02/01/2010

2010 Winter President’s Report:

Dear Colleague: Another year… and another decade. Now that’s hard to believe. It seems like just yesterday that we were all anxious about the potential for a Y2K crisis. It is amazing how the pages of our lives journey so quickly! As a team, we marvel at God’s blessings on AACC over the last 10 years and are filled with faith-saturated anticipation for what He has in store for this New Year and new decade. In this President’s Report, I want to review in no particular order some of the wonderful accomplishments of 2009, share some of our leadership and personnel additions, and take a look forward to 2010. As President of AACC, it is my responsibility and great privilege to share with you how God has blessed the expansive scope of our work and ministry. It is no less than amazing that literally tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of individuals have been blessed through the multi-faceted, counseling-related strategies and initiatives radiating from our national headquarters here in Virginia.

1. On mission: Keeping AACC membership our core focus. Our membership has held strong despite the prolonged economic crunch and continues to hover around 50,000 active members annually, making AACC one of the largest mental health organizations in the world. Our executive team has been working tirelessly to develop and execute a new membership growth and development strategy with a goal of increasing membership to more than 100,000 over the next five years. I am pleased to announce that Dr. Josh Straub has transitioned to become the Director of Membership Relations. He has been tasked with member care, prospecting, renewals, divisions and increasing member benefits and satisfaction. He is already working on a Silver Membership in preparation for the 25th Anniversary that I believe many of you will want to quickly enroll in. Please welcome Josh (Josh@AACC.net) and feel free to share your ideas and thoughts with him. I think you will be very pleased with the upcoming issues of the award-winning Christian Counseling Today magazine:
   • Love, Sex and Romance
   • Law and Ethics
   • Elevate: The New Psychology of Leadership
   • Cancer and Life-threatening Illnesses
2. 2010 National Christian Counseling Conference in Branson, Missouri, a sure sellout. On September 23-26, 2010, we will be taking over the stunning Chateau on the Lake Resort Spa and Convention Center for our biennial National Christian Counseling Conference. Featuring 12 different professional and clinical counseling tracks, three-hour and all-day pre-conference workshops, dynamic keynote sessions, wonderful praise and worship, life-changing workshops, and more, you don’t want to miss this opportunity to network, grow and be encouraged in your counseling ministry. The Chateau on the Lake Resort is almost sold out, so if you plan to attend and stay on-site, make your hotel reservations now by calling 888.333.5253. Overflow hotels are being added right now, so don’t delay. Be sure to ask for the AACC conference discount. If you can only attend one event in 2010, come to Branson!
Click Here to Register!
3. AACC/Premier Live 2 Love Royal Caribbean Cruise set to sail in October 2010. More than 500 AACC members and friends set sail last year on the first ever AACC/Premier Live 2 Love cruise to Grand Cayman and Cozumel, and we had a blast! Attendees enjoyed praise and worship, comedy, times of romance, rest and relaxation, great food, incredible sights and earned continuing education while on board. The response from attendees was so positive that we have booked Royal Caribbean for October 9-14, 2010, and nearly 300 have already secured their cabins. We will set sail from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and visit Key West, Cozumel and CocoCay Island as a part of our five day journey. New York Times best-selling author, Gary Chapman (The 5 Love Languages), along with world-renown relationship expert, Gary Smalley, Greg and Erin Smalley, and Dan Seaborn, will be our featured speakers. Make plans now to come and learn, relax, and enjoy an incredible week together. Visit www.live2lovecruise.com for more information.
4. 2009 AACC "Grace and Truth" World Conference a Huge Success. A sellout crowd of nearly 7,000 attendees packed the Opryland Hotel once again for the "Grace and Truth" World Conference. Keynote speakers included Christian leaders like: Chuck Colson, Jim Cymbala, Joni Eareckson Tada, John Piper, Richard Foster, and John Ortberg, along with special musical guests, Charles Billingsley, Mandisa, and country music superstar band, Diamond Rio. Comedians Chonda Pierce and Tim Hawkins were also in the house, along with an army of Christian counseling leaders from all over North America and around the world.
5. The 2009 Grace and Truth "Call for Papers" was a resounding success. The response for the "Call for Papers" was simply amazing! More than 500 academic, pastoral, research and clinically-based proposals were submitted. That is more than we have ever received. Our 20 different track leaders and coordinators fielded the best program ever, with over 140 different professional workshops. The 2011 "Call for Papers" will be launched in late summer/early fall 2010.
6. 2011 "Celebrate Your Faith" 25th Anniversary World Conference already underway. A very exciting forthcoming event is the 2011 "Celebrate Your Faith" World Conference. AACC will be celebrating her 25th Silver Anniversary in 2011. Let me say right now that you don’t want to miss this event. Write the date into your calendar now and get ready for the best World Conference ever—one of those down home grand celebrations. If you haven’t made your Opryland Hotel reservations for September 28- October 1, 2011; do it now. The direct line to the Opryland is 1.888.777.6779, and be sure to ask for the special discounted AACC rate. The Opryland Hotel could very well sell out by end of 2010. While I can’t promise everything, I do know you won’t be disappointed. It’s time to celebrate and get ready for the next 25 years.

