HAMMOND – The University Counseling Center at Southeastern Louisiana University will sponsor the fourth annual Terrell Conference for mental health practitioners Friday, Jan. 7, in the university’s Grand Ballroom, located in the Student Union. Originally planned Sept. 10, the conference was rescheduled due to impacts from Hurricane Ida.
Assistant Director of Collegiate Recovery and Intervention and Conference Chair Annette Baldwin said the conference would include a special memorial service for Tom Terrell, the former director of the UCC and the conference namesake, who passed away Sept. 15, 2020.
The ceremony is scheduled at 5 p.m. Friday evening in the Student Union, room 2207. A special memory vase will be available as a tribute to Terrell, for family, friends and colleagues to share a fond or favorite memory in writing. The vase will be presented to Terrell’s family at the conclusion of the ceremony, which will be followed by a “Celebration Hour” at Jacmel Inn, located at 903 E. Morris Ave. in Hammond.
The conference will include a full day of continuing education for counseling and other mental health professionals in the areas of ethics and diagnosis, as well as an expo and lunch networking opportunities.
“Unfortunately, like other conferences, ours was postponed last January,” Baldwin said. “However, we have put together a smaller, one-day conference with an expo that should provide ample space for social distancing.”
Thomas “Tommy” Estis, the keynote speaker, will present “Ethics, the Foundation for All Counseling and Clinical Work; Counseling Made Easy.” Estis is currently the clinical director and founder of Aimwell Recovery Center in Monroe, La. He has presented at regional, state and national conferences and forums.
Registration costs, which include special rates for graduate students, and other details are available at southeastern.edu/terrellconference.
The annual conference honors Terrell for his work with students, faculty and staff at Southeastern, as well as the leadership roles he played with the Louisiana Professional Counseling Association. He was instrumental in developing the Louisiana licensure law for mental health professionals and played a key role in achieving accreditation of the Southeastern UCC with the International Association of Counseling Services.
“The UCC has presented the Terrell Conference to our community professionals, faculty, staff and graduate students as a way to offer continuing education clock hours to mental health professionals, as well as provide networking opportunities on the northshore,” Baldwin said.
For more information, contact Baldwin at [email protected].