAMRC Training Conference will be Greektown Hotel – Casino in Detroit, Michigan.  The dates are pending!

To engage our membership and maintain communication throughout the year, Online Webinars will be offered facilitated by the Professional Development, Public Relations and Marketing, and Finance Committees.  Stay tuned for more information on the NAMRC website, social media, and emails to the membership/conference attendee lists.

Please take great care of yourself and your loved ones – nothing is more important than the health and safety of our NAMRC Family.

Sincerest regards,
Michell L. Temple, EdD, CRC, NCC, CCTP, LPC(GA), LPC/MHSP(TN)
President, January 2019 – December 2020
Robin E. Dock, PhD, LCMHCS(NC), LPC(GA), ACS, CRC
President-Elect, January 2019 – December 2020