 
7. Light University ONLINE adding more courses. More than 150,000 students—from all 50 states and all over the world—have now enrolled in Light University’s video-based certificate programs. August 1, 2008, was a historical day for Light University. Four core counseling courses were launched online with fully integrated video, featuring, what I believe to be, some of the best faculty/instructors in the world. That’s significant because most online programs don’t offer the core of the course as video-based, so often the passion and expertise of the professor is lost. Since then, we have seen enrollment continue to climb. This new transition to online education opens the door to reaching our mission of training one million leaders worldwide. All 10 of our core courses are now online. Watch for our new programs on addiction and recovery, pre-marital counseling, life coaching specializations, and more to be added soon. To learn more, check out www.LightUniversity.com.

 
8. Challenging Cancer series to launch April 2010 in partnership with Letters to God theatrical release. Seven different cancer-related programs are set for release this spring, including the Hope Coach Certificate program and small group curriculums for survivors and caregivers. Project Director, Jennifer Cisney, claims it is by far the very best counseling-related product ever produced by the AACC. Pray that God will bless those whose lives have been touched by cancer. To our knowledge, this is the first faith-based cancer project available.Click here to visit the Challenging Cancer web site. Programs Include…
   • Survivor Project: When You have Cancer – 8 Lessons
   • Caregiver Project: Offering Contagious Hope & Care – 8 Lessons
   • Tyler Project: When Your Child has Cancer – 3 Lessons
   • Papa C. Project: When Your Mom or Dad have Cancer – 3 Lessons
   • Barnabas Project: Deep Spiritual Wisdom to Fight Cancer – 3 Lessons
   • Grief Project: When You Lose Someone to Cancer – 1 Lesson
   • Hope Coach: Certificate Training Program – 12 Lessons
9. Continuing Education and Professional Development Available ONLINE Soon. Watch early this year for the release of all continuing education programs ONLINE 24/7. If you need continuing education for professional development, certification or state licensure, you can study at home or the office… and at your convenience.
10. National AACC Headquarters expanding. Our goal in 2008 was to firmly establish a home for the AACC that would offer the technological and media support for 21st century ministry impact. I am pleased to announce that the AACC headquarters moved to our new location in Forest, Virginia, a year ago last November. Expanding from 8,000 to 30,000 square feet of office and warehouse space at the InService America complex, we have localized our entire team and warehousing. In this newly constructed leased space, we have "smart classrooms" for professional on-site trainings, a television and recording studio, a 10,000 square foot warehouse, increased phone and Internet capabilities, and more. This carefully designed progressive step allows us to continue to expand the reach and scope of the good work God has called us to do. We will also continue to push toward the development of our own national campus and AACC headquarters in the near future.
11. Board of Christian Professional and Pastoral Counselors (BCPPC) gaining momentum. Nearly 4,000 counselors are now nationally certified through the BCPPC according to Executive Director, Dr. Ken Nichols (Psy.D.), formerly the Dean of Behavioral Sciences for Southern California Seminary. Ken also served as Associate Pastor for Family Ministries at Shadow Mountain Community Church with Dr. David Jeremiah in San Diego, California. The BCPPC offers credentials for professional, pastoral, and lay counselors. Go to our Web site at www.bcppc.net for detailed information or to download your application. As an AACC member and BCPPC credential holder, you qualify to be listed in the Christian Care Network. Don’t miss your opportunity to become a Board Certified Christian Counselor.
 
