It is with pleasure that I announce the appointment of our new Executive Officer, Geoff Haynes, effective from the 1st of June. In the role of Executive Officer, Geoff will work more closely with myself and the Executive Committee in the promotion and strategic development of CASA. Geoff brings his extensive experience and expertise to our association and I am very proud to welcome him into this new and exciting role.

I would also like to extend a very warm welcome to Sue Johnson in her recent appointment on the Executive Committee. Sue has taken up the role of Publications Convener, responsible for information delivery to our Membership and the general public. Sue is a long standing member of CASA and an experienced counsellor, supervisor and educator, who brings much wisdom and expertise to this important position. Sue is passionate about our profession and the promotion of excellence and professional standards in counselling practice and training. Congratulations Sue, we look forward to working with you in your new appointment.

I am excited to tell you that CASA is now on Facebook! This is a great tool to keep us all in touch with the latest quick news and highlights and includes some photos to check out. You will find the Facebook link on the CASA website to take you to our most recent headlines.

Please enjoy this edition of the CASA eNews prepared by our new Publications Convener!

Sincerely,

Robert Bullock
President

PACFA is pleased to announce that it has been successful in their application to Medibank Private for recognition of PACFA Registrants in receiving private health insurance provider numbers.

There are approximately 1.6 million Medibank customers who will now be eligible to access rebates for counselling and psychotherapy provided by PACFA Registrants in private practice.

Registrants in private practice will be contacted soon with details of their Medibank Provider numbers. 

The CASA Executive Committee are encouraged by the progress of PACFA with Medibank Private and are hopeful that other Private Health Fund Providers will follow suit.

Further details of this and other PACFA news are available in the current edition of the PACFA eNews (www.casa.asn.au/docs/pacfa-enews-may11.pdf)

Topics covered are:

• PACFA Registrants recognised by Medibank Private
  
  
• Gaining Membership Mastery
  
  
• World Congress of Psychotherapy
  
  
• Response to the Federal Budget
  
  
• Counsellors not Chaplains

The next Professional Development Seminar will be held on Saturday 27th August from
1.00 pm – 5.00 pm at the Education Centre, Milner Street, Hindmarsh.

The theme is:  From Boys to Men – Male Transitions

A panel discussion will be presented by:

• Andrew Lines – co-author of 'Rite Journey', a program for Year 9 students
  
• Dr Rob Brandenburg – Doctor of Counselling and researcher into the issue of men in mid-life
  
• Garry Gilfoy – co-creator and coordinator of 'Celebrating Manhood' Weekends
  
• David Johnson – 'Celebrating Manhood' and 'Wild at Heart' Boot Camps participant
  
• Sam Johnson – Year 9 student from Cornerstone College and participant of 'Rite Journey'
  

This will be a very interesting presentation with time for discussion.

Register online at www.casa.asn.au/pd-register

Registration closes Wed August 24th

Cost

CASA members - Free (only if you register prior to the closing date)
Non-members -  $75.00

The Conference for 2011 - "Living Well" - was held in May.  We had a very full program and our keynote speaker was Dr Sandra Cabot, ‘The Liver Doctor’ who spoke eloquently regarding the benefits of combining good mental health with optimal and hormonal balance.

Support speakers in the other workshops included Fran Kelly, Max Martin, Loreen Visser, Deb Sarre, Helene Hipp, Dr Kaalii Cargill, Dr Thomas Dellmann, Noela Maletz and Swami Dayananda all of whom were received well by those attending their sessions. 

The day was well supported by CASA members and the general consensus was that everyone enjoyed the opportunity to network, meet with old friends and colleagues and the friendly atmosphere to be readily found at all CASA events.    This year’s conference was generously sponsored by the Australian College of Applied Psychology (ACAP), along with Relationships Australia who provided their bookstall.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Toni Catford with the planning of the Conference and support on the day.  Thanks also to Geoff Haynes for his terrific technical and administrative expertise and to the members of the Executive for their contribution on the day.

Catering was by Gourmet Plus with Arista and her staff providing us with a wonderful array of nourishment during our breaks.  We appreciate the special care given to delegates with special dietary needs.

All in all, it was a great day and we are now planning our 2012 Conference, to be held on Saturday 28th April. We will be announcing the theme in the near future.

