President's Letter: Conferences Offer Connection

I hope the beginning of the year brings a refreshing energy and passion to your life. I thrive on connections and learning, but our profession can lead to feelings of isolation as we meet with students and families. One way to make new connections and build a sense of community is by reaching out to other school counselors through professional development. I get so excited when various associations start promoting their annual conference or monthly webinars. My former co-counselors and I would rush to register for the ASCA conference and figure out what would be neat to present at the next ISCA Fall Conference. The thrill of a conference is unlike any other meeting we can attend, right? We get to make professional connections that remind us that we are human within our school counseling roles while also being vulnerable enough to learn. By being vulnerable with other school counselors, I was able to make friendships and mentorships that have impacted my life, from a wise counselor educator in Hawaii to a fun-loving elementary school counselor in Delaware to a new school counselor from India who wanted to follow the structure of the ISCA 2017 LOVE conference. The amazing conferences and webinars in my professional history have allowed me to develop these relationships so that I can reach out to fellow school counselors to bounce ideas or find a new way to teach students about careers. I encourage you to find one conference to attend and one webinar to view this semester, so that you can grow your own professional network.
 
From #SCCHAT on Twitter in the convenience of your home to flying out to LA for ASCA’s amazing annual conference this summer, there is a lot offered in school counseling professional development. Did you know that ASCA offers webinars on a monthly basis? ISCA and the Indiana Department of Education offer free professional development through Moodles, and we have discounted rates for our annual conference, developmental level retreats and graduate workshops. Your ISCA board also supports the Indiana Counseling Association’s monthly webinars and presents at ICA’s Annual Conference each summer. The opportunities are truly endless for each of us to refine our professional focus and learn something new. Take the leap and make a new connection to better serve Indiana students!
 
Contact Jen Money-Brady MS, NCC, DCC, ISCA 2017-2018 president, at jenmoneybrady@gmail.com