SMHCA Spring Symposium Committee
The goal of the Spring Symposium is to expand the pool of mental health counselors by providing 50-70 Graduate Students and Registered Interns with the information and skills needed to complete the licensure process and enter the community as Licensed Professionals. It is also an opportunity to link students and Interns with local agencies and qualified supervisors.
Budget: $500
November Board meeting:
1. Symposium Committee Chair & members identified
Early January symposium committee meeting before the Board meeting:
1. Secure Spring Symposium date and location. If at NLU, please secure the site by reaching out to DeeDee, Diana Kirk, dkirk4@nl.edu. The symposium is typically held in April.
2. Obtain templates for notices and announcements along with previous contact information from the Executive Administrator.
3. Send out the first Save the Date notice to area Graduate School Counseling programs (see Graduate School faculty invitation list below), Agencies that utilize/employ students and Interns, & the members on the SMHCA Qualified Supervisors list.
4. Send out a survey of desired topics for the symposium to student members and/or the Graduate School Counseling faculty. (see the most recent agenda and contact information of presenters below)
Early February symposium committee meeting:
1. Identify and recruit potential presenters and finalize the agenda to include networking time for attendees to meet with Agency representatives and Supervisors.
2. Send out the second Save the Date notice with the final agenda and presenters to the area Graduate School Counseling programs and schedule recurring social media notice.
3. Notify Agencies that utilize/employ students and Interns, & the members on the SMHCA Qualified Supervisors list of table availability at the symposium.
4. Discuss food/snack options, raffle prizes, and identify possible sponsors.
Early March symposium committee meeting:
1. Confirm with presenters and the identified event site. Arrange for a backup presentation if needed.
2. Send out a reminder with the date and final agenda to the area Graduate School Counseling programs, Agencies that utilize/employ students and Interns, & the members on the SMHCA Qualified Supervisors list.
3. Finalize food/snack options, raffle prizes, and sponsors.
Early April symposium committee meeting:
1. Send out the final reminder with the date and agenda to the presenters, area Graduate School Counseling programs, Agencies that utilize/employ students and Interns, & the members on the SMHCA Qualified Supervisors list.
2. Close registration the week of the event.
3. Confirm the number of tables needed for Agencies that utilize/employ students and Interns, and for Qualified Supervisors.
4. Confirm the number of attendees and finalize plans for food, snacks, and handouts (if necessary).
(Possible food/snack options: snack/protein bars, bananas, cookies, pizza, Chick-fil-A nuggets, check for water and paper goods in the SMHCA cabinet at NLU, combination is 3421)
Send a reminder email to all presenters and volunteers two days before the symposium.
Email each participant a Certificate of Attendance for completing a follow-up survey on what was beneficial and recommendations for improvement.
Graduate School Faculty Invitation List for Symposium
Updated 3/27/23
USF - RMHC Program Director
Chi-Chin Chou, PHD, CRC
(Rehabilitation & Mental Health Counseling)
chouc@usf.edu
813-974-6233
USF-Field Placement Coordinator
Amanda Depippo, PHD, LMHC, MCAP, CRC
(previous SMHCA Board member)
adepippo@usf.edu
813-974-1265
USF - MFT program
Ryan Henry, PHD, LMFT
rghenry@usf.edu
813-974-0969
and
Lauren Baxley, PHD, LMFT
lbaxley@usf.edu
813-974-7713
USF - ABA Online Program
Anthony Concepcion, PHD, BCBA-D
aconcepcion@usf.edu
Troy University
Linda Oulette
louelette@troy.edu
813-835-6220
NOVA Southeastern University – Associate Professor/Chair, Department of Counseling
Melanie Larussi, PHD, LMHC, NCC
miarussi@nova.edu
954-262-5734
Southern New Hampshire University
Amy Ames, LPC (TX), NCC (She/Her/Hers)
Career Services Team Lead- Career Engagement and Fieldwork Administration
888-672-1458 ext. 0590
2026 Symposium Schedule and contact information of presenters (as a sample)
9:00 AM – 9:10 AM (10 minutes)
Welcome and Preliminary Information about the Symposium
Demetrius Jifunza, LMHC (President) d.jifunza@gmail.com
9:10 AM – 9:20 AM (10 minutes)
Getting Involved with the Profession
A brief discussion about SMHCA, FMHCA, and AMHCA
9:20 AM – 10:00 AM (40 minutes)
Ethics and Boundaries for Early Career Counselors
Dr. Stephen Giunta Stephen_A_Giunta@hotmail.com
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM (60 minutes)
Preparing for the NCMHCE Licensure Exam
Dr. Linton Hutchinson, Counseling Exam doctorhutch@gmail.com
11:00 AM – 11:10 AM (10 minutes)
Break
11:10 AM – 11:55 AM (45 minutes)
Florida Legislative Update
Dr. Aaron Norton me@anorton.com
(Lunch will be available during this session.)
11:55 AM – 12:45 PM (50 minutes)
Launching Your Counseling Career: Private Practice Foundations
Dr. Ana Aluisy ana@comegethelp.com
(Attendees may continue eating during this session.)
12:45 PM – 1:00 PM (15 minutes)
Raffle drawing