Washington Mental Health Counselors Association

Register now for WMHCA’s inaugural conference!

WMHCA's 2026 Conference, Weaving Connections: Building Belonging and Inclusion in Therapy will bring together professionals committed to fostering deeper connections and inclusive healing spaces in therapy. The Conference will be May 1st-3rd, 2026 in Seatac, WA.  May 1st will be an evening welcome reception and the 2nd & 3rd will be full days of continuing education.

Check out some of our amazing presentations!

(and find the complete agenda here)

Ashley McGirt LICSW - Keynote

The Cost of Healing in Silence — Racial Trauma and the Call for Culturally Responsive Care 1 CE

Silence has a cost, especially in communities of color where unspoken pain, generational trauma, and systemic inequities shape lived experiences. In this interactive workshop, participants will explore racial trauma through the lens of The Cost of Healing in Silence, a book that blends clinical insight, research, and lived experience. The session will offer both reflective and practical strategies for building belonging and inclusion in therapeutic spaces, helping clinicians deepen their cultural responsiveness and better support BIPOC clients.

Betty Tiantian Yan LMHC

The Collaborative Safety Planning Protocol: an Interactive Approach to Suicide Prevention 1.5 CEs

This interactive workshop introduces the Collaborative Safety Planning Protocol, an evidence-informed, culturally-responsive approach to suicide assessment and intervention that integrates the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide as its theoretical framework. Participants will learn how to assess and manage suicide risk while honoring client autonomy, cultural identities, and their lived experience. The workshop emphasizes the importance of mental health counselors' ethical decision-making, particularly around navigating client confidentiality and duty to protect. 

Dr. Eric Strom JD, PhD, LMHC

Navigating the Ethical Landscape by Integrating Multiple Codes of Ethics to Identify the Full Standard of Care 2 CEs

In Washington State, the standard of care for mental health professionals is shaped not only by state laws, but also by a range of professional code of ethics including codes from the ACA, AMHCA, NBCC, NASW, AAMFT, and NAADAC.  While each of these codes has its own unique strengths, no single code fully addresses all of the complex aspects of clinical practice. This is particularly applicable to the standards relating to interpersonal boundaries, use of technology, informed consent, multicultural competence, and documentation.  This interactive workshop identifies five topics of professional ethical in which practitioners must integrate multiple codes of ethics to fully understand and meet the standard of care.

Aurora Fernwood LMFT

Unmasking the Shame Game: Building Unconditional Self-Worth in Clients, with Insights from Trans and LGBTQ+ Experience 1.5 CEs

Shame is one of the most destructive forces in the therapy room and in life, eroding a client’s sense of worth and distorting their relationships with self and others. In this workshop, Unmasking the Shame Game: Building Unconditional Self-Worth in Clients, with Insights from Trans and LGBTQ+ Experience, we’ll examine how individual, family and societal shame operate like a hidden “game” with rules that keep people trapped in cycles of self-doubt, disconnection and perpetually seeking ways to earn self-worth. Drawing from over two decades of clinical experience and lived insights as a trans woman, I will highlight how trans and LGBTQ+ clients often encounter shame in intensified forms: through family rejection, cultural stigma, and internalized narratives. By unmasking these dynamics, therapists can recognize shame more quickly, interrupt its power, and guide clients toward unconditional self-worth.

Diana Mena LICSW, CFSW, EMMHS

Money Trauma 2 CEs

Money Trauma is the emotional and psychological wounds we carry surrounding money, often rooted in ancestral experiences, family inheritance and dynamics, past life and work experiences, societal influences and systemic oppression.

This workshop tends to the psycho-social-behavioral experience of money through a holistic approach rooted in liberation psychology’s consciousness raising, testimony and accompaniment. This workshop is grounded in anti-racist and anti-capitalist theory and practice.

Dr. Anthony Pennant LMFT, CST

Beyond Adaptation: Centering Black Queer Wisdom in Systemic Therapy - An Introduction to Multidynamic Relational Therapy 1.5 CEs

In a clinical landscape where traditional therapy models have been historically researched and designed for white heterosexual couples, this workshop introduces Multidynamic Relational Therapy (MRT), a groundbreaking Queer model of therapy. This framework centers Black Queer experiences as the standard rather than adapting heteronormative models. Participants will explore how this innovative approach transforms centuries of Black LGBTQIA+ wisdom and resilience into practical therapeutic interventions that address systemic barriers and promote authentic express and genuine liberation in relationships.

Courtney Shrum LMHC

Not Crazy, Just Wired: Nervous System Literacy as a Pathway to Belonging in Therapy 2 CEs

Many clients come to therapy believing they are “broken” or “too much,” when in reality, their symptoms are survival responses shaped by biology, trauma, and culture. Traditional models risk pathologizing these adaptations, which can deepen shame and disconnection. This workshop introduces nervous system literacy as a practical, inclusive framework for belonging in therapy. Participants will learn how stress, shutdown, attachment strain, and systemic inequities show up in nervous system states often mislabeled as resistance, overreaction, or disengagement. Through a combination of lecture, case examples, and experiential practice, clinicians will gain tools to identify nervous system patterns, apply regulation strategies, and reframe symptoms through a biology-informed, culturally aware lens. Special emphasis will be given to the role of systemic barriers and cultural narratives in shaping nervous system strain, as well as how therapists can increase client safety and reduce shame. Attendees will leave with concrete, accessible interventions to help clients regulate, reframe, and rebuild connection in ways that honor diversity, foster equity, and support true belonging in the therapeutic relationship.

Gina Romero LICSW/LCSW

Bridging the Gap: Integrative Strategies for Supporting Neurodivergent and Chronically Ill Clients 1.5 CEs

Neurodivergent and chronically ill clients often encounter fragmented systems of care that fail to recognize their overlapping needs. This workshop provides clinicians with integrative, affirming strategies to bridge these gaps and foster belonging in therapy. We will examine the intersections of Autism, ADHD, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), POTS, and related chronic conditions, highlighting how masking, sensory sensitivities, executive functioning challenges, and medical trauma impact clinical work. Participants will also explore systemic inequities and ableism that create barriers to effective care. Using case examples and discussion, attendees will gain practical tools to adapt sessions, support accessibility, and advocate within broader healthcare systems. Emphasis will be placed on neurodiversity-affirming and disability-affirming frameworks that align with principles of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI). Attendees will leave with increased confidence in working with clients at these intersections and concrete strategies for creating more inclusive, equitable, and effective therapeutic practices.

The hotel room block is currently open, as well as the discounted airfare. Book your room early as space is limited. 

No refunds will be given.