Licensed Professional Counselor’s Association of NC Celebrates 20 years!!

Licensed Professional Counselor’s Association of NCCelebrates 20 years!!

20 years of

20 years of

20 years of

20 years of

20 years of being

LPCANC, founded in 1996!

Let’s take a look back…

The Birth of LPCANC

In 1995, Jim Gibson and several other new LPC's went to a board meeting of The North Carolina Counseling Association (NCCA) of which we were members.

•The Licensed Counselor Act had just passed in North Carolina the year prior, but most insurers who would not agree to reimburse LPC'S.

•Additionally LPC's were an unfamiliar provider to many of our healthcare colleagues and the public alike. 

•We were frustrated at the pace of getting things done within NCCA, as they had many entities vying for finite resources.

•Following the meeting in 1995 four frustrated LPC's went to Cup A Joes on Hillsborough Street in Raleigh and decided to start a new association.

•The four at Cup A Joe that day were Denny Cecil-Van Den Heuvel, Bridget Achtley, DJ Pappas and Kathy Glenn.

•Later that day, they called me to join them and a couple others to create LPCANC. Bridget filed incorporation papers for LPCANC in December 1995.

•The first LPCANC Board of Directors were ALL “worker bees”. It took a tremendous amount of time, energy, patience and money to advocate and educate.

•To start LPCANC, Denny Cecil-Van Den Heuvel loaned the association $3,000.

•LPCANC's first sponsored legislation was a called the Professional Corporations Act. It allowed LPC's to incorporate with other healthcare providers and be equal legal entities. It passed in 1997.

•When Third Party Reimbursement legislation passed in 2000, LPCANC had around150 members and was able to raise $18,000 to pay for the lobbying costs.

•Two LPC's donated $1,000 to make sure this legislation was successful.

•LPCANC put together a marketing manual to educate the public and the health-care industry about Licensed Counselors.

•It was about an inch thick and was loaded with state and national facts about LPC's. 

•An LPC named Eileen Cleary from Chapel Hill who in 2000 was the Public Policy Chair sat down with Blue Cross Blue Shield representatives in Durham.

•She educated them about LPC's and left them with a couple marketing manuals.

•A week later, BC/BS agreed to voluntarily add us to all of their provider panels!!! Yay!

•This would later be legally stated in the “Third Party Reimbursement Act” that year.  However, BC/BS's willingness to add LPC's and not oppose this legislation was critical to its' passage. 

•The fight for Medicaid reimbursement on behalf of LPC’s took another 5 years and was as costly as any initiative LPCANC has ever fought.

•  The earliest initiatives of LPCANC were heavily focused on Advocacy and Education. Health-care providers, Managed-Care, the NC Legislature, NC University Graduate Counseling Programs and the general public were all needing information about LPC’S.

•After we obtained our “NBCC-provider” status enabling us to offer approved CEU’s, LPCANC offered its first professional conference in 1996.

•We’ve held annual conferences ever since!!

Thank you to all the amazing volunteers over the years…here are just a few pictures…

Denny Cecil, Tracie Epps, Suzanne Walker, Deanna Madison and Hugh Willard in San Diego, 2008.

Karen Langer, Deanna Madison, Elizabeth Grady, Suzanne Walker, Keith Mobley at AMHCA in Orlando, FL

Amazing work!! Thank you Board Members!

Year after year, an all-volunteer board lead the Association on behalf of all LPCs statewide!

“Outstanding Service to Members” award!! WOW!

LPCANC receives awards from AMHCA!

Receiving awards from LPCANC!

Advocacy Day at the LOB in downtown Raleigh!

Our wonderful Association staffers: John Shuford, our Executive director and Glenna Thurston, Operations Manager!

Maggie Minsk, Past President!

Maggie teaching at a LPCANC-sponsored event!

Maggie and Liz with AMHCA’s President, Judith Bertenthal-Smith.

Deanna Madison visits DC, speaks with top officials!

The First Lady claps as Suzanne tells her about the LPCANC mission!

Beth Powell, former AMHCA Lobbyist and Suzanne Walker, Past President of LPCANC

Raleigh LPCs celebrate Mental Health Awareness Week!

Keith Mobley and Liz Grady in DC advocating for our profession!

Our Association paves the way!

Board members with Ashley Matlock Perkinson, our Association’s lobbyist.

Advocacy Day in Raleigh, 2015

Harold McMillan shows LPCs the way!!

LPCANC helps every LPC…

Past Presidents: Hugh Willard and Deanna Madison

LPCANC sponsored educational event on trauma, with Dr. Mike Dubi!!

