Buffalo State Hosts Counseling Centers of New York Conference
Over 150 mental health professionals from across the state and beyond will attend the 35th annual Counseling Centers of New York (CCNY) conference at Buffalo State, June 7–9.
CCNY is an organization that provides information, support, and resources to its members, professional counselors working on college campuses. This year’s CCNY conference, a collaboration between Buffalo State, Canisius, Daemen, Hilbert, Medaille, Trocaire, and Villa Maria colleges, Niagara University, and the University at Buffalo, will cover multiple topics designed to advance the clinical care of college students.
“I am delighted that my colleagues from across New York State are coming to Western New York to enjoy our beautiful campus and area for a few days,” said Joan McCool, director of Buffalo State’s Counseling Center and CCNY conference chair. “We have very high attendance numbers for this year’s conference. I believe the City of Buffalo’s resurgence has interested many people in visiting our area.”
A pre-conference workshop, "Understanding How Traumatic Events Impact our College Students," will be held Wednesday, June 7. Therapist Elizabeth Davis, director of the new Trauma Institute and Child Trauma Institute (TI and CTI) satellite in Buffalo, New York, and social worker Annie Monaco, faculty member at TI and CTI, will cover the behaviors, interventions, and resolution methods associated with trauma cases.
On Thursday, June 8, at 9:00 a.m., President Katherine Conway-Turner will offer opening remarks prior to a keynote address from Drew Kahn, professor of theater and director of the Anne Frank Project. Kahn’s interactive lecture, “The Healing Power of Story: Processing Experiences, Building Resilience,” will detail how the story building process provides tools for students to navigate their challenging journeys.
Other training workshops and programs for the conference include “Striking the Right Balance between Clinical Work and Crisis Management,” “Community Consultation—Extending the Reach of Counseling Services,” “Peer Educators,” “Peer Counseling,” “Thriving in College Counseling,” “Supporting Trans Students with Gender Transition,” “Developing Positive Supervisor-supervisee Relationships,” “Improving Campus Climate for Men,” “Responding to Sexual Violence, “When the Political Is Personal,” “Creating a Thriving Group Therapy Culture,” and “Working with College Athletes.”
McCool says the conference is important because it allows colleagues to share new information about the increasingly challenging issues facing today’s college students. In addition, the event provides counselors with the opportunity to look back on the previous year. “After another year of helping students become personally and academically successful, it’s important for us to stop and reflect upon our work.”
Registration for the conference is now closed. For more information, contact McCool at (716) 878-4436.