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Grand Rapids site of counseling psychology conference

June 4, 2008

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.--Western Michigan University's doctoral program in counseling psychology will act as host to the 2008 Great Lakes Regional Counseling Psychology Conference Friday and Saturday, June 6-7, in Grand Rapids.

Those planning to attend the event must register, and registrations are being accepted now through the morning of the conference. The WMU Graduate Center-Downtown building is located in the historic Cherry Street Landing district, two blocks south of Van Andel Arena.

This year's regional conference theme is "Counseling Psychologists as Scientist Practitioners in a Changing World."

The theme highlights counseling psychology's contributions to multicultural counseling, diversity and globalization says Dr. Lonnie E. Duncan, the conference coordinator and a WMU associate professor of counselor education and counseling psychology.

"The culture of beliefs, values and social practices people are born into, and the personal dimensions of human experience, all serve as prominent reference points and important influences over how people view themselves and each other," Duncan says.

"A great deal of professional work is still needed to help bridge differences and develop more effective counseling and mental health interventions in the world today."

This year's conference will help address that need through keynote addresses, symposia, presentations and roundtable discussions by counseling psychology students and faculty from universities around the Midwest.

The featured talk will be given from 4 to 5:15 p.m. Friday in the Grand Hall ABC by Dr. Linda Forrest, president of the American Psychological Association's Society of Counseling Psychology and professor and chair of counseling psychology and human services at the University of Oregon.

Forrest conducts research that focuses on professional competence issues related to faculty responsibilities and decision-making. She is a fellow in three APA divisions, the Society of Counseling Psychology, the Society for the Psychology of Women, and the Society for the Psychological Study of Lesbian and Gay Issues.

In addition, Forrest serves on the editorial boards of Professional Psychology: Research and Practice and the Journal of Clinical Psychology: In Session. She was co-chair of the APA's 2008 International Counseling Psychology Conference and has served as associate editor of the Counseling Psychologist and a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Counseling Psychology.

WMU's downtown Grand Rapids campus offers the only counseling degree program in the city that provides all of the supervised clinical experience students must have to attain professional licensure to practice in schools, private settings, and many types of human service organizations.

In addition, the campus is home to the Center for Counseling and Psychological Services, a community-based counseling clinic that provides direct service to the public.

The regional counseling psychology conference fee, which is $65 for students and $90 for professionals, includes admission to all activities as well as refreshments.

Go to www.wmich.edu/coe/cecp/greatlakes http://www.wmich.edu/coe/cecp/greatlakes/for details about session topics, how to register and other conference information. For more about the event's focus, contact Dr. Lonnie E. Duncan, at lonnie.duncan@wmich.edu or (269) 387-5152.

Media contact: Jeanne Baron, (269) 387-8400, jeanne.baron@wmich.edu

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