Hello & Welcome to the 59th Annual South Carolina Counseling Association Conference!
This year is particularly special as it marks the first year since 2020 that we have gathered together, all live and in-person. We are so grateful to each of you for working with us as we navigated the unknown waters of technology and virtual learning through the COVID-19 pandemic. This year is also particularly special for me, as I have been honored to serve as your SCCA President.
SCCA has never been more ambitious than we were this year. Our goals for 2022-2023:
Entry to the Counseling Compact
Identify Sources of Legislative Support
Develop In-Person CE Events
Increase Community Engagement
I’m happy to report that we are on-track to meet all of those goals! Our Advocacy In Action Team is relentless. Mental health has become a hot topic in the SC legislative landscape, however legislators are often disconnected from our profession and uninformed of our needs and challenges. Multiple bills have been introduced over the past year that have prompted a rapid and fervent response from professional counselors in our state, and our advocacy team has defeated them all. Legislation is pending (as of this writing) for SC’s long-awaited entry to the Counseling Compact. This legislation will improve portability for counselors in our state, and increase access to mental health care for those that we serve. While our team is amazing, we can’t do it without the help of our friends in the state house - those relationships will be invaluable as our profession moves forward.
Our team is also working hard to deliver the most up-to-date and engaging continuing education to you, virtually or in-person. This is impossible without the aid of our incredible Technology & Publicity Chair, Kiersten Warfield, who not only moderated all of our CE events this year, but also completely renovated our website and revamped our social media! We also owe a thank you to everyone who has presented their knowledge and expertise to our members, at this year’s conference and beyond!
Lastly, we are working to improve community engagement. SCCA is constantly seeking feedback from our members, and we listen! This year we have a special offering as part of our conference, we will be hearing from Gullah Heritage Specialist Dr. Melvin Campbell. Each year we descend upon Hilton Head Island for three days of connection, community and continuing education. This island is part of the structural fabric of SCCA, but we must educate ourselves on its rich cultural history and how we can play a part in preserving that heritage.
Our conference team has put together another wonderful conference for you all. We hope that you will learn something new, meet someone new, and reconnect with what you love about our incredible profession. We hope that you find unity in our community of amazing counseling professionals, and take that spirit out into the communities that you serve every day. This hope is our final goal for this year, and only you can help us achieve it.
Yours In Service,
Chandler Cox
Chandler Cox M.Ed., LPC, NCC
SCCA President 2022 - 2023