Helen Osborn
Conference Convener

Please put aside this important event in our Association and exercise your privilege as CASA Members to speak and vote at our Annual General Meeting. Executive annual Reports will be presented and the new Executive Committee will stand for election.

Members should have received their renewal notices at the beginning of this month. Please let us know if you have not received yours (email membership@casa.asn.au).

If you are a Professional or Clinical member, please don't forget to send your PD and Supervision logs along with the remittance advice. PACFA registrants can send us a copy of the paperwork they supply to PACFA as part of that renewal process to avoid duplication of effort.

We have made the renewal process even easier for Associate and Affiliate members this year. If your renew your membership online at the CASA web site, no paperwork is required. Simply check the box accepting the terms of membership and proceed to make your payment by debit/credit card (Visa/Mastercard) and you're done!

Please help make our job easier by completing your renewal as soon as possible. CASA pays PACFA a large sum of money each July for Member Association fees and we need your renewal payment by the due date to cover this cost.

Pam McEvoy
Membership Convener

The CASA Executive takes great pleasure in welcoming to CASA:

Professional : Alison

Congratulations also to Sonja who has successfully upgraded to Professional status.

As a new member of the CASA Executive Committee I am getting to know the other members of the team.  I thought you might also like to know more about each member, so in upcoming eNews editions an Executive Member will be featured.  Hopefully this will give a greater understanding of the commitment and passion each person brings to the advancement of CASA and the counselling profession.

This edition features Geoff Haynes.  Even though he is not on the CASA Executive Committee, I thought it fitting to introduce Geoff as this month he has been appointed Executive Officer of CASA.  This appointment is an exciting new position and an important initiative for the ongoing development of CASA. 

Many will already know Geoff and the valuable contribution he makes to the smooth running of CASA.  We wish Geoff every success as he builds on the impressive contribution he has given to CASA in recent years.

Geoff: I started out in the computer industry back in 1970, working in a technical support role with the US Dept of Defence at Woomera. From there I moved to Sydney and spent the next 30 years in the I.T. industry, mainly in senior management positions with two multi-national computer companies. From 1997 I ran my own I.T. consulting business and spent some time living and working in Hong Kong before returning to Adelaide in 2003.

Sue: How did you become involved with CASA?

Geoff: It’s all my wife Sandy’s fault! Back in 2007 she mentioned my skills to her supervisor, Pamela Brear, who then asked if I could provide maintenance for the CASA web site, which I was happy to do. Shortly afterwards, the previous administrator gave notice and I was approached to take on that role in addition to the bookkeeping and web site maintenance. The rest, as they say, is history.

Sue: What makes you excited about working with CASA?

Geoff: I love to build things. I see CASA as an Association with huge potential for growth, in both its membership and its capacity to provide benefits and services for its members. I really enjoy working with the amazing executive team and having the freedom to contribute to CASA’s development through innovative ideas and the effective use of technology. As Executive Officer I believe there is scope to extend my contribution to the Association’s ongoing growth, particularly in negotiating with other organisations at a business level to establish mutually beneficial partnerships.

Sue: What unique qualities do you think you bring to CASA?
           
Geoff: In many ways it is a benefit that I am not a counsellor. It is good to have a “business and marketing view” of CASA to compliment the “counsellor’s view”.  My I.T. skills enable us to introduce technological innovation and solutions at low cost. For example, CASA offers BPay and online credit card processing for membership renewal and event registration. Our web site ranks at or near the top of Google search results when people are looking for counselling services. We also have some sophisticated tracking and reporting systems for membership and events management, all of which were built in-house. Having gained many years of experience in financial management, strategic planning, internet marketing and customer service, I can use this knowledge to help CASA achieve its long term goals.

Sue: What are your hopes for the future of CASA?

Geoff: I am quite certain that CASA can become the best Counselling Association in Australia. All it takes is good planning, commitment and the belief that it is achievable.  I have a passion for excellence and I see that as the baseline for everything that CASA does.

Sue Johnson
Publications Convener

Please Mark These Events in your Calendar.

August 10th - CASA Annual General Meeting
August 27th - PD Event - "Boys to Men"
November 19th - PD Event (to be advised)