OCA Fall Conference 2026

Forgiveness is examined under a cultural and developmental perspective by examining how environment and religion might influence how forgiveness is conceptualized.  The model presented in this presentation approaches forgiveness from a theoretical model initially conceptualized from Judaism and broadened to a general population.  A validated measure and the research findings related to both the measure and the model are provided and explained, so that attendees obtain a tool for themselves or working with others in a clinical setting.
 

Counselors increasingly encounter clients describing exhaustion, difficulty concentrating, diminished emotional capacity, social disconnection, financial worry, information overload, and distress related to social and political uncertainty. These experiences are often conceptualized separately as anxiety, burnout, chronic stress, loneliness, or attentional difficulty. This presentation asks whether some may also reflect a broader “adaptation gap”: a mismatch between rapidly accelerating technological, informational, economic, and social environments and comparatively stable human needs for attention, recovery, connection, agency, and belonging.
Drawing from research on chronic stress, burnout, social connection, financial strain, digital stress, political polarization, cognitive offloading, and emerging human-AI interaction, the session will critically examine evidence both supporting and challenging this framework. Technology and AI will be considered as potential sources of both cognitive burden and cognitive relief.
Participants will explore implications for counseling assessment, case conceptualization, psychoeducation, prevention, and advocacy across clinical, school, college, career, and community settings. The session emphasizes an evidence-informed, nonpartisan, and nonpathologizing approach to understanding distress within rapidly changing social environments.

Many people have questions about the recently published updates to the LPC rules, the Counseling Compact, and other issues related to our role as LPCs. Join Eric Ashmore, Executive Director of the Board of Behavioral Health Licensure (BBHL) and  LPC representatives on the Board as they share information related to these and other issues and answer your questions. 

This workshop introduces clinicians to the clinical value and evidence base behind Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy. Participants will explore the core mechanisms of EMDR, review current research and compare EMDR’s efficacy to other leading trauma treatments. The session highlights why EMDR training enhances clinical outcomes, expands therapeutic competencies, and strengthens trauma‑responsive care across diverse populations. Attendees will gain a clear understanding of EMDR’s impact, its rapid‑response applications, and the professional advantages of becoming an EMDR‑trained therapist. We will also discuss the OKC Trauma Recovery Network and how they can become involved to help their community in times of crisis/natural disaster.

In this presentation, we will explore how substance use impacts the brain, how those changes to the brain make Cognitive Behavioral Therapy challenging for individuals in early recovery, and how Mindfulness can give recovering individuals tools and insights they can employ in all stages of recovery. We will also learn the basics of Mindfulness and practice Mindfulness exercises.

Cultural responsiveness extends beyond race and ethnicity. Today’s clinicians and educators must also understand the digital, linguistic, and social ecosystems that shape Gen Z and Gen Alpha identities. This workshop explores how online communities, social media, gaming culture, evolving language, identity development, and digital citizenship function as important cultural influences for today’s youth. Participants will learn practical strategies for strengthening therapeutic engagement, avoiding generational biases, and integrating culturally responsive interventions that honor the diverse identities and experiences of Gen Z and Gen Alpha clients.

This session would focus on increasing understanding of a developmental model of clinical supervision and how this can also translate into a developmental model of team and organizational growth. Participants will hear real world scenarios designed to help supervisors and leaders combat the biggest challenges in supervision and leadership in today’s changing climate including early-onset burnout, poor morale and workplace culture challenges, and scaffolding and exposure and growth in a new clinical workforce.