The 2019 NCCA Conference was held at the Embassy Suites by Hilton, Cary, NC on October 18-19, 2019.
Registration and Meet & Greet were on Thursday evening, October 17th, from 7-9 pm.
On Friday, October 18th, we had a full day of sessions consisting of:
SESSION 1: “ADDRESSING THE COUNSELING NEEDS OF MILITARY MEN AND WOMEN, THOSE IN POLICE SERVICE, VETERANS AND OTHERS WITH VESTED AUTHORITY” was presented by Rev. Jerry Richards.
He shared it was his immense privilege to stand amongst experts at this year’s NCCA conference as we came together in order to serve our Living God and His world. The opportunity to share some of the things I have learned in treating Armed Servicemen and women, Police Members, EMS Members and Veterans of all stripes was humbling. The issue of men and women serving, regardless of their APS type has led to a deluge of people struggling to identify with their service requirements and experiences. Coming to terms with these challenges is essential for the Christian Counselor. My introduction to these issues was well received, and the remarks and comments from my fellow professionals both at the conference and since has added to the experience for me.
SESSIONS 2 & 3: “BACK TO BASICS” were presented by Pastor Joe and Dr. Merrie Kaye.
The first session included topics such as: I. What needs to be our ministry basic and why? A. Why do we need to focus on the Bible as our basic? B. How might we veer off this basic? C. How might we stay accountable to keeping the Bible as our basic? II. What is a ministry ‘lane’ and what is the basic NCCA ministry game-lane or ‘lane’? A. How can we define our ministry ‘lane’ using the APS as our fundamental? B. How can we build solid guard-rails to keep our ministry from veering off its defined lane? C. What are the benefits from having strong ministry guard-rails? II. Final thoughts: The second session included topics such as: I. Basic #1 – The Bible: Role Playing – The Gospel Message. II. Basic #2 – The APS: Role Playing—Introduction to the APS.
SESSION 4 & 5: “MAXIMUM COUNSELING MINISTRY WITH MINIMAL LIABILITY” were presented by Attorney David Gibbs III.
He gave us a Legal Update for 2019. Both sessions were enlightening and helpful for our counselors.
SESSION 6: “GROW YOUR MINISTRY WITH SEMINARS AND SUPPORT GROUPS was presented by Dr. Robert J. Duncan, Jr.
He covered such topics as: What are the #1 questions about ministry--Marketing? How can I grow my ministry--Organization? How can I grow my ministry--Sustainability? 90 days to a new ministry level. Seminar Outline. Revenue Impact from Seminars. Support Groups, Revenue Impact from Support Groups, Support Group Outline. This session also included two case studies.
SESSION 7: “CRITICAL REVIEW OF YOUR INTAKE PROCESS” was presented by Rev. Steven M. Baran.
His session included: Who are you? Informed Consent Disclosure MUST HAVES. Important to share the process/expectations. Authority to Counsel. Mandatory Reporting, Confidentiality- Minors Under age 18. Confidentiality-Adults. Discontinuation of Services by the Client. Discontinuation of Service by Counselor. List is not Exhaustive rather just a start. Payment.
COMEDY EVENT WITH ANDREW STANLEY! From 7:00-9:00.
Andrew is an Atlanta-based stand-up comedian with a dry sense of humor. We enjoyed his comedy act. It was a nice way to relax after a full day of learning. He was recently named the grand prize winner of the 2017 Search for the South’s Funniest Accountant.
On Saturday, October 19th, we had a full day of sessions consisting of:
SESSION 8: “COUNSELING THE PHLEGMATIC CHOLERIC IN INCLUSION, CONTROL, AND AFFECTION.”
I presented this session. I explained that when you combine the Phlegmatic with any of the other four temperaments, you have a “blended temperament.” In other words, when you have a Phlegmatic blend, you have a totally separate temperament and you must counsel them as a separate temperament—not just as a Phlegmatic, Choleric, Melancholy, Sanguine or Supine. I also reviewed the Expressive and Responsive (wanted) area of the blend temperaments.
SESSION 9: “A JOINT SESSION WITH THE FOUNDERS.”