12. Extraordinary Women (EW) conferences and ministry reaching national prominence. In 2009, EW had its best lineup of speakers ever and held 16 events all over America, including a national simulcast. We held conferences in Tampa, Tulsa, Greenville, High Point, Baton Rouge, Pensacola, Johnson City, Birmingham, Raytown, Roanoke, Ft. Wayne, Ypsilanti, Tupelo, Columbus, Rockford, and Charleston. The EW leadership team is pleased to announce that in addition to the carefully designed platform messages to encourage and minister to women, counseling-related preconference workshops focusing on relationships, emotions, sex and a deeper faith are also being added. Counseling experts Diane Langberg, Mark and Debra Laaser, Cliff and Joyce Penner, Sharon Morris May, Catherine Hart Weber, and many more will lead the way. Pray for God to do a powerful work in 2010. You can learn more at www.EWomen.net.

13. AACC Action: Advocacy Plan and Leadership Team developed. The interplay of culture, faith and government is of crucial importance in our society today. Every major mental health organization in America is involved in protecting (or in many cases—limiting) our freedoms, including, but not limited to, access to mental health care, civil rights, values and more. We have been challenged by our colleagues to develop and implement an effective strategy to influence the Church, state and the greater world community in these areas and intend to do so. We will launch our first efforts this year.
14. Grief, Crisis and Trauma Response Training and Mobilization plans being solidified. Our mission to date has focused on training, educating, equipping, resourcing and mobilizing and army of faith-based "first responders" when tragedy of any sorts arises nationally and internationally. AACC has professionally trained more than 10,000 leaders in all forms of Crisis Response. We are working now with national and international organizations to further develop a more effective faith-based Crisis Response and Mobilization program. AACC helped lead the "faith-based" way in numerous situations over the past few years, including 9-11, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and more.
15. eCounseling.com project exploding into the fabric of everyday life for those seeking Christ-centered care and counseling. Packed full of professional faith-based mental health information, insight, inspiration and access to Christ-centered care, eCounseling.com is quickly becoming the portal for Christian help worldwide. If you are a state licensed mental health provider or small group leader, you need to be a part of this incredible outreach. Visit eCounseling.com to find out how to get started today. At eCounseling.com, you will find topics like depression, anxiety, and affairs addressed, as well as short and long feature video on each topic from some of the world’s leading experts. In addition, recommended resources and services are provided, including access to small groups and Christian counselors from around the world.

16. Radio and Television Ministry expanding. Turn it Around can now be heard every Tuesday (12:05 – 1:00 p.m. ET) on American Family Radio Talk in 143 markets all over America. Built around counseling-related topics and themes, TIA is a live-talk, call-in program and features America’s leading Christian counseling experts. We would love to have you tune in. We will also be delivering prime-time television programming starting in 2010. Our mission is to educate the Church and greater world community on counseling-related issues and connect those who hurt with those who offer the best in Christ-centered care.
17. Wildfire Weekend for Men expands to Six Cities—Partners with Men at the Cross. Last October, 4,000 men attended the Wildfire Weekend (www.Wildfireweekend.com). Featuring special guests, Kyle Petty (Former NASCAR driver and current Fox Sports commentator), comedian Dennis Swanberg, Norm Miller (Interstate Batteries), General Bob Dees (Campus Crusade) and a host of professional athletes and men’s ministry leaders, 4,000 guys showed up—with many father-son teams. Stunned once again by the encouraging response, Team Wildfire is considering six different locations for 2010.
18. Teen Mania Relationship continues. Ron Luce, Founder of Teen Mania and the Acquire the Fire conferences all over America, cares about today’s generations, especially the issues of their hearts. I am very pleased to announce that we are, and will continue, sharing in Ron’s mission to reach out to teens and youth leaders across America. As a result, nearly 3,000 youth leaders became members of AACC last year.

