This presidential initiative by Christine Suniti Bhat (ACA President, 2024-2025) invites you to take part in an essential, on-demand training led by field experts, addressing the counseling and evidence-based treatment (EBT) needs of children and youth. Created to support the professional development of ACA members and advance the quality of youth counseling nationwide, these sessions will provide the knowledge and skills needed to address a range of pressing issues impacting children and adolescents today. This eight-part training will award 1.0 CE hour for the completion of each of the included sessions:

Description: Substance use among adolescents is an urgent issue in light of the prevalence of the behavior, the increased potency of several drugs of abuse (e.g., cannabis, substances laced with fentanyl), and the negative outcomes associated with adolescents’ substance use (e.g., negative effects on memory and learning, increased risk for injury and death, changes in brain structure, increased risk of substance use disorders). Rather than a task for a subset of clinicians, all counselors should be trained to recognize and respond effectively to addictive behaviors. Given that substance use initiation most often occurs during the adolescent years, it is imperative that counselors are ready to address the issue among youth by offering early interventions. Evidence-based approaches for adolescent substance use include both family treatment and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, as well as multimodal approaches such as Motivational Interviewing in conjunction with another treatment strategy. In this session, attendees will gain an in-depth understanding of Motivational Interviewing (MI) and its applicability for counselors working with youth who use drugs of abuse. MI is a brief and early intervention used to draw out and strengthen clients’ own reasons for changing their behavior, in opposition to persuading, convincing, shaming, or threatening. Scholars have found MI to be an effective and promising approach for addressing adolescent substance use and it has been found to be effective in school settings. In this session, the presenter will describe the main tenets and principles of MI including the Spirit of MI, core skills, ambivalence, change talk and sustain talk, and the four tasks (engaging, focusing, evoking, and planning), while providing examples of specific applications to adolescents. Attendees will learn how to incorporate MI into their work as a way of increasing clients’ own motivation to change. In addition, the presenter also will highlight empirically supported family-based interventions for addressing adolescents’ substance use that counselors can investigate further.

Description: Counselors treating children and youth survivors of sexual trauma utilize trauma-informed treatment in their aim to address the psychological, emotional, and behavioral effects of the abuse. Commonly used evidence-based treatments for children and youth include Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT; Cohen et al., 2012), Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT; Landreth, 2012), Child-Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT; Bratton et al., 2020), Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT; Eyberg, 1974), and Child and Family Traumatic Stress Intervention (CFTSI; Epstein et al., 2020) among several others. Across approaches and in creating a supportive therapeutic environment, counselors follow a trauma-informed model of care which includes principles of safety; trustworthiness and transparency; collaboration and mutuality; empowerment voice and choice; and cultural, historical, and gender issues (SAMSHA, 2024). Counselors must additionally tailor the approaches to meet the individual needs of the child, involve nonoffending caregivers, utilize culturally responsive intervention, and incorporate creative and expressive activities suitable to the developmental stage and age of the child. Further, counselors should adhere to the ACA Code of Ethics (American Counseling Association, 2014), and when treating child and youth survivors, several codes become particularly relevant such as: A.4.b. Personal Values in which counselors respect the diversity of their clients; B.1.a. Multicultural/Diversity Considerations where counselors maintain awareness regarding cultural meanings of confidentiality and privacy; and C.7.a. Scientific Basis for Treatment wherein counselors use approaches and interventions grounded in theory and/or empirical basis. This presentation will provide an overview of key concepts regarding trauma-informed treatment for child survivors of sexual trauma. The presenter will additionally discuss evidenced-based, trauma-informed treatment options and their efficacy as well as relevant activities and culturally responsive interventions that target the elements of approaches (e.g., symptom reduction, coping, improved self-esteem, healthy emotional expression, and improved interpersonal functioning).

Description:Compared to their heterosexual and cisgender peers, LGBTQ+ youth face mental health issues and suicidal behaviors at disproportionate rates. Several variables contribute to this increased risk including stigma and discrimination, bullying and harassment in schools, lack of support, family rejection, substance use, and lack of access to affirming mental health and medical care, to name a few. Indeed, a recent national survey found that 41% of LGBTQ+ youth have seriously considered attempting suicide in the previous year (The Trevor Project, 2023). Moreover, past research has reported that one-quarter (24%) of 12–14-year-olds who died by suicide were LGBTQ+ (Ream, 2019). Considering these alarming prevalence rates and culturally-specific risk factors, counseling LGBTQ+ youth at risk for suicide necessitates a comprehensive and multi-modal approach that takes into account their unique lived experiences and barriers. To help prepare professional counselors to competently treat LGBTQ+ youth struggling with suicidal thoughts and behaviors, this session presents LGBTQ+ affirming clinical strategies that clinicians may use to create safe clinical spaces, assess suicide risk, provide crisis intervention and mental health support, and promote resilience and coping skills. This session also presents pragmatic steps that professional counselors may take to bolster suicide prevention efforts for LGBTQ+ youth. Advocacy and policy change implications are also discussed.

