A Message from the President...

I am excited to start this year as your President. The theme is "Embrace Your Journey".  This year marks my twenty-second year as a counselor, and as I think back on these last twenty-two years, it's been a time of self-discovery, growth, and learning. I am not the same counselor that I was years ago. I have discovered passions and interests that weren't even on my radar when I graduated. 

Within this organization we have members on different parts of their journey who are in graduate school, starting first jobs, starting businesses, changing jobs, entering specialty training programs, leading, supervising, teaching, advising, and retiring. We have school and mental health counselors to include a broad range of knowledge and expertise. We are different in our passions and approaches, yet we all experience what it means to be a counselor. At the core of it, we are helpers and want to make the world a better place. All of us are navigating our path, yet we experience so many of the same joys and heartbreaks of counseling. This understanding and support from my fellow counselors are two of the many reasons that SDCA has been so important to me. The connections sustain me. My goal as president is to continue to focus on the growth of our organization and provide ongoing support, education, inclusion, and advocacy to as many counselors as possible. 

As we move forward as an organization, we have to keep in mind what our members need and how to meet these needs in a progressive and changing world, without losing sight of our mission and purpose. This will include restructuring the board to make it more efficient and sustainable, streamlining and defining operations, and aligning our goals with our mission statement. Stay tuned for updates and information regarding the restructuring process and other changes. The board aims to be as transparent as possible and will communicate these changes with members. Also, please reach out with feedback, comments, or suggestions. Everyone's voice deserves to be heard and we all have valuable insight to offer. 

I extend my best wishes to everyone and I hope for the continued success of the South Dakota Counseling Association. This is a strong organization that can positively impact counselors and the counseling profession. I express my ongoing gratitude to all of you for the contributions you make not only to the counseling profession but also to the difference you make in so many lives.

Sincerely