ENROLLED
2019 Regular Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 113
BY REPRESENTATIVE SMITH
A RESOLUTION
To commend the Louisiana Counseling Association and to recognize Thursday, May 9,
2019, as Louisiana Counseling Association Day at the state capitol.
WHEREAS, approximately one in five adults in the United States experiences a
diagnosable mental disorder in a given year, and for almost ten million people, the condition
is serious enough to affect their ability to function on a daily basis; and
WHEREAS, significant percentages of America's homeless population, prisoners,
and youth in juvenile justice systems live with a serious mental illness; and
WHEREAS, despite the growing number of people with mental health challenges,
only forty-four percent of adults and less than twenty percent of children and adolescents
with diagnosable mental health problems receive the necessary treatment; and
WHEREAS, in order to help meet the need for more and better mental health
services, the Louisiana Counseling Association, or LCA, was chartered in 1968 as a state
branch of the American Counseling Association; and
WHEREAS, the LCA encompasses a broad spectrum of groups in the field of
professional counseling, and, for its members, the association provides an opportunity to
share information and grow professionally; and
WHEREAS, the LCA is a professional association that represents the many
professional counselors in various work settings, including licensed professional counselors
(LPCs), licensed marriage and family therapists (LMFTs), school counselors, college
counselors, college educators, substance abuse counselors, career counselors, multicultural
counselors, and religious counselors; and
WHEREAS, the mission of the LCA is to enrich lives and to advance the counseling
profession; and
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WHEREAS, the purposes of the LCA include to organize, administer, and manage
the structure of the organization so that it can more effectively fulfill its mission; to promote
personal and professional development within the counseling profession; to promote
professionalism within the counseling profession; to support public policy and legislation
which enhances the counseling profession; and to promote the creation of knowledge and
the dissemination of research within the counseling profession; and
WHEREAS, the LCA is composed of thirteen divisions and one organizational
affiliate, and includes the Louisiana Association for Counselor Education and Supervision
(LACES), Louisiana Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development (LAMCD),
Louisiana Association of Marriage and Family Counselors (LAMFC), Louisiana Association
for Spiritual, Ethical, and Religious Values in Counseling (LASERVIC), Louisiana College
Counseling Association (LCCA), Louisiana Career Development Association (LCDA),
Louisiana Mental Health Counselors Association (LMHCA), Louisiana School Counselors
Association (LSCA), Louisiana Association of Addiction and Offender Counselors
(LAAOC), Association for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues of Louisiana
(ALGBTIC), Louisiana Counselors for Social Justice (LCSJ), Louisiana Association of
Counseling Graduate Students (LACGS), and the Provisional Licensed Counselor
Association of Louisiana (PLCA); and
WHEREAS, the LCA promotes the mental health profession in the state of Louisiana
and provides a number of services to its members; and
WHEREAS, the LCA represents two thousand two hundred thirteen counselors
across the state of Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, because the men and women of the LCA have made a significant and
positive influence in communities throughout the state, the members of the association merit
a special measure of commendation.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
Legislature of Louisiana does hereby commend the members of the Louisiana Counseling
Association for their unwavering commitment to excellence in serving the citizens of
Louisiana and does hereby designate Thursday, May 9, 2019, as Louisiana Counseling
Association Day at the state capitol.
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BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
president of the Louisiana Counseling Association.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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