As the incoming president of the Colorado Counseling Association (CCA), I would like to extend a heartfelt welcome to the new elected officials: Dr. Michelle Temple (multicultural liaison), Dr. Jillian Bluebird (counselor education and supervision liaison), Dr. Kendal Humes (Southern Region Liaison), and Carmen Peebles – incoming president elect-elect. I commend each of them for their commitment to becoming part of the leadership of this great professional organization. As you all know, CCA is an organization of volunteers. We all take time from our busy schedules to share and support a vision to equip, empower, and advocate for licensed professional counselors in Colorado. While it is an honor to be part of the leadership of our organization, what we “signed up” for is service. What we offer is an opportunity to serve the profession and ensure that the licensed professional counselors in Colorado are protected professionally and have the tools and opportunities they need to practice under the best possible conditions.
As counselors, we understand that we are the most important therapeutic “tool” we take with us in the counseling room and because of that, we tend to be very self-sufficient. What is the purpose of being part of a professional organization then? We tend to function just fine on our own. However, we also understand the power of relationships, and the healing dynamics of a group of people with the same goal and purpose. While we may have different theoretical orientations and personal beliefs, we are united in the purpose of serving this profession and advancing it in Colorado.
As such, I believe that the most important step in becoming involved with CCA is to show up. That’s what the newly elected officials have done. And it is what the voting members have done as well. In an election year, we can all appreciate the importance of showing up to vote and make our voices heard. A lot of times we may underestimate the power of showing up. As an Eastern European immigrant, I have noticed that in the American culture of majority, showing up is not valued as much as doing something. We all get a lot of satisfaction from the results of something we did or accomplished. However, it is very difficult to do something without being somewhere. As a young adolescent in Romania, I remember the fall of a dictatorial communist regime simply because thousands of people showed up. They showed up despite being threatened, arrested, and shot at.
Colorado Counseling Association is offering all professional counselors an opportunity to be here - be part of an organization that has a strong voice. It can be easy to sit on the sidelines and criticize what we are doing wrong, or not doing, however you are invited to come in and add your voice to the voice of our organization. If you are wondering what CCA has accomplished, I invite you to take a look at our website and again, remember that all this was accomplished by volunteers.
Many of us feel like we are not “political” – we just want to do our job in peace and we already give so much to our clients. Why do we need to give more? I would like to suggest that the reason why we can practice in peace in Colorado is because of the efforts of CCA. Licensed professional counselors in other states with less involved associations have had to contend with difficult pieces of legislation that have complicated their ability to practice and focus on the needs of their clients. That is why showing up as a member of CCA and paying attention to what is going on at Colorado Counseling Association is crucial for our profession.
In addition to keeping an eye on legislative areas that impact our profession, Colorado Counseling Association also provides professional development opportunities and other membership benefits that are important for practice. This year, for the first time at CCA, our Foundations Student Conference is scheduled a day before the Professional Conference. The idea is to offer counseling students and upcoming new professionals opportunities to connect with existing professionals and to focus on issues important to beginner professionals. This change originated a while back, when I was elected president elect-elect, and it is now finally coming to fruition. A lot of our initiatives take time. That is why showing up and contributing patiently is important.
Showing up doesn’t mean that you need to make big things happen in a spectacular manner. Showing up means faithfully contributing small things. “Little things make big things happen” (Philomon Sylvester) until we accomplish the “really big” things. When I started my tenure as president elect-elect in 2020, we did not yet have a recurring annual conference. We are now in our third year. Our Interstate compact was just starting out, and now we have a fully executed compact in Colorado. Advocacy for minority clients was also in its infancy, and now we have a full COSAIGE chapter and a liaison for multicultural counseling. While these were the main topics that were part of my focus in 2020, I am not implying that I “made” all these things happen. I am however saying that these big things that we have today were made possible through the contribution of all of us who are part of CCA.
I invite all of you to ”show up” soon. Our first opportunity is attending the CCA Annual Conference 2024 in beautiful Keystone, Colorado in August 22-23. Join us for opportunities to connect, share, learn, rejuvenate and relax. CCA Conference is an opportunity to become equipped and empowered for another year as a professional counselor. Looking forward to meeting you all in Keystone!
Vasti Holstun, PhD, LPC, NCC, NCSC, ACS
CCA President (2024-2025)