2023 Foundations

Student Conference

Call for Proposals

The Colorado Counseling Association is proud to host the 2023 Foundations Student Conference. Included in this conference experience will be comprehensive educational opportunities presented by or for the mental health professional student. Only counselors-in-training and counselor educators may attend this conference.

Non-Members

You are not required to be a member of the CCA to submit a proposal. However, each presenter must have a profile within the CCA's system. Prior to submitting your proposal, please have each presenter complete a profile by clicking here.

Timeline of Events

January 9th, 2023 - Call for Proposals
January 9th - February 28th, 2023 - Window for Submissions
March 3rd, 2023– Presentation offers will be emailed
March 10th, 2023- Presenters must confirm intent to present

Submission Specifics

• Note: The Foundations Conference focuses fundamental and empowering aspects of counseling, supporting current students and new professional counselors. Strong presentations will demonstrate this emphasis. 

• Each session will be for 50 minutes.
• Ideally, students partner with a professor at their institution who mentors them through the proposal process.

Presentation Information Required

• Names of presenter and other presenters (both must be CCA members)
• Title of Presentation.
  • Max. of 100 Characters
• Degree(s) currently being pursued
• License(s) you plan to pursue
• University you attend
• Program Summary: Summary of your presentation that will be used in the Conference Program.
  • Max of 500 Characters
• Educational Content: Expanded summary of your presentation, reviewed by and visible only to the proposal committee.
  • Max of 2000 characters.
• Learning Objectives of Presentation: "Participants in this educational session will be able to..."
  • Max of 5 objectives.
• Primary Topic
• Secondary Topic
• Any citations used in the proposal

Saving your Proposal

The CCA strongly recommends retaining a copy of your proposal for future reference. If selected to present, reviewing your proposal will be beneficial.

Rubric and Scoring Process

Submitted proposals are blind-reviewed and scored by a minimum of three professional counselors. Presenter names are withheld from the reviewer, while all other information is made available to the reviewers, including any file uploads.

Proposals are scored using a standardized rubric. Each rubric row is scored on a scale of 1 to 5, with a score of 5 being the highest score one can earn in each row. The score for each row is totaled and submitted as a single score to the Conference Committee for consideration.

Rubric Rows

• The proposal is written in a clear, professional style;
• The rationale for why this topic/presentation is needed is strong and persuasive;
• Proposal objectives show clear expectations for the participants' learning;
• The topic/presentation would attract mental health professionals and attendees;
• The presentation would actively engage those attending the session;
• The presentation would present sound, useful, new information.