19. AACC Foundation making a difference: Grants $50,000 in student scholarships for 2009-10 academic year. Our primary mission through the foundation is to advance the cause and reach of Christian counseling both here in America and around the world. A number of primary issues include: research and scholarship; crisis training and response efforts to natural disasters and acts of terror; and offering student scholarships, resource development, and making counselor training programs available to those who can’t afford it, especially nationals in third-world countries. AACC must also become a champion for more global issues, such as sex trafficking, the AIDS pandemic, and the persecuted Church.
20. Awakening Movement: Our new initiative for the Student Chapter Division was launched at the 2009 World Conference at an event called Awakening: No Labor in Vain. The huge success of the event was anchored by nearly 1,000 students and over 200 colleges and universities represented. In addition, a portion of the $50,000 in scholarships was given away to the top three Master’s and Doctoral Level students who submitted materials for the poster competition. The winners included Amy Billingsley (1st place, Master’s, Liberty University), Gina Hansen (2nd place, Master’s, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary), Tiffany Hartin (3rd place, Master’s, LU), Mindy May (1st place, Doctoral, SWBTS), Greg Mears (2nd place, Doctoral, LU), and Mark Westin (3rd place, Doctoral, SWBTS).
21. Project Tuza (Rwanda) underway. In June 2009, our executive team traveled to Rwanda, a country traumatized by genocide, to listen and learn from its people. Led by AACC Board Chairperson, Dr. Diane Langberg, the ultimate goal over the next several years will be to teach, train, establish counseling ministries, and provide trauma-based support and resources to counselors, pastors, educators, and the medical community as they struggle to assist a traumatized population. Our hope is that Project Rwanda will become a pilot program that can be replicated in other developing countries around the world.

    Click here to donate to Project Tuza.


22. AACC Publishing and Resource Division. Very few important and needed counseling-related books get published anymore. After much discussion and preparation, we are excited to announce a new series of workbooks, pamphlets, and professional books that are in progress:
    • The Counselor’s Bible
    • The Silver Anniversary "Best Practices" Monograph Series
    • Choosing Effective Treatments in Christian Counseling
    • Competent Christian Counseling (revised edition)
23. "Counseltalk" Professional Video-based Online Counselor Trainings to begin Spring 2010. To help keep our membership abreast of new developments and trends in an economical fashion, we are moving to monthly clinical trainings featuring leading experts "live" via teleconferencing and/or online. Our team is really excited to be able to bring the "best of the best" right to your front door. Watch for more coming your way soon.
24. Increased Leadership. Our primary mission is to help champion a robust counseling movement that is biblically sound, theologically solid and clinically excellent.
    • Board Chairperson — Dr. Diane Langberg
    • Executive Vice President and COO: Mr. Jimmy Queen
    • Vice President and Academic Dean — Dr. Eric Scalise
    • Board of Christian Professional and Pastoral Counselors — Dr. Kenneth Nichols
    • Black African-American Division — Dr. Mark Crear
    • Biblical Counseling and Spiritual Formation Division — Dr. Ron Hawkins and Ian Jones
    • Society for Christian Psychology — Dr. Eric Johnson
    • Marriage and Family Network — Mr. Leo Godzich and Dr. David Stoop
    • Membership Director — Dr. Josh Straub
    • Spiritual Director — Dr. Larry Crabb
    • Leadership Director — Dr. Henry Cloud
    • Clinical Director — Dr. John Townsend
    • International Director — Dr. Archibald Hart
    • Law and Ethics Committee Chairman — Mr. George Ohlschlager
    • AACC Action — Drs. Matt and Anita Staver
    • eCounseling.com — Dr. Anthony Centore and Mr. Ryan Neace
    God is continuing to bring together an incredible team of Godly men and women to help solidify and shape the future of the AACC and Christian counseling.
25. Child Sponsorship programs reach over 8,000 kids now. Without question, one of the most significant AACC efforts to date is that through our excellent partnerships, we have secured approximately 8,000 monthly sponsors for children around the world. That’s nearly three million dollars a year from the AACC family being donated to needy children all over the world.

26. Haiti Crisis and Trauma Response: Our executive response team has been aggressively working to determine a best strategy for trauma response to the disaster in Haiti. Some of the initial phases of the program include debriefing for first responders, probably State side in southern Florida. Pray for wisdom and for God to help bring all the pieces together quickly. To donate to the Project Haiti Trauma Relief Fund through the AACC Foundation, click here.

