n 2007 AWARDS

Chapter IV members were among the award winners at the 2007 ALCA Fall Conference in Birmingham.  We proudly acknowledge our members...  Anita Neuer, Harriett Schaffer, Kassie Doggett, Charlotte Daughhetee, and Michael Lebeau.  Details of each award are listed below.

Chapter/Division Outstanding Members

Chapter IV - Michael Lebeau
ALMHCA - Kassie Doggett (Chapter IV Member)
ALACES - Charlotte Daughhetee (Chapter IV Member)

 

Wilbur A Tincher Award for a Humanitarian & Caring Person:   
Ms. Anita Neuer

The Wilbur A. Tincher Award for a Humanitarian and Caring Person recognizes an ALCA member who gives to others without fanfare or expectation. This award includes a $100 grant as a personal witness to his love and admiration for those who genuinely care for the personal welfare of others and social justice.

This year’s winner esteemed by colleagues and friends embodies the key words CARING and HUMANE.

 

Nominated by ALASGW and ALMHCA

Fannie R. Cooley Award for Distinguished Professional Development:
Ms. Harriet Schaffer 

The Fannie R. Cooley Award recognizes outstanding professional development designed to enhance the techniques, strategies, and systems beneficial to counselors. This award includes a $100.00 grant as a personal testimony of her love and admiration for the genuine care and concern for the professional development of counselors.

This year’s winner served as a Member of the Alabama Board of Examiners in Counseling from 2001 to 2006 with a sincere and committed effort to make positive changes in the future directions of counselor licensure in Alabama, as well as to protect the rights of clients and the public from unethical practice.

 

Nominated by ALACES, ALASGW, ALMHCA & Chapter IV

 

 

ALCA Chapter/Division Program Award: Ms. Kassie Doggett
 

The Chapter/Division Program Award recognizes the unique and superior program of significant interest to the counseling profession particularly ALCA and its members.

This year’s winning program “ALMHCA Winter Workshop” entitled “Ethical, Legal, and Professional Considerations in Supervision, Education, and Research” was specifically designed to enhance the supervisors’ and counselor educators’ skills in the professional development of students and supervisees.

 

Nominated by ALMHCA President

 

 

---

 

n 2006 AWARDS

 

Chapter IV members won several awards at the 2006 ALCA Fall Conference in Mobile.  We proudly acknowledge our award-winning members (and members nominated by Chapter IV)...  Judy Childress, Steve Jordan, Donna Melder, Jeane Lee, Mary Bartlett, Anita Neuer, Michael Lebeau, and Judith Harrington.  Details of each award are listed below.

Chapter/Division Outstanding Members

Chapter IV - Judy Childress
ALMHCA - Steve Jordan (Chapter IV Member)
AGLBICAL - Donna Melder (Chapter IV Member)

Research Award:
Jeane Lee & Mary Bartlett
(Nominated by Chapter IV)

The research award is presented to honor and recognize outstanding research in areas of interest to the counseling profession.  Submissions are evaluated for their relevance to one or more divisions of ALCA, their significance to the counseling profession, use of sound research procedures, and the degree to which the writing is scholarly in its organization and presentation.

This year's winning research is applicable to at least 5 ALCA divisions and spans a number of other helping professions including, psychiatry, psychology, nursing, social work, and medical settings. The study utilized self-reporting samples of adult clients in two outpatient mental health facilities. Data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Services, as well as descriptive and multiple regression analysis.

The debate regarding the use of "No Suicide Contracts" has raged on for some time. The interpretation of the data suggests that among the many techniques used for suicidal patients, the "No Suicide Contract" may be among the least useful.  Titled, "The Efficacy of No-Suicide Contracts with Clients in Counseling on an Outpatient Basis".  Nominated by Chapter IV, This year's winning researcher,  Dr. Mary Bartlett. 

Individual Publication Award: The Individual publication award is presented to recognize scholarly and timely publications of interest to counselors, and to encourage future research.  Submissions are evaluated for their relevance to one or more divisions of ALCA, their significance in terms of offering something new and being applicable beyond the immediate setting, and the degree to which the writing is scholarly in its organization and presentation.

There were a number of worthy entries for this award this year, and all of them met these basic criteria.  The winning publication examined and challenged a well-known technique used by helping professionals, offering application to virtually every division of ALCA.  Five critical elements for ensuring client and counselor protection in suicide intervention were condensed and highlighted from the literature, an assessment tool was developed, and a decision tree model was presented to assist counselors in evaluating clients for either: no referral for hospitalization, referral for voluntary hospitalization, or referral for involuntary hospitalization. 

Published in Volume 29 of the periodical Death Studies, the name of the article, nominated by Chapter IV, is Suicide Prevention:  Critical Elements for Managing Suicidal Clients and Counselor Liability without the use of a No-Suicide Contract.  Please join me in congratulating the authors:  Jeane Lee and Mary Bartlett.

Chapter/Division Publication Award:
Anita Neuer
(ALMHCA Newsletter Editor)

This award goes to a chapter/division to recognize the outstanding publication for its membership. Publications eligible for this award must be unique and/or of superior quality and must represent a significant contribution to the field of counseling and human development.  The winning quarterly newsletter offered the typical announcements, events and "goings-on" of the very active organization. But it is highly unique in it's offerings of relevant, clinical articles, CEU opportunities, removable window decals that promote counseling and the counseling profession, even an article detailing how to offer a pro-bono workshop with web-links to a free handout and PowerPoint presentation.

