2024 LCA CONFERENCE CALL FOR PROGRAMS    

Call for programs is closed.   Thank you!

LCA’s Annual Conference is Sunday, October 13, 2024 through Wednesday, Oct 16, 2024 at the Golden Nugget in Lake Charles, Louisiana

Virtual Pre-Conference workshops will be held on October 5, 2024.

 On behalf of the Louisiana Counseling Association, President Dr. Vicki Guilbeau (7/1/2024-6/30/2025) invites you to submit a presentation proposal for the 2024 LCA Conference in Lake Charles. Deadline for proposals: April 1, 2024.

The conference is a unique opportunity for counseling professionals from across the state to come together, exchange ideas, and learn from each other's experiences. By presenting at the conference, you will have the chance to:
1. Showcase Your Expertise: This is your chance to demonstrate your expertise and contribute to the growth of the counseling community.
2. Expand Your Network: Connect with like-minded professionals, build new relationships, and engage in meaningful discussions.
3. Enhance Your Professional Development: Engage in thought-provoking sessions, attend workshops, and gain new perspectives that will enrich your counseling practice.
4. Gain Recognition: Presenting at a state-level conference is a prestigious accomplishment that can enhance your professional reputation.
5. Contribute to the Field: By sharing your knowledge and experiences, you are contributing to the growth and advancement of the counseling profession as a whole. Your insights can inspire and empower fellow professionals, ultimately benefiting the clients and communities we serve.
6. Earn CEU’s: You get credit for an original presentation at a rate of 5 clock hours per one hour presentation toward renewal of the licensed professional counselor license.

Please submit your proposal by March 15, 2024 through our online submission portal, below.
Together, let's inspire, learn, and shape the future of counseling in Louisiana.

Please read the information below before completing the online application.

All applications must be submitted online. The links to submit are below.

Presentation Format

Content Session:   A 1.25 hour presentation  (Presenters may request a 2.5 hour presentation; this will be granted depending on space available.)

Roundtable Session:  1.25 CE clock hour opportunity.  Roundtables are oral presentations with discussion with attendees seated around a table.  Roundtable presenters should bring targeted questions to pose to others at the table in order to learn from and with those attending. Roundtables are an ideal format for networking and in-depth discussion on a particular topic.  Information about Roundtables may be found here. The Roundtable Application is the same application as the Content Session. Be sure to mark RoundTable as the platform.

Poster Session:  A fifteen-minute session to share research. This is a session presented only by Graduate Students who have an active membership in LCA. Information about the Poster Sessions may be found here. Posters will be evaluated by a panel of counseling professional judges and prizes will be given to the first, second, and third place winners. Please access this form to view what information you will need to complete the Poster Session application.

Presentation Level

Sessions should be classified as Introductory, Intermediate, or Advanced.  LCA leadership is requesting that presentations be either intermediate or advanced.  Introductory Sessions would be aimed at students or PLPCs.

1. Introductory:  Session participants do not need prior knowledge of content area; these workshops are for participants who want to expand knowledge, foundation and skills.                                                                                               
2. Intermediate:  Session participants need basic or very little knowledge of content area.  These workshops are for participants who want to expand their knowledge, foundation and skills.                                                                 
3. Advanced:  Session participants should have substantial knowledge and experience in content area; these workshops are for participants who have had years of experience in content areas such as in therapeutic practice or research.

Program Proposal Guidelines

• Persons in all areas of the counseling profession are invited to submit a program proposal.
• The lead presenter of the presentation must hold a master’s degree or above in a mental health field. Students may join their professor in the presentation but may not be the lead presenter (unless the student is professional seeking a doctorate). The Lead Presenter (Professor) is responsible for the content of the session and must be part of the session; no more than a total of four presenters.
• A presenter may not participate in more than two presentations.
• All presenters must be members of LCA at the time the proposal is submitted. (In special situations, this requirement may be waived by the LCA leadership)
• All presenters must register and pay for conference (at the least the day of their presentation).  Presenters are responsible for all travel expenses.
• Presenters must check in at the LCA Presenter Registration Table to obtain their Registration Packet and a Presenter’s Badge.
• The lead presenter is responsible for signing the Presenter Contract, contacting all co-presenters and for all details of the submission.   
• Audio-Visual Equipment: LCA will provide screens, microphone, extension cords and power strips in each meeting room. LCA will also provide a projector for each room. The projectors are equipped with a VGA and a HDMI Cord—if a presenter is using a Mac product, adapters should be brought by the presenter. Internet is provided at the 2024 conference. LCA does not provide any other equipment (this includes clickers for the projectors).  Please plan to bring any other equipment that you need. Presenters may rent their equipment from the conference site or they may bring their own computers.  
• Tablets, I-pads, ext. may not operate with projectors. Please be sure that you have a laptop available for your presentation; LCA will not provide laptops.
• Lead Presenter must submit handouts and power-points to be placed on the LCA APP before the beginning of conference (a deadline date will be provided by LCA). Presenters may also bring hard copy handouts to the presentation.
• Presenters may not use the presentation to advertise for-profit curriculum or programs that they have created.
• Presenters may not charge a separate attendance fee.
• Presenters must be able to attend the LCA 2024 Conference and be available to present any day/time during the conference. Conflicts may be noted on the application. Once the Acceptance letters are dispersed, the sessions will be scheduled.   Scheduling will be based on the conflicts listed on the proposals.
• Presenters should register for conference by August 31. Presenters who do not register will not be listed in the Conference Program Guide or be allowed to present.

Proposal Selection Process

• Proposals will be peer reviewed in a blind review by the Professional Development Committee.
• Proposals must be submitted online.  An email from the LCA office will confirm receipt. If you do not receive this confirmation, contact the LCA office.
• Reviewers will use the following rubric items to review proposals: Presenter's qualifications and experience; relevance of topic to conference theme or needs of the particular audience; relevance to ethics, supervision, diagnosis or school counselor related issues; clear and attainable workshop objects; evidence-based practices; relevance of topic to current counseling themes (for example: mindfulness); topic appeals to a variety of audiences.

• Submissions must be complete or they will not be reviewed.

• Notification of receipt of the submission will be made by email. If you do not receive an email confirmation from the LCA office, please check with the office to assure the receipt of your proposal.

• Decision letters will be mailed by the LCA office by July 1.
• Once your proposal is accepted you will receive a draft of the program by email.  This is done so that you may check the information and make any corrections before the program is uploaded to the website and the APP.

Preparing your proposal

The Professional Development Committee has provided a proposal outline that details everything that needs to be submitted. They suggest that you create a document with this information for yourself prior to entering it in the form so that you already have everything thought through and prepared. Please note the deadline of April 1, 2024.

CE Clock hours for Presenters

The LPC Board recognizes the work that a presenter puts into the preparation of a session.  For that reason, presenters seeking credit from the LPC board may get credit for the original presentation at a rate of 5 clock hours per one hour presentation for renewal of the licensed professional counselor license. (For a session for which 1.0 CE clock hours are awarded, the presenter will receive 5.0 CE clock hours.)

Content sessions have been selected.  Submission is closed.

Content Session and Roundtable Proposal Application

Poster Session Application