    Click here to read more about the Project Haiti Trauma Relief Fund.

As we move full force into this new year, let’s pray for God’s clear leading, protection and blessings. He is still on the throne, and it is a wonderful time to be in the "HOPE" business. Let’s come to Him with a "spirit of expectation" this year. Your "Team AACC" has been working and praying feverishly to that end. Blessings, Tim Clinton, Ed.D., LPC, LMFT, BCPCC President American Association of Christian Counselors

01/31/2010

Up from the Pit through the Cross: Help for the Depressed:

Depression is a distressingly common problem in our contemporary setting. Advertisements for anti-depressant medications bear ample testimony to this reality. Statistically, one in four individuals will suffer its pain at some point in their lives. Because of the frequency and prominence of this problem it is incumbent upon those who are committed to the use of Christian Scripture in ministry and counseling to apprehend the practical relevance of biblical resources for the care, and cure (sometimes!) of depression. Psalm 88 provides a vivid description of depression, much more graphic than the diagnostic criteria of the DSM-IV TR. The Psalmist cried out in the midst of his troubles, from the bottom of a pit (88:1, 9, 13-14). He had been pummeled by unrelenting waves and felt as good as dead—weak and doubting that deliverance would ever come (88:3-7). He was isolated and alone, “shut in” by himself (88:8). Feeling helpless and afraid (88:15), he concludes that “darkness has become my only companion” (88:18, ESV margin). Depression can be summarized as “an introverted form of suffering that obscures hope.” Sam Williams, Counseling Individuals with Addictions: Unpublished Class Notes (Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Spring 2006). Martin Luther believed that at the root of his depressive moods was, “the loss of faith that God is good, and that he is good to me.” Care and counsel of the depressed begins by encouraging them to express themselves graphically, and then directing them up and out into conversation with God who understands and speaks the (sometimes incomprehensible) goodness of the Good News into their situation through many passages in Scripture. As an introverted and morbid form of suffering, depression entails an inward focus. Such a gaze finds little hope, as they are discouraged by what they find inside. This is consonant with Romans 3 and 7, which provide a sad but true catalogue of the human state. The problem under consideration there is not isolated to fallen, unredeemed humanity; it extends to those who trust in Jesus Christ. In Romans 7:18, Paul the Apostle writes, “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh” (ESV). He concludes the chapter with a desperate cry, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (v. 24). According to Scripture, the deeper one peers into oneself, the worse the situation appears, and of course the deeper the despair. Depression (as hope obscuring and introverted suffering), can be a result of persistent introspection. So as far as depression is concerned, the most important solutions cannot be found within. Where then is the solution? The first step here is crucial and involves a fundamental change in focus and direction, up and out. There is no light in the pit. Where shall we direct their attention? There are many ways to divert their depressive energy and attention away from themselves. But not all paths are equally worthy of our attention. And at the end of the day, there is only one who can both pull us up and out of ourselves, bring to us true hope, and promise genuine change. Paul’s answers his own desperate question in Romans 7:24 (above) like this: “Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:25) It is to Jesus that we must direct the gaze of our depressed brother or sister. This makes good sense. The uniform testimony of Scripture is that we do not have the resources within to solve our deepest problems. We need help from outside. We need someone other than ourselves to step into our lives and rescue us. The Bible teaches that God has done this through Christ (e.g., Romans 3.21-28; 1 Corinthians 1.30). The Protestant Reformers described this as an “alien righteousness:” One that comes from outside of us, not intrinsically our own. Hope and our joy are located not in what we can do, but in what Jesus Christ has done (e.g., Philippians 4:4; 1 Thessalonians 1:3; 1 Peter 1:13). By turning attention away from ourselves, and onto Jesus Christ, we begin to break out of the grip of depression. When, like Luther, we forget that God is good to us, we remember the one in and through whom God proved that he is so good to us! When we are drawn into the dark labyrinths of our own souls, light can be found. But such light is outside ourselves, in the one who has redeemed us, pledged himself to us, and given us a living hope! The author of Hebrews urges, look “to Jesus, the founder and finisher of our faith,” and teaches us to “consider him… so that you may not grow weary and fainthearted” (Hebrews 12:2-3). Some may be inclined to dismiss this solution as simplistic. But pointing depressed people to Jesus Christ, the Gospel of God, is more than simple—it is profound. In 1 Peter 1:12, Peter tells us how angels consider the gospel. It is an inexhaustible wellspring of good news for the depressed. In the gospel of Jesus, they find a solution that apprehends the nature of their problem and supplies simplicity and a type of hope that never ends. Although this solution is simple, it is by no means easy. The Bible is replete with calls to endure and persevere (e.g., Romans 5:3; 2 Peter 1:6). We don’t have to “endure” things that are easy. In a very real way, the entire Christian life is spent learning to believe the gospel—to look outside ourselves to Jesus—well. And in this struggle, both the depressed and non-depressed walk side by side as companions in the fight that is worth fighting: The fight for faith in God, hope in God, and love for God.