Description: Participants will explore how to integrate social media literacy competencies—including critical thinking, safe behavior, and digital footprint management—into their therapeutic practice. Counselors will understand how to implement CBT techniques adapted for digital contexts, conduct social media wellness assessments, and teach healthy boundary-setting strategies. Special attention will be given to approaches for addressing cyberbullying, comparison-based anxiety, and digital self-image issues. The workshop also covers emerging research on protective factors that build digital resilience, including strong peer relationships, media literacy skills, and positive adult engagement. Counselors will gain resources for empowering girls to develop critical thinking skills about social media content, maintain authentic online identities, and leverage digital platforms for positive connection and self-expression.

Description: Nonsuicidal self-injury is a common youth experience counselors must navigate. In this session, evidence-based counseling approaches that can be used to support youth who self-injure will be discussed and attendees will receive detailed examples of experiential, engaging counseling activities they can use in conjunction with evidence-based approaches when counseling youth who self-injure.

Description: In this session, Dr. Cirecie West-Olatunji will introduce participants to the concept of race-based trauma and its impact on children in minoritized families and communities. In addition to sharing current research on racial trauma, Dr. West-Olatunji will provide an overview of race-based stress assessments and evidence-based interventions. Included in this session are case illustrations from Dr. West-Olatunji’s clinical experience

Description: Key evidence-based interventions presented include Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Cognitive Behavioral Interventions for Trauma in Schools (CBITS), and Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT). Impact Therapy (IT) and creative counseling techniques employing engaging, active approaches will be demonstrated to illustrate how dynamic interventions can foster recovery in trauma-affected youth.

This training is designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of racial trauma, along with practical tools for its assessment, conceptualization, and treatment. Through a combination of theory, case studies, and evidence-based practices, participants will learn to identify the signs and symptoms of racial trauma, explore the systemic and psychological impacts of racism, and develop culturally responsive treatment strategies. This training will enhance professionals' capacity to support individuals affected by racial trauma while fostering a more inclusive and culturally responsive approach to care.

Black hair has been denigrated and deemed unattractive and unmanageable, since slavery. Slaveowners required Black women to cover their hair or straighten it to emulate White women in order to be considered acceptable in public spaces. As early as 1786, the Tignon Laws prohibited Black women from displaying excessive attention to their appearance and forced them to cover their hair. Until 1976, wearing natural hair such as an Afro in the workplace could lead to workplace termination due to a lack of protection under the Civil Rights Act. However, despite the Civil Rights recognition, Black hair in its natural state continues to be implicated in bias and discrimination but professionally and socially. States like California, New York, and New Jersey have enacted the Crown Act which makes it illegal to discriminate against someone in the workplace, schools, and public places based on their hair, however, natural Black hair remains at the center of social and political controversy, marginalization, and sanctioning. Although wearing chemically straightened hairstyles is associated with upward mobility in professional settings, by making Black women seem more mainstream and Eurocentric. Chemical straighteners have severe health implications and are the leading cause of breast cancer in Black women. For Black women, hair is rooted in both personal appearance, and political warfare. Similar to other aspects of life, White cultural norms influence the evaluations and expectations placed on Black women and their hair. Therefore, hairstyling has been used to communicate social conventions about gender, race, sexual identity, and social status. Mental health professionals often underestimate the value of hair in the daily lives and well-being of Black women. Negotiating what style to wear has been implicated in racial trauma, colorism, self-image, and self-worth. Black natural hair affects all aspects of Black women’s lives including social settings, and intimate relationships, Black women spend a disproportionate amount of time thinking about, styling, and caring for their hair in comparison to women of other racial and gender groups. Black hair is also a symbol of resistance and empowerment. Hairstyles such as cornrows have historical relevance, the designs, and patterns enabled Black slaves to hide grains in their hair and to encrypt messages and maps to aid in their escape. This presentation will focus on the sociopolitical history of Black hair and provide clinicians with the tools to promote racial healing, self-acceptance, and celebration of natural hair.