PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
By Marcia Price, SDCA President
Because you are a helper you have made a difference in lives of numerous clients/students who have come through your door! There are individuals who successfully navigated a crisis and got their life back; there are students who walk across the stage every year to receive their high school diplomas who otherwise would not have achieved that milestone; there are relationships that have been healed and put on the right track; and on and on it goes! The HOOKED ON HELPING part of every professional counselor has a story to tell about the difference made! But we need to remember that in more cases than not, we will never know the difference we made!
In early October Kelly, Deb and I had the privilege of representing SDCA at the ACA Midwest Regional Conference in Oklahoma City. ACA has updated the code of ethics for professional counselors. The updated version better addresses the new reality of our jobs and provides us with direction and guidance. In the Legislative Policies/Procedures piece the message that came across very strongly was to make contact with our legislators on each and every issue. Never assume that someone else will do it for you! In many cases it was "one contact" made by a constituent that made the difference in a bill passing or not. So each contact made just might be the difference!
We visited the Oklahoma City Memorial on the site of the 1995 Federal Building bombing. It is a very quite and sacred place that shouts at people to stop the hate while at the same time symbolizing strength and hope for the future.
In closing I wish to remind you that there are several upcoming SDCA events. Be sure to continue to check the web page for opportunities. On your personal "Hooked on Helping" journey consider a difference made in you and your life because of a client or student.