In order to raise awareness about mental health concerns, a special edition was mailed not just to members, but to over 2000 LPC's across the state. This newsletter is typically 10-12 pages in length, and printed on high quality paper. Finally, the newsletter, is printed, collated, sorted, and mailed at Workshops Inc., a sheltered workshop, thus providing work, training and compensation to many disabled individuals in the Birmingham area.

This year's winner of the Chapter Division Publication Award. Nominated by ALMHCA, Viewpoint, was edited by someone who volunteered to step in last-minute, as Viewpoint editor in an emergency, AND at a time when she believed she would co-chair the State Awards Committee for only ONE year  -  Anita Neuer.

Chapter/Division Service Award:
Michael Lebeau
(AGLBICAL Website Manager)

This award was amended this year to recognize a particularly unique or valuable service provided for the chapter/division membership AND/OR their local community. The service must be other than those provided through publications and programs, and must promote increased member involvement in professional aspects of the counseling and human development field.

This year's winner not only clearly provides an important service to members AND the community, but provides an outstanding resource that is more than substantial for already well-informed audiences at a state, National, even International level.

This vast, attractive and well-organized resource is organized into categories such as: Glossary of Terminology, Frequently asked questions, Myths and Misconceptions, Quotations, Statistics, News, Activities, Events, Articles, Research, Commentary, Case studies, and MORE!

This year's winning service can be found at WWW.AGLBICAL.ORG. The website was created to provide accurate, up-to-date, research-based material to raise awareness and understanding, and to assist in the dissemination and advancement of knowledge in the area of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender issues and concerns. Nominated by AGLBICAL - the AGLBICAL Website - Web Manager - Michael Lebeau

Outstanding Practitioner Award:
Judith Harrington 

As a new award this year, the Outstanding Practitioner Award recognizes excellence in the actual practice of counseling.  School, community, and private practice counselors are eligible, and beyond proof of professional credentialing, being a current member in good standing with state and/or national accrediting bodies, spending at least 50% of their time performing direct services, and publishing, presenting, or otherwise educating other practitioners about successful practices or theories, nominees are asked to demonstrate the ability to relate to a diverse population, the use of effective counseling skills, the ability to facilitate development in the clients/students/groups they serve, and exceptional ethical behavior.

The original winner of this important award has a long track record of success in all of these areas, making her the perfect model for future winners.  Her nomination packet included many detailed letters of reference from peer consultants and professional colleagues, all reflecting how highly she is regarded both as a professional counselor and as a person.  Her activities and professional endeavors demonstrate her commitment to both empowering others and impacting systemic change in society on critical issues.  She is the first "go-to" person on the lists of many when it comes to clinical consultation, and the following excerpts from her letters of support embody the essence of her worthiness for this award:

"Her clinical skills are superior, as she seamlessly blends her ability to establish therapeutic alliances and utilize an extensive array of counseling interventions with her vast knowledge of classical and post-modern theoretical approaches... She demonstrates a commitment to her own professional and personal development through relentless pursuit of specialty training, consultation, and supervision. Her work with individual clients, couples, families, groups, supervisees, and crisis volunteers always combines cutting-edge practices with long-established counseling principles.  She remains abreast of changes that impact the services she provides by immersing herself in current research and literature, as evidenced by her publications, her willingness to present at local, state, regional and national conferences, and her public service and leadership contributions throughout the state."   

Estimates are that she's conducted almost 22,000 counseling sessions since earning her Master's Degree in 1981.  She has been gracious enough to allow many of us in this room to call her "mentor", and she continues still to positively impact our profession and our association, all without sacrificing service to her clients or love for her family.  Congratulations to the very first winner of this award, the ALCA 2006 Outstanding Practitioner, nominated by ALACES, ALMHCA, and Chapter IV, Dr. Judith Harrington.

Fannie R. Cooley Award for Distinguished Professional Development: 
Michael Lebeau

This award recognizes the professional development of an individual.  Professional development is defined as the intentional strengthening, expansion, enhancement, improvement and extension of the profession.  This is the first year the award bears Fannie Cooley's name, and the initial funds she provided for this award to offer the recipient a $100.00 grant serve as a personal witness to her love and admiration for those who genuinely care about professional development for counselors.

The nominators for this year's winner easily provided the committee with thorough documentation, including several outstanding letters of recommendation, a 4-page single-spaced vita with absolutely no "fluff", and 4 pages of itemized accomplishments demonstrating activities which broadened applications of and opportunities for the profession, a record of long-continued substantive work far beyond the call of duty to improve professional practices, and consistent, prodigious service to others. Indeed, no one in this room would have trouble finding evidence that this person clearly embodies the spirit of this award.

The winner of this award works proactively to promote the field of counseling and human development.  He quickly emerges as a leader within the professional organizations he joins, and eagerly takes on responsibility to carry out the mission of the group.  He is vocal about his beliefs, and actively advocates for diverse populations.  He is committed to helping educate and develop our field by regularly serving as a skilled and engaging presenter.  He diligently develops promotional material, informative resources and curriculum for on-going professional development.  He has served our organization in a variety of leadership roles over the years, and he would tell you that he intentionally gives of himself to the profession because "it's just the right thing to do".  He is a natural mentor, a dedicated leader, and one of the most congruent models of excellence I have had the privilege to know.  Besides all that, he's just a pretty amazing guy..

Nominated by AGLBICAL and Chapter IV, please join me in congratulating this year's recipient of the Fannie R. Cooley Award for Distinguished Professional Development, my trusted colleague and dear friend, Mr. Michael  Lebeau.

(Presented by Anita Neuer)