Ways To Get Involved
WMHCA has several committees and task forces for our members to participate in and get involved.
Committee Requirements
Committee members serve one-year renewable terms. Potential committee members must apply detailing their interest in serving. The committee chairs will review committee member applications. Committees will maintain 5 to 7 committee members on each committee. The committee chair will identify the number of committee members.
Guests are welcome to attend all open meetings. Guests can engage in any discussion on the committee; however, do not vote on committee matters.
The president of the WMHCA board appoints committee chairs. Committee members do not need to be on the board but must hold an active WMHCA membership. The committee chair selects members for a one-year term from July through June. Committee members shall act in accordance with the bylaws and the committee's roles and responsibilities.
All WMHCA committees are working bodies. Committees will comprise members with the interest and capacity to actively engage in the projects and purpose of the committee for serving WMHCA and Mental Health Counselors across Washington State. Committee members can be asked to leave if they are not fulfilling committee duties.
Standing Committees
WMHCA has four standing committees that meet throughout the year. They are Education, Membership, Legislative, and Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI). Most committees meet every other month. There will be times when the committee will meet more often. Committees start meeting in September.
Committee Member Responsibilities Overview
- Attend Committee Meetings (Meetings are every other month or more as determined by each committee.)
- Review committee documents in a timely manner.
- Check and respond to emails weekly.
- Attend at least one committee event per year that is not a board meeting.
More info about committee members roles and responsibilities can be found HERE.
Membership Committee
The Membership Development Committee shall have responsibility for membership recruitment and retention. They engage in member outreach and ensure all members can access benefits and resources.
Meets 1st Tuesday of the month every other month at 12:00 PM.
Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee (JEDI)
*The JEDI Committee is responsible for examining WMHCA practices and making sure all practices and policies are equitable. The JEDI committee is also responsible for anti-racist training and education.
*Not currently in the roles and responsibilities document; it is in the process of being added.
Meets the 1st Wednesdays of the month every other month at 12:00 PM.
Policy and Professional Advocacy Committee
The Legislative Committee shall work to increase the public’s and legislature’s awareness of the importance and benefits of professional counseling and shall seek to enhance and protect the profession of mental health counseling by responding to legislative issues and by establishing and maintaining cooperative relationships with legislators, legislative staff, the governor’s office, and administrative agencies.
Meets 1st Thursday of the month every other month at 12:00 PM.
Education Committee:
The Education Committee shall vet presenters for workshops, decide what topics of workshops best serve the members, plan and host workshops, and stay current on continuing education requirements set for by the Washington State Department of Health. The education committee also explores and decides on curriculum development.
Meets 1st Thursday of the month every month at 1PM.
Barriers to Licensure Task Forces
These task forces last year long and were created as a result of data collected by WMHCA regarding most prevalent barriers faced in our profession. You do not need to be a WMHCA member to be part of one of these task forces. Reach out to the task force chair directly. Their contact information is listed on the task force page. You can learn more about each task force by clicking the links below.
Unpaid Internships Task Force
Bailey Walther LMHCA, NCC
Page Coming Soon
Other Task Forces
These task forces are time limited and have a very specific scope.
Scholarship Task Force
The scholarship task force meets 2 to 3 times from August through December. You only have to commit once and are not expected to be on the task force continuously. The scholarship task force helps, with the application process and reviews of scholarship applications for student seeking to become counselors.
The Washington Mental Health Counselors Association continues to provide scholarships for students in their journey through graduate school. They recognize entering the mental health field has significant barriers for some students, and choosing to enter the counseling profession takes substantial strength and courage.
Finance Task Force
The Finance task force is led by WMHCA's treasurer. The task force focuses on reviewing prior budgets and presenting a yearly budget to the WMHCA board for approval. The task force meets once in the fall and then 2 to 3 times from January to April.
