Washington Mental Health Counselors Association upcoming events

Affirmative Counseling with Clients in Polyamorous Relationships Presented by Jiale Man PhD, LMHCA, NCC (07/20/2026)

Mon, 20 Jul 2026 20:00:00 GMT

Description:

Polyamory is a type of relationship that assumes the possibility, validity, and worthiness of maintaining romantic, sexual, and intimate relationships with multiple people simultaneously. With an increase in public interest in polyamorous relationships, it is imperative that counselors develop awareness, knowledge, and skills to work competently and ethically with clients seeking and/or in polyamorous relationships. Therefore, the session will present common conceptualizations of polyamory, the diversity of its relationship structures, and the challenges and resilience associated with polyamorous relationships, based on research. Then the presenter will discuss frameworks, strategies, and techniques that counselors can adopt to practice polyamory-affirming counseling.

Objectives:

Attendees will gain knowledge of polyamory and the diversity of its relationship structures and dynamics.
Attendees will gain knowledge of common challenges and resiliencies of polyamorous relationships.
Attendees will learn frameworks and techniques for polyamory-affirming counseling practices.

A portion of the proceeds from this webinar will go to Washington Saige: Washington Society for Sexual, Affectional, Intersex, and Gender Expansive Identities https://wa-saige.org/

About the Presenter:

Dr. Jiale Man is an Assistant Professor of Counseling at Seattle University and a clinical therapist at Protea Wellness. His research centers on LGBTGEQIAP+ issues and resilience, with a focus on relationship health and diverse relationship configurations. His clinical practices focus on supporting LGBTGEQIAP+ individuals in achieving personal and relational development, addressing common mental health concerns and minority stress, and building community resiliencies.

Registration closes July 16th, 2026

This course is approved for 2 CE hours for LMHCs, LMFTs, LCSWs, and all associate-level licensees in Washington State

Washington Mental Health Association (WMHCA) has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 2079. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. WMHCA is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

WMHCA Cancellation Policy

To receive a refund, less a $15 cancellation fee, cancellations must be made by contacting WMHCA at least 48 hours prior to workshop date. There will be no refunds within 48 hours of the workshop date. Please make sure you have the link 24 hours prior to the event starting.

Law & Ethics of the Clinical Use of Artificial Intelligence: A 2026 Update Presented by Eric Ström JD, PhD, LMHC (08/06/2026)

Thu, 06 Aug 2026 16:30:00 GMT

Description:

While new and emerging technologies can provide clinicians with powerful and effective clinical tools, such technologies also have the potential to create a range of new challenges. In this workshop we will address the specific legal and ethical implications of the use of artificial intelligence (AI), large language models, and machine learning within clinical practice. We will identify and discuss the evolving standards found in federal law, state law, and in the professional codes of ethics. Participants will gain the ability to identify and implement a legally and ethically sound approach evaluating and implementing new AI technologies in clinical practice.

Objectives:

Participants will be able to:

Identify the current ethical standards relating to clinical use of AI
Identify the evolving legal standards relating to clinical use of AI
Apply federal HIPAA standards to the use of AI powered clinical tools
Create strategies to effectively evaluate the clinical applicability of new technologies

About the Presenter:

Eric Ström JD, PhD, LMHC is an attorney and Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Seattle, Washington. As an attorney, Eric provides legal counsel, consultation, and guidance to mental health professionals. Eric’s clinical practice is focused on providing counseling services to combat veterans and those in other high-stress professions. Eric currently serves on the American Mental Health Counselors Association Ethics Committee, and is the ethics advisor for the Washington Mental Health Counselors Association. Eric has taught a range of courses in counseling and professional ethics at a variety of graduate and undergraduate programs.

Eric earned a PhD in Counseling at Oregon State University, graduated cum laude from Wayne State University School of Law in Detroit Michigan, earned a Master of Arts Degree in Counseling Psychology from the Northwest School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University Seattle, attended the Hague Academy of International Law in the Hague Netherlands, and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Linguistics from the University of Michigan.

Registration closes August 2nd, 2026 (space is limited)

This course is approved for 3 CE hours for LMHCs, LMFTs, LCSWs, and all associate-level licensees in Washington State

WMHCA Cancellation Policy

Gettin’ By: How Poverty Changes the Brain, Which Changes Everything presented by Linda Riddell MS (08/26/2026)

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 19:00:00 GMT

Description:

The most important and overlooked aspect of poverty is how it changes the brain. In this session, you will experience how poverty changes the brain by playing the game Gettin' By. Developed by an epidemiologist who specializes in poverty, and after five years of testing, this training is shown to shift attitudes toward poverty. You will learn the science behind the game, and the hidden impact of poverty on the brain, body, and behavior. Using a research-based checklist, you will learn how to look at your own work with "awkward" eyes and how to think about what you don't naturally.

Once we know better, we can do better. With more knowledge about poverty’s impact, we can find ways to more effectively help people living in the crisis of poverty. You will leave this session seeing poverty in a new way and with new tools to make your work more effective.

Objectives:

Participants will be able to:

Describe how poverty influences brain function, decision-making, and health and education outcomes.
Explain factors that interfere with a person’s ability to receive, process, and act upon new information while living in poverty.
Demonstrate applying an evidence-based framework to evaluate the mental and other demands that a service imposes on people

About the Presenter:

Linda Riddell is an epidemiologist specializing in poverty. Writing about and presenting brain science concepts has been a focal point for her work. From her years working as an epidemiologist and specializing in poverty, she created “gettin’ by”, a training program to help professionals work more effectively with low-income people. The centerpiece of the program is a game that puts the players’ brains through the same changes that happen to a person living in poverty.

In 2019, after five years of testing and development, she brought the program to national and regional conferences. She is an experienced and enthusiastic public speaker. She speaks at several events each year and gets positive reviews.

Her undergraduate degree is in English from the University of Cincinnati. She earned her master’s degree in health policy and management at the University of Southern Maine, Muskie School for Public Service. She has also completed courses at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in social epidemiology and biostatistics.

Registration closes August 22nd, 2026

This course is approved for 2 CE hours for LMHCs, LMFTs, LCSWs, and all associate-level licensees in Washington State

WMHCA Cancellation Policy