British Columbia and Yukon

Kathy Mueller
2009-2011

I have served on the Board of the BC Chapter of CCA since 2007, and the Social Justice Chapter in 2007-08. Leadership experience includes 4 years on the governing Council of the BC College of Teachers, 6 years as an elected School Trustee in one of BC’s largest districts covering Valemount to Prince George to Mackenzie. I also have broad experience with community & immigrant serving agencies.

My careers fit Krumbolz theory of “happenstance.” The path has been eclectic one, following many interests, hobbies and locations. In Powell River our lives were centered on two young daughters; I thought I would switch from French teacher to potter; and my husband Erich worked on an engineering construction project. A couple of years later, with our newly adopted son from Vietnam, we moved to Terrace and raised 4-H steers among other hobby farming adventures. The smallest and most isolated town I’d lived in, Terrace also had the most significant impact on a growing awareness of community capacity building. Though I didn’t know the term at that time! I helped start the Terrace Multicultural Society, taught ESL, and began a job with Canada Employment. Isolated, though not at all in comparison to outlying towns. The first ‘satellite’ course (Anik B) was transmitted to Terrace in 1982. When we lived in Prince George, the phenomena of the Northern BC University Society resulted in UNBC opening its doors in 1994. I entered as a part-time graduate student and continued career counseling privately. With the Internet developing quickly, after graduation I found myself in the strange position of juggling two very opposite roles: on-call EAP counselor and part-time Ed Tech coordinator to assist faculty in adapting courses to online. Both were roles I loved and was sad to leave when family, travel and contract work took us back to Victoria and beyond.

Director's Report  - May 2010

Abstract

My work as BC/Yukon Director over the past term has involved learning more about the structures and policies of CCPA as a national body,  participating on Board committees, and seeking ways to involve members separated by geographic distances. I have:

• Participated as a member of the Sustainability Committee, which defined its mission in July 2009 to (a) increase general membership by 800 by 2012 and Francophone membership by 10%, and (b) to develop a revenue stream to maintain CCPA as an important advocate of the counselling profession nationally.

• Provided input to specifications, final development and testing of the revised Website during summer 2009.   

Connections and Communications

As BC Chapter Liaison. I attended meetings by teleconference this year. The BC Chapter is a link with approximately half the CCPA membership in BC, and in particular with  Student Representatives. Consulting with Blythe Shepard, AB/NWT Director, and the BC Chapter, we welcomed for the first time, a student rep from Gonzaga (Washington State).  Living in Alberta, but enrolled in a  distance learning program offered in BC and Alberta, she is a liaison with her peers in both provinces and our BC Chapter.

We have initiated discussions with the office responsible for the new BC Community Health Care Resource Directory  (CHARD), which serves the General Practitioners in BC. Through CCPA’s advocacy on our behalf, the administrators of CHARD have information on the qualification and certification of our members. This step will hopefully lead to inclusion in their database of CCC’s, enabling access to referrals from GP’s to CCPA members in our province. 

Contributions and Celebrations

It has been a pleasure to work with the 2009-2010 Board, and the Sustainability and Communications committees. The members are creative, experienced and constructive. A colourful and more dynamic site, www.accp-ccpa.ca  came online in September. The new website retains the best of the former CCA website, while also enabling electronic access to more resources.  It’s a good platform to increase the visibility of the counselling profession, which fits closely to the goal of building membership. 

Concerns and Challenges

The Task Group for Counsellor Regulation  continues to work towards formation of a College of Counselling Therapists, established under the Health Professions Act, to regulate the profession of Counselling in BC. The BC-CCPA continues to sit at the table and carry a portion of the costs.

Working with the executive of the BC Chapter, I have been seeking a student representative from UNBC to fill a vacancy over the past two semesters. We hope to fill the position by the end of May.

Coming Attractions

I have begun to schedule face-to-face information sharing opportunities with CCPA members, starting with Prince George and Terrace at the end of April. During the next few months, I am eager to talk with Counsellors and prospective members in other communities in BC and, if budget permits, members in Whitehorse,Yukon.  I welcome any chance to talk with members attending the Conference in PEI this May.