Dr. Arno and I presented this session. We shared some “gold nuggets” regarding counseling such as scheduling breaks in between your counseling sessions so that you have time to review the incoming counselee’s information, and so that you can seek the Lord in prayer for guidance as you counsel each person. I found two prayer suggestions in my devotional that are really great. They are “Jesus, keep me aware of your Presence,” and “Thank you, Jesus, for your Presence.” PLEASE REMEMBER, BE A “SAFE PLACE” FOR YOUR COUNSELEES TO COME TO SHARE THEIR BURDENS. Also, Dr. Arno shared a story from his new book “God Sent an Angel.”
SESSION 10: “If I Had a Hammer" was presented by Dr. Tim and Sheryl Brewer.
They stated that many marital issues that we are dealing with in our practice actually come from men and women not living and serving in their God-ordained roles. One of the most important facets to bringing marriages into alignment in addition to temperament is mentoring men to be the leader that God intends for them to be in the home. This process of leadership embraces the idea of valuing each spouse without the dynamic of any partner losing their individual identities. We have developed an ongoing and evolving process to help men and women to realize their roles and have clarity in the potential of them walking successfully in what they are called by God to do.
SESSION 11: “The Father Ladder: Lies vs Truth" was presented by Dr. Al Jones.
He stated that there is a need to clarify the connections between the lies that have been learned from childhood and the relationships we have formed with each member of the Godhead. He explained about the human family: When family members fail to fulfill their roles, the resulting pain and confusions can easily transfer to our understanding of God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
SESSION 12: “Shame: Identity Thief" was presented by Dr. Al Jones.
He stated that there are two types of shame: True shame or healthy guilt and false or toxic shame. He shared with us that shame is a master emotion; what shame leads to; Shame Shifts Blame; Emotional indicators of Shame; the Bondage of Shame, Development of Toxic Shame, Generational Shame, Shame Brings Addition; Characteristics of Shame, The Answer to Shame, Maintaining Shame, How do we Begin to Change?; Identifying the Lies I have believed; Wrong Views of God.
SESSION 13: “Considerations for the Temperament Counselor” was presented by Dr. Jeanne Kuckelman.
She cited: “God I invite your searching gaze into my heart. Examine me through and through; find out everything that may be hidden within me. Put me to the test and sift through all my anxious cares.” She also gave us foundational principles: 1. Know; 2. Understand; and 3. Learn.
SESSION 14: “Practical Application of Key Concepts” was presented by Dr. Jeanne Kuckelman.
She discussed DISINTEGRATED – the process of losing cohesion or strength, and INTEGRATION – a process that combines or brings together two or more entities in order to gain strength and effectiveness.
A BIG THANKS GOES TO….
Rev. Baran, N.C.C.A. President, for his leadership abilities in lining up the conference location and all the behind the scene efforts that it takes to make a conference a success. Rev. Baran was also the Master of Ceremonies, and was available to give guidance to our members on a one-on-one basis.
Jason Ferrill for all his work in helping to prepare for the conference, and working with the hotel staff during the conference.
Michael Andrews for his tech support as well as assisting the NCCA conference attendees during the conference.
Mark Winchell for his member care support in assisting the NCCA conference attendees during the conference.
Tina Adams for helping with the registrations and assisting at the NCCA table.
Mara Baran for doing a fantastic job laying out the conference notebook, assisting at the NCCA table and manning the Photo Booth.
Michael Dan, Linda Walker and Brian Colvin for keeping the main headquarters open to service our members who were unable to attend the conference.
Dr. Richard Arno for his smiling face and cheerful presence during the conference.
And a very big THANK YOU to all of you who attended the conference!
It was such a JOY to be with you!
Most of all, we would like to thank the Lord for anointing the conference as we were all truly BLESSED.
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND MAY YOU HAVE A BLESSED, JOYFUL HAPPY NEW YEAR!
If you were unable to join us in Raleigh you can purchase digital audio downloads of the full set or individual sessions by clicking here -
We look forward to seeing you all in Dallas, TX on October 30-31 for the 2020 NCCA Conference.