Oakland Counseling Association
September 2026 Newsletter
The Oakland Counseling Association is a not-for-profit, professional and educational organization that is dedicated to the growth and enhancement of the counseling profession.
Mission
The mission of the Oakland Counseling Association is to enhance the quality of life in
Oakland County by promoting the development of professional counselors, advancing the
counseling profession and using the profession and practice of counseling to promote respect for human dignity and diversity.
OCA Celebrates 50 Years!
The Oakland Counseling Association is celebrating its 50th Anniversary all year and we are looking forward to enjoying all the special activities with YOU! We have events planned throughout the year to honor our members and the huge accomplishment of reaching our 50th year milestone.
Thank you to all of our members for all your support, encouragement, ideas, and helping us to grow and learn every year. We are looking forward to continuing this wonderful organization as we also celebrate COUNSELORS all year long.
OCA began with a small group of dedicated professional school counselors looking for ways to grow and support counseling initiatives throughout Oakland County. For fifty years counselors have volunteered their time and expertise to create and build a program which has grown to support counselors throughout the state of Michigan. While our association has grown, we have kept true to our founding leadership goals:
To promote and advance the interest of counseling, guidance, and personnel services in Oakland County.
To provide an organization through which those engaged in counseling, guidance, and personnel services can exchange ideas, seek solutions to common problems, and to stimulate their professional growth.
To maintain and improve professional standards in the field of counseling and guidance.
To conduct activities designed to promote the professional growth of those who provide counseling, guidance, and personnel services.
To promote and encourage research in counseling, guidance, and personnel work.
To help us celebrate our 50th Anniversary:
Download our 50th Anniversary logo and use it on your email signature line
Watch your email: For every “50th person to join” we will be drawing names of prize winners
Honoring past winners of our Terry Hood Lifetime Achievement and OCA Counselor of the Year Awards
Mini celebrations at each of our professional development offerings all year long
Pam Wesley, NCC, LPC
Oakland Counseling Association, President
September Newsletter Highlights
- Join OCA! 2026-2027 OCA Membership
- New Payment Process for Membership or Event Registrations
- October 2 OCA Event: Oakland County Mental Health Fair
- Apply for an OCA Mini-Grant
- Article: Make Every Credit Count with Career Technical Education!
- Nominate a Counselor of the Month
- More OCA Learning Events Coming in 2026-2027
Join OCA! 2026-2027 OCA Membership
Memberships run from September 1st through August 31st each year. The start of a new school year is the best time to renew your OCA membership to take advantage of all the discounted event registrations, free SCECH processing, and mini-grants available to members only.
2026-2027 OCA membership information is now available on the OCA Membership page. Please share with any counselor colleagues who may not be an OCA member yet!
COST
- Individual counselor - $25
- Graduate school student - $10
- Retired counselor - $10
BENEFITS OF OCA MEMBERSHIP
- FREE or reduced price professional learning opportunities
- All online professional learning events are FREE for members
- FREE SCECH processing for all events
- Identify as a professional counselor (solidarity)
- Opportunities to network and connect with other mental health professionals
- Advocacy and support for counselors
- Eligible for mini-grant opportunities
- Eligible for end of year awards
- Eligible for membership and prize drawings
OTHER NOTES
- Membership is valid from September 1 through August 31 each school year
- Membership is open to all school and private practice counselors
- Membership is welcome for counselors outside of Oakland County
- If you were a 25/26 OCA award winner or nominee, your 26/27 membership is free! Please complete the membership form, but no need to submit payment!
New Payment Process for Membership or Event Registrations
OCA is now processing payments directly through its website. This is a change from using PayPal exclusively for payments.
Now, when you purchase an OCA membership or if you need to pay a registration fee for an event, you will add the item to your cart and check out like you would on any other e-commerce website. You'll have the option to pay using a credit/debit card or PayPal. If you have a digital wallet set up (Apple Pay or Google Pay) you should be able to use that as well on mobile.
We will still be able to process group membership or event registration payments using a credit card. For that, please contact our OCA treasurer directly.
