Oklahoma Counseling Association

10/21/2026

One month out! Mark your calendars. Nope. Scratch that. BLOCK your calendars. You can’t beat free and informative!

Join fellow addiction professionals for the OAAC Fall Conference. Spend the day learning, connecting with colleagues, and strengthening your counseling skills. Earn 6 SUD-specific CEUs and hear presentations from Todd Palmer, Ray Wolber, and Greg Sutmiller.

📍 Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of OKC
📅 Friday, November 20
🕣 8:30 AM–4:30 PM
🎟️ Free registration:
https://www.eventbrite.com/o/oaac-121147163196

Oklahoma Association of Addiction Professionals is a division of the Oklahoma Counseling Association. OCA is an approved CEU provider for LPCs, LMFTs, LBPs, LADCs, LADC/MHs, and LCSWs.

We hope to see you there!

10/09/2026

Access to 988’s LGBTQ+ youth lifeline (known as Option 3) has finally been restored after months of advocacy and congressional intervention. This program allows LGBTQ+ young people to connect with a specialized crisis counselor when they call the 988 Lifeline. Through Option 3, more than 1.5 million LGBTQ+ young people have received free compassionate support.

More info: https://bit.ly/4AYQAum

10/01/2026

Oooooooklahoma! Where the wind comes sweeping down the plains… and counseling comes sweeping across state lines. 🌾🥳

On the first day of our Fall Conference the Counseling Compact goes live in Oklahoma making us the 10th state to grant privileges. A meaningful milestone for counselors and the people we serve. Such a great way to kick off conference day one!

More details to follow soon to help Oklahoma counselors know the process to practice by endorsement in the nine other participating states.

For now, let’s celebrate! Join us in this huge accomplishment and benefit for clients and counselors with a like or love! Or even better, share this post and tell a colleague.

🚨 The Counseling Compact has officially gone live in Oklahoma, marking another significant milestone in expanding access to mental health care! Oklahoma is the tenth state to grant privileges, joining Arizona, Minnesota, Ohio, Louisiana, Georgia, Indiana, Arkansas, Wyoming and Tennessee!

Across the country, 29 additional states and the District of Columbia are actively completing the steps needed to begin issuing and receiving privileges under the Counseling Compact.

Apply here: https://bit.ly/4u2GhBm
Read the full press release: https://bit.ly/4rFETof

09/29/2026

Conference week is here! OCA is thrilled for those of you joining us for two days packed with opportunities to practice curiosity, collaboration, and community…TOGETHER!

Our fall conference features 12 hours of CEUs for LPC, LMFT, LBP, LADC, and LCSW licenses.

Helpful info below if this is your first time joining us on the Rose State Campus.

See full schedule here: https://ocafallconference2026.sched.com/list/simple

Still need to register: https://oklahomacounseling.org/events/

See you Thursday!

09/22/2026

🇺🇸 Capitol Hill Recap! 🇺🇸

Last week OCA was represented in Washington, D.C. at the American Counseling Association’s 2026 Hill Day where counselors from across the country gathered for federal advocacy training and meetings with congressional offices.

Representing OCA were Bradley Horn, Government Relations Committee Chair, and Bryant Adams, OCA President-Elect, joined by fellow OCA member Cynthia Hamill and ACA colleagues from Arkansas, Louisiana, and New Mexico.

During their day on Capitol Hill, the group met with congressional staff including offices representing Oklahoma to discuss federal issues affecting counselors and access to mental health care.

Among the legislation discussed:

🧠 Mental Health Access and Provider Support Act of 2026 (S. 4202/H.R. 8081) Would increase Medicare reimbursement for mental health counselors and other eligible behavioral health providers from 75% to 85% of the Physician Fee Schedule.

🌱 EARLY Minds Act (H.R. 1735/S. 779) Focuses on expanding opportunities for prevention and early intervention mental health services.

💻 CONNECT for Health Act (H.R. 4206/S. 1261) Would expand and make permanent key Medicare telehealth flexibilities.

We’re grateful to have Oklahoma counselors showing up, building relationships, and bringing what they learn at the federal level back home to strengthen advocacy here in our state.

09/21/2026

We’re almost there! With conference week just around the corner and Early Bird registration in its final week, we’re highlighting our Friday keynote that couldn’t feel more timely for our profession.

We recently had the chance to talk with Dr. Cody Commander about his session “Exploring AI in Clinical Care”, and trust us, this will be much more than sitting and listening to dry content about technology. He’s engaging, practical, and focused specifically on what AI means in the work we actually do as clinicians.

Where can AI have a useful place in clinical practice? Where should it absolutely not have a place? How can clinicians incorporate emerging tools without compromising confidentiality, clinical judgment, or the quality of care we provide?

You’ll leave with practical ways AI may support you and your clients along with a clearer understanding of the ways it should never be used in your practice.