01/30/2010

Hiding the Pain: How Women Medicate their Brokenness:

If we look a little closer we will find many women in our counseling room using many different styles of self-medicating their pain and escaping their brokenness. Many common styles of pre-addictive denial are what I call “cocoon” comforters. To read more Click here

01/29/2010

Violent Men and the Anger that Fuels Them:

Frank sat there, immobilized as he watched his three adult sons weeping and embracing their sister, Amy. His wife of 30 years sat next to him, crying. Frank’s questions whirled: “Do they think I’m a monster? Was my anger that bad?” Amy had severe anorexia. To read more Click here

01/28/2010

Google’s Updated Email Security Change Does Not Make Online Counseling Secure: Majority of Online Counseling Clients and Counselors Risk Confidentiality Breach:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Google’s Updated Email Security Change Does Not Make Online Counseling Secure: Majority of Online Counseling Clients and Counselors Risk Confidentiality Breach eCounseling Therapists Must Adopt More Stringent Security Protocols to Ensure Client Confidentiality Google recently updated Gmail’s security standards. Users of the webmail service will notice that Gmail’s default URL setting has changed from HTTP:// to a more secure HTTPS:// location. However, this change has been misunderstood by some users. The HTTPS:// setting does not provide a solution for messages sent using Gmail to be ‘encrypted’. The new default HTTPS:// setting, by Google’s description, instead provides greater security when users are logged into their accounts while using public WIFI hotspots. Dr. Anthony Centore, Founder of eCounseling.com, states “Many counselors don’t realize that while they and their clients need a password to access their respective email accounts, email is still inherently unsecure. When emails are sent between counselor and client, there are several places along the delivery pathway that an email could be opened and read by someone other than the intended recipient.” An article on Wikipedia.org titled, “Email Privacy” provides a clear warning to email users, stating: “Because e-mail connects through many routers and mail servers on its way to the recipient, it is inherently vulnerable to both physical and virtual eavesdropping. Current industry standards do not place emphasis on security; information is transferred in plain text,…every e-mail leaves a digital papertrail in its wake that can be easily inspected months or years later.” Ethical codes, such as one released by the American Counseling Association (ACA), states in section A.12. Technology Applications, “When the use of encryption is not possible, counselors notify clients of this fact and limit electronic transmissions to general communications that are not client specific.” By this standard, the use of Gmail for online counseling, even with HTTPS:// protocols, still violates published ethical standards for online counseling. As a way to provide a secure method of communication for online counseling, websites such as eCounseling.com have developed platforms where emails messages can be sent between counselor and client without the risks inherent in email. Instead of utilizing typical email delivery methods where messages travel across the internet, at eCounseling.com all communications are stored on a secure server and both counselor and client use assigned passwords to log in to the website. The website, utilizing secure socket layer technology, complies with the ethical standards of the ACA. —– About eCounseling.com eCounseling.com is the leading provider of online counseling and telephone counseling technologies, and exists to connect professional counselors to clients in need, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. eCounseling.com was created by counselors who perceived a need for better online counseling methods. Its founding directors include Dr. Anthony Centore, who practices therapy at Thrive Boston Counseling, and Ryan Neace, of the nearly 50,000-member American Association of Christian Counselors.