Counseling Webinars & Trainings
URGENT ACTION NEEDED: Preserving Telehealth Access
Make our voices heard with over 1,000 emails to Congress this week on the importance of preserving telehealth access! Telemental health services, a lifeline for millions during the pandemic, are now in jeopardy. Federal waivers that expanded access to these services are set to expire unless Congress acts swiftly to include extensions in the upcoming continuing resolution. If these flexibilities lapse, both mental health professionals and their clients will face new barriers to care—reducing access, interrupting treatment, and impacting
vulnerable populations disproportionately.
Praxis II Fee Waiver Request for School Counseling Students
Professional School Counseling Students can visit ETS Fee Waiver Information to learn more about the eligibility requirements and application process to request a fee waiver. It is crucial that students read through all the information provided, as there are several requirements for eligibility.
Eligibility Criteria:
- Students must be receiving financial aid.
- They should be enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program and able to provide a current Enrollment Verification Certificate (note that those with a master’s or doctoral degree are ineligible).
- Students need to provide the 2025-2026 FAFSA Submission Summary showing an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) of $3,000 or less.
- They must be required to take a Praxis test by an authorized score recipient.
How to Apply for a Fee Waiver:
- Complete the Fee Waiver Request Form (PDF) (see the attached flyer).
- Obtain a current Enrollment Verification Certificate (contact the UNCP registrar’s office). It must include a school seal, National Student Clearinghouse watermark, or the signature of the registrar.
- Obtain the 2025-2026 FAFSA Submission Summary.
- Submit your request by email: scan all documents, attach them to your email, and send to PraxisFeeWaiver@ets.org.
Students are eligible for a fee waiver only once during a testing year, and there are a limited number of waivers available per test date and institution. All requests are processed on a first-come, first-served basis
Graduate Student Engagement Opportunity: SEED Workshop Series
The SEED Series invites graduate students to design and present workshops connected to their program interests, areas of research, or professional expertise. These workshops are offered to undergraduate student leaders, giving graduate students a platform to share knowledge, build connections, and contribute to the broader Wake Forest community.
Participation provides graduate students with the opportunity to:
- Share their academic and professional expertise in an accessible workshop format
- Gain valuable teaching, facilitation, and leadership experience
- Strengthen their CV/resume through applied leadership and engagement work
- Connect with undergraduates and support their growth as campus leaders
Thrive at Wake Forest
Thrive At Wake Forest is our shared vision for the health and wellbeing of our community. Thrive uses a Collective Impact Model to bring this vision to life. The Collective Impact Model is when a group(s) comes together to pool their talent, energies, and resources to address complex social issues by learning, thinking, and working together. Again this year, we are hosting information sessions to learn how to get involved in our campus-wide coalitions that focus on topics including mental health, substance use and misuse, hazing prevention, interpersonal violence prevention, basic needs and access, physical wellness and peer education. We invite the entire campus community to join us at one of the Coalition Informational Sessions. Coalition co-chairs will share the mission and goal of each group and provide opportunities for engagement.
For more information, visit Our Shared Vision web page.
Mindful Wake Classes
MindfulWake classes are FREE and open to all Wake Forest University students, faculty, and staff. Attendance at all four sessions is required. Classes are limited to 12 students and registration is on a first-come, first served basis. Note that in-person and virtual classes are available. Once you register, expect an email one or two days before class begins with further instructions and room location. MindfulWake classes are taught by instructors certified by the Mindfulness Institute for Emerging Adults, using their MIEA/Koru curriculum.
Please see the class schedule and additional information here!
Graduate Student Engagement Opportunity: Women’s Center Book Club – Sign up by October 10!
Graduate Student Book Club
The Women’s Center invites all graduate and professional students to join our Fall Book Club featuring In Her Own Voice: A Woman’s Rise to CEO by WFU alum Jennifer McCollum (’89). We’ll meet virtually three times throughout the semester (dates TBA) to connect, share perspectives, and dive into conversations on leadership and authenticity.
Association for Play Therapy (APT) E-Student Membership
Did you know that students are eligible for a complimentary Association for Play Therapy (APT) E-Student membership?
Go to www.a4pt.org to learn more about it.