October 2 OCA Event: Oakland County Mental Health Fair
Date: 10/2/2026
Time: 1:00-3:00
Location: Oakland Community College, Auburn Hills Campus
Cost: Free for OCA members and OCC staff/students! $5 for non-OCA members.
SCECHs: 2 General
Deadline to Register: September 29th
The Oakland Counselor Association and Oakland Community College are excited to host a Mental Health Fair!
The event will bring together 16 Oakland County mental health providers, offering attendees an opportunity to learn more about the resources and support available to students, families, and the community.
Participating organizations will provide information on:
- Services and programs offered by their organization
- Recent updates, changes, and developments within the agency
- Insurance coverage and payment options
- Referral and intake processes
- Best practices for connecting students and families with appropriate mental health services
- Questions and answers
Apply for an OCA Mini-Grant
Mini-Grants are Exclusive to OCA Members!
The OCA mini-grant program is back for 2026-2027 and the application is open for OCA members!
The Oakland Counseling Association (OCA) will offer a maximum of eight (8) grants of $250 to be used to support an initiative that directly advances career readiness, academic growth, and/or social/emotional development with students.
To be eligible to receive a mini-grant:
- Grant applicants must have current OCA membership for the 2025-2026 school year and provide a detailed application of how mini-grant funds will be used
- Preference will be given to applicants and organizations who have not previously been awarded an OCA mini-grant
All grant applications that are submitted before the deadline of October 18, 2026 will be reviewed by the OCA board on a rolling basis as applications are received. Applicants will be notified of application approval within 30 days of submitting the application.
Grant funds can be utilized anytime during the 2026-2027 school year. A final mini-grant outcome report is due by June 1, 2027.
If you're looking for inspiration, check out our May OCA Member Newsletter for highlights from the 2025-2026 mini-grant program to see how your colleagues made use of the grant dollars!
Article: Make Every Credit Count with Career Technical Education!
Courtesy of OCA Board Members: Angela Gouda and Paige Rutkowski
We’ve all been there. A new senior joins your school and is interested in taking a CTE course but can’t fit it into their schedule because they still need an additional third science credit. Another student is ready to put their skills to use in work based learning, but needs an additional year of World Language.
At first glance, these barriers can rob students from experiencing extremely valuable courses directly related to their interests and career goals. The good news - they don’t have to! There are several options for credit replacement and/or exchanges through MDE approved CTE programs. The goal here is not to water down the MMC requirements, but instead, to allow students to connect their education and experiences with meaningful career related coursework.
For more information, contact your district’s CTE advisor, reach out to a counselor at your local Oakland Schools Technical Campus, or visit Michigan Department of Education’s CTE and Michigan Merit Curriculum guidance.
The availability and implementation of CTE credit options, including the awarding of academic credit, are subject to local district policies and approval.
Nominate a Counselor of the Month
In an effort to highlight the remarkable work of OCA counselors, we will be requesting Counselor of the Month nominations each month. This recognition effort will highlight one outstanding counselor each month. Nominees must be a current OCA member to receive the recognition (and potentially a small prize 😊).
Thank you for your nominations!
More OCA Learning Events Coming in 2026-2027
OCA has several other professional learning events in the works for the 2026-2027 school year. Here are a few that are already confirmed:
- 11/11/2026 - Counselor Day at Kettering (in-person)
- 11/16/2026 - Professional Trades Event (virtual)
- 12/4/2026 - Annual Full Day Virtual College Event (virtual)
- 4/30/2027 - End of Year Event & Counselor Awards (in-person)
Other experiences are currently being planned by the OCA board. If you have suggestions for future learning topics, make sure to complete the professional learning needs assessment further down in the newsletter.
OCA members enjoy free or minimal registration costs for all events and SCECH processing is included. You can find additional details and registration info as it becomes available on the OCA Events page.
Oakland Counseling Association
Email: oaklandcounselingassociation@gmail.com
Website: www.oaklandcounselors.org