This isn’t a broad debate about every implication of AI. It’s a conversation designed specifically for counselors navigating a rapidly changing clinical landscape while keeping care safe, ethical, secure, and human.

We’re almost ready. We hope we’ll see you next week.

Curiosity. Collaboration. Community.
October 1–2 | Rose State College

Register before early bird rates close out:
https://oklahomacounseling.org/events/

09/17/2026

Planning reminders as October gets closer 🍂

If you’re joining us for OCA’s Fall Conference, October 1–2 at Rose State College, there are two dates worth having on your radar.

🏨 Tomorrow, September 18: Last day to secure the special OCA conference hotel rate at Home2 Suites: https://www.hilton.com/en/book/reservation/deeplink/?ctyhocn=OKCMCHT&groupCode=CHTOCA&arrivaldate=2026-09-30&departuredate=2026-10-02&cid=OM,WW,HILTONLINK,EN,DirectLink&fromId=HILTONLINKDIRECT

🎟️ September 25: Last day to register at the Early Bird conference rate: https://oklahomacounseling.org/events/

We’re looking forward to two days of learning, conversation, and connection with counselors and clinicians from across Oklahoma with 12 CEUs, two keynote presentations, breakout sessions, our Academic Bee, advocacy and licensing updates, and plenty of room to simply be in community with one another.

Curiosity. Collaboration. Community.

If you’ve been meaning to make your plans, now is a good time to get them on the calendar. We’d love to have you with us.

See full schedule here: https://ocafallconference2026.sched.com/list/simple

09/17/2026

Oklahoma counselors, can you spot our people? 👀

It’s Where’s Waldo: Counselor Edition

Somewhere in this sea of counselors advocating on Capitol Hill are two of OCA’s own representing Oklahoma and our counseling community at ACA Hill Day! One is holding an ACA Hill Day sign. The other is holding an appropriate counselor accessory. Nope, not a cardigan. Gotcha! Even better. Coffee! ☕️

Can you find them? 🔎

We’re proud to have Oklahoma represented in D.C. as counselors from across the country come together to learn, connect, and advocate for our profession. Drop a 👀 when you spot our two Okie colleagues.

We are so appreciative of everyone who's here to train and advocate for mental health and the counseling profession over the next two days during the 2026 ACA Hill Day!

09/15/2026

Did you know our opening keynote has a TEDx Talk?

Dr. Richard Balkin has spent years studying something deeply human and sometimes deeply complicated: forgiveness.

At our annual Fall Conference, Dr. Balkin will take us beyond simply talking about forgiveness and into understanding how we actually move through it. He’ll introduce his Forgiveness Reconciliation Model and explore the cultural and contextual influences that shape forgiveness.

Attendees will also get to take part in using the Forgiveness Reconciliation Inventory as a way to process through conflict and forgiveness. The work isn’t just about what you can take back to your clients. You get to do some of the work, too!

Consider his TEDx Talk a little preview of what’s coming October 1st. Then join us as we get curious about forgiveness together.

🎥 Watch How We Forgive

Curiosity. Collaboration. Community.

Conference details & registration:
https://oklahomacounseling.org/events/

How can we forgive when the person who harmed us has no remorse? An...

09/14/2026

Four opportunities remain this fall to connect, learn, and support counselors across Oklahoma!

Whether you’re a student, counselor, LPC supervisor, or another type of helping professional we may have something to help you connect with colleagues, strengthen your work, or round out those CEUs before the year ends.

📅 October 1–2 | OCA Annual Fall Conference
Our biggest gathering of the year! Two days of keynotes, breakout sessions, 12 CEUs, the Academic Bee, BBHL updates, advocacy conversations with our lobbyist and statewide panel, and plenty of opportunities for connection.

📅 October 10 | OCA Central Region Resource Swap & Networking
Come connect with counselors in the Central Region for a relaxed Resource Swap at Santa Fe Steakhouse in Midwest City. Bring a favorite tool, game, book, activity, or resource you’re ready to pass along and see what you might discover from someone else! See you at 11 am.

📅 November 13 | LPC Supervision Refresher Course
Already an LPC Supervisor? Join Dr. Johnie Fredman for a great opportunity to stay well-informed and refresh your supervisory work. Attend in Tecumseh or online, with CEUs that can count toward Supervision, Ethics, or General requirements.

📅 November 20 | OAAC Division Conference
Our Oklahoma Association of Addiction Counselors division closes out the fall with its annual conference at Catholic Charities in OKC. Registration opening soon!

🔗 Details & Registration for Fall Conference or Supervision Refresher Course: https://oklahomacounseling.org/events/

Different events. Different ways to grow. One counseling community. We’d love to see you somewhere this fall!

**OCA events offer CEUs for LPCs, LMFTs, LBPs and is also an approved provider of continuing education for LCSWs and LADCs.