As an E-Student member, you’ll enjoyed the following benefits:
- the Play Therapy™ Magazine in digital format
- our weekly member e-newsletter, PlayToday
- the Play Therapy Connection online forum
Adolescent Gambling and Gaming Series – Online, Self-paced Training
| Course Description: This course will take behavioral health clinicians through seven modules providing psychoeducation, evidence-based treatment modalities, screening tools, and evidence-based prevention tools and strategies. The modules will also explore how the brain is impacted by both substance misuse and behavioral addictions and provide an understanding of how the power of advanced technology, marketing, advertising, and persuasive design coupled with commercial interests have made an impact on our lives in both positive and negative ways. Behavioral health clinicians will learn to discuss the online world by incorporating language in media literacy and the importance of a healthy media diet, and be left with a feeling of hope found in research, evidence-based practices, and community partnerships. Modality: This is an online self-paced training located at https://bhs.unc.edu |
Modality: This is an online self-paced training located at https://bhs.unc.edu
Time: 8 hours total
Target Audience: This intermediate level training is behavioral health clinicians seeking ways to incorporate psychoeducation, screening, and treatment modalities into their work in problematic behaviors in gambling, gaming, and digital media.
Learn more about this opportunity at their website.
Ancestral Behavioral Health with Latine Clients – October 10, 2025
Webinar Description:
Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC) have suffered from multigenerational trauma and the experience, whether recalled or not, resides in the body and mind impacting physical and mental health. Our traditional health models, with implicit and systemic bias, often over-diagnose and pathologize mental and physical illness resulting in disproportionate over-representation of severe and persistent mental illness, incarceration and academic underperformance.
Ancestral medicine invites individuals to understand and apply healing traditions which stem from integration of mind, body and spirit and which are rooted in practices, plant medicine and community. By learning about the modern application of ancestral medicine, we seek to revitalize communities of color and invite individuals to be active participants and co-creators of their healing and recovery.
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this program, participants will:
- Describe the connection between behavioral health and physical or primary health.
- Describe modern ancestral medicine and its integration in improving individual and community health.
- Explain the impact of multigenerational trauma on mental health of BIPOC.
Didactic/Ask The Expert Series: Persistent Stress Exposure and Identity-Based Trauma – October 14 and 16, 2025
Training Date & Times:
Part One: October 14, 2025, 12:00-2:00 pm EST
Part Two: October 16, 2025, 12:00-1:30 pm EST
Contact Hours: 3.5
Modality: Virtual
Registration Fee: No cost/Free, but participants are required to pre-register for each training. Register for the Persistent Stress Exposure and Identity-Based Trauma.
Training Description:
This didactic will assist clinical helpers to understand, recognize, and position themselves in identifying identity-based trauma when working with clients, regardless of the helper’s personal identity. Participants will engage is self- exploration and will be challenged to take a critical assessment of their ability to treat diverse clients in an effective and cultural informed manner. Through experiential learning, participants will begin to develop competencies to engage in critical conversations with clients who have experienced identity related traumatic injuries and to do so in a manner that enhances the therapeutic relationship and does not lead to further traumatic injury
Learning Objectives:
- Part One: Didactic
- Participants will understand the intersectionality of identity, trauma, and mental and physical health.
- Participants will describe the organizing principles associated with identity-based trauma.
- Using an ecological systems perspective, participants will recognize the systemic factors contributing to identity-based trauma.
- Participants will be able to identify the symptoms of identity- based traumatic stress responses and differentiate them from PTSD.
- Participants will examine the need for culturally appropriate and sensitive treatment approaches to better serve a diverse client population.
- Part Two: Ask The Expert
- Participants will demonstrate their understanding of tools available to assess for identity-based trauma.
- Participants will formulate culturally relevant plans and interventions to treat clients experiencing identity-based trauma.
Call for Poster Submissions – 2026 Annual Conference: Shaping the Future of Counseling: Innovation, Integrity, & Impact – October 15, 2025
We are excited to announce that the North Carolina Counseling Association (NCCA) will host the Annual Conference in Asheville, NC, from February 19 to February 21, 2026.
This conference is a fantastic opportunity for professional development, networking with peers, and engaging in inspiring sessions tailored for counseling professionals
Call for Proposals North Carolina Counseling Association Annual Conference
Theme: Shaping the Future of Counseling: Innovation, Integrity, & Impact
Asheville Embassy Suites | February 19-21 2026
The North Carolina Counseling Association invites counselors, counselor educators, graduate students, and allied professionals to submit proposals for presentations at our upcoming annual conference.
This year’s theme, “Shaping the Future of Counseling: Innovation, Integrity, & Impact,” calls us to explore new frontiers in counseling practice, education, supervision, research, and advocacy—while honoring the ethical foundation and human impact at the heart of our profession.