What a good looking group of Presidents!

Letitia shows us how to walk the “red carpet” and pose for a photo!

…And we’re off to the AMHCA conference!!

Diane Taylor Dougherty and Denny Cecil Van Den Heuvel, lobbying in DC, 2010.

Diane Taylor Dougherty receives award for “Best Chapter Website” from AMHCA, 2011

Board member meeting in Cary, NC

LPCANC TRIVIA

•LPCANC published it’s first newsletter in 1996. It was called Professional Ties.

•How many national awards has LPCANC won in our 20 year history?  Eleven!! WOW!

•LPCANC is divided into several regions how many are there?  8

LPCANC TRIVIA• Name those who have served as LPCANC President

more than once.  Marilyn Wolfe, Deanna Madison, Suzanne Walker

• Which President had no board experience yet volunteered to fill the vacancy of president elect because it was the right thing to do?  Midge Noble Thank you Midge for stepping up!

• Which Presidents have represented LPCANC and the state of NC on a national level, by holding office with the AMHCA?  Keith Mobley and Suzanne Walker

LPCANC TRIVIA• In 2013 the long held goal of hiring an

Executive Director for LPCANC was realized!  Who is that?  John Shuford

 • Who are the founding members of LPCANC (ie:

the coffee shop gang)?  Jim Gibson, Denny Cecil, Bridget Shelly-Atchley,  DJ Pappas

• What organization existed before the 1994 Licensed Professional Counselors Act?  Registered Professional  Counselors

LPCANC TRIVIA

•What organization did LPCANC separate from in order to provide an increase on LPC focus and advocacy?  NCCA

•What association is responsible for LPC's being able to be Medicaid providers?  LPCANC in 2005

  •Who is the current lobbyist for LPCANC.

 Ashley Matlock-Perkinson

Thank you dear Presidents!• Tracie Epps• Suzanne Walker• Midge Noble• Marilyn Wolfe• Liliana Sznaidman• Keith Mobley• Hugh Willard• Jim Gibson• Diane Taylor Dougherty• Deanna Madison• Bridget Atchley• Elizabeth Grady• Maggie Minsk• Toni Morris

Truly Amazing! GO LPCs!!

Also congratulate the following…

Congratulations to our 2015

Nancy Howell Scholarship WINNERS!!!

Doctoral Scholarship Winner: LaTonya Summers, LPCS, LCAS

Master’s Scholarship Winner: Joy Kelly

All proceeds from the Silent Auction go toward the Nancy Howell Scholarship awards!

Visit soon and often!!

Thank you to our Sponsors!

Keynote Sponsor

Platinum Sponsor

Gold Sponsor

Gold Sponsor

Jill White-Huffman

Gold Sponsor

Silver Sponsor

Silver Sponsor

Silver Sponsor

Silver Sponsor

Silver Sponsor

A special thank you to…

The Durham Legal Aid Society for presenting:

“Community Education for Veterans and the Professionals

Who Work with Them”

Another special thank you to…

The Veteran’s Administration

for sending the Mobile Unit and for supplying their job

information booth!

Our Sponsors• Bio-Medical Instruments• Carolina House• CPH & Associates• Fellowship Hall• Jill White-Huffman, Massage Therapy• Old Vineyard Behavioral Health Services• Phoenix Psychotherapy• PSYBooks• Strategic Behavioral Center• Therapy Billing Support• UNC Charlotte• Veritas Collaborative

Exhibitors• Bio-Medical Instruments• Brooklyn Lush• Carolina House• Clear Creek Counseling of Charlotte, PLLC• Couples Workshops NC• Cumberland Heights• ECU, Dept. of Addictions & Rehabilitation Studies• Fellowship Hall• FirstHealth Behavioral Services• G. Portlynn Clare & Associates• Greensboro Charlotte Center for EFT• Jill White-Huffman, Massage Therapy• KASA Practice Solutions• Modern Treatment Healthcare Services

More Exhibitors• Monarch• NC Housing Finance Agency• NC Problem Gambling• NC Region of Narcotics Anonymous• Old Vineyard Behavioral Health Services• Phoenix Psychotherapy• PSYBooks• Southeast Institute for Group & Family Therapy• Strategic Behavioral Center• Tame Your Practice• Therapeutics LLC• Turning Point Family CARE• Veritas Collaborative• Village Behavioral Health• Wilmington Treatment Center/Life Center of Galax

We love our Sponsors!

Enjoy the rest of your conference!!