Northeastern Illinois University ICA Chapter
Year-end Report, June 2015
*please note that all Counselor Education Student Association (CESA) events are free of charge.
Yearlong Events 2014-15
CESA monthly meetings have occurred on September 8th, October 6th, November 3rd,
December 1st, January 15th, February 5th, March 5th, April 9th.
CESA bi-monthly newsletter contains counseling related articles written by students and
faculty, and includes information on upcoming counseling association events, departmental
events, and training events in the community. The newsletter has been published this school year
on October 15, December 15, February 15, April 15, and June 15th.
CESA social media outlets have been maintained and updated. Our website,
http://neiucesa.weebly.com; our Student Facebook Page, NEIU Counselor Education Student
Association; and our Alumni LinkedIn page