Proposal Topics May Include (but are not limited to):
- Innovation: Creative and emerging practices, use of technology in counseling, integrative and holistic approaches, new models of supervision or training.
- Integrity: Ethics, multicultural competence, advocacy for underserved populations, counselor identity, professional standards.
- Impact: Evidence-based practices, client outcomes, policy influence, social justice initiatives, leadership in counseling.
Presentation Formats:
- Education Sessions (60 minutes) – Interactive presentations highlighting practical applications or research.
- Workshops (90 minutes) – Skills-based, experiential learning opportunities.
- Panels (60 minutes) – Collaborative discussions among multiple presenters.
- Poster Sessions – Visual presentations for emerging research, innovative practices, or student projects.
Submission Guidelines:
- Submit your proposal through Whova.
- Include: session title, 300–500 word abstract, learning objectives, presenter bios, and target audience.
- Proposals will be reviewed on alignment with the theme, relevance to practice, clarity, and engagement potential.
Join us in Asheville as we shape the future of counseling together—through innovation, grounded in integrity, and dedicated to meaningful impact.
Call For Poster Presentations Students submit poster presentations for the 2026 Annual Conference! The deadline to submit is EOD Wednesday, October 15
Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Gambling Disorder – October 23, 2025
Date: October 23, 2025
Time: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm EST
Contact Hours: 1
| Speaker: Dr. David Ledgerwood |
| Training Description: Few rigorous clinical trials have been conducted to identify effective psychological treatments for gambling disorder. However, cognitive behavioral therapies are the most frequently studied and have the most evidence for their effectiveness. In this presentation, Dr. Ledgerwood will provide an overview of the scientific literature related to CBT for gambling disorder. He will also touch on the importance of combination (e.g., with motivational interviewing) treatments and CBT approaches for co-occurring disorders (e.g., PTSD). Dr. Ledgerwood will also provide an overview of frequently used cognitive-behavioral techniques used in gambling disorder treatment. Target Audience: Mental health professionals including psychologists, clinical social workers, licensed professional counselors, marriage and family therapists, substance abuse counselors, pastoral counselors, school counselors, as well as clergy, school administrators, recreational therapists, peer support specialists and all those interested in learning about problem gambling. Learning Objectives: 1. Learners will have an understanding of the theoretical background of CBT for gambling disorder. 2. Learners will be aware of the scientific literature demonstrating the effectiveness of CBT for gambling. Registration Fee: No cost/Free but participants are required to pre-register for each training. |
Association for Play Therapy 2025 Fall Conference – November 7-8, 2025
Friday, November 7th – 3:00 – 6:15 PM
Topic: Supervision in Play Therapy
This presentation will discuss the Play Therapy Competencies as a guidepost to examine the crucial topics in play therapy supervision including ethical issues, self-compassion, and evaluations.
Led by: Rebekah Byrd, Ph.D, LPC, LCMHC, NCC, RPT-S and Kristie Opiola, Ph.D, LPC, RPT
Saturday, November 8th – 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM
Topic: Using the AIP Model in Play Therapy to Support Emotional Regulation in Children
This presentation provides a clear overview of EMDR and its standard protocol, then explores adapting it for children using age-appropriate techniques and real-world examples—ideal for those curious about EMDR, new to EMDR, or seeking to strengthen their skills with younger clients.
Led by: Christa Phipps Ph.D., LCMHC-S, RPT-S, NCC
Register for the Association for Play Therapy Conference here.
Apply for the Karr Scholarship – February 1, 2026
The Karr Scholarship provides financial assistance up to $500 for Wake Forest Master of Arts in Counseling and Master of Arts in Human Service students interested in attending professional conferences or professional development programs.
Applications must be received by one of the following deadlines: February 1, June 1, or September 1. Applicants may apply for one scholarship per academic year.
To apply, please contact Dr. Forti.
American Counseling Association 2026 Conference and Expo – April 9-11, 2026
Learn, Share and Connect at the ACA Annual Conference
Get ready to be energized and inspired while connecting with leading experts and peers from around the country at the 2026 ACA Conference & Expo.
Mark your calendars to join us April 9-11, in Columbus, Ohio, for the premier professional development and networking event for professional counselors. With thought-provoking presentations, enlightening discussions and meaningful opportunities to connect with your peers and colleagues, you will walk away feeling refreshed, renewed and ready to tackle the challenges facing you, your clients and the counseling community.
Find more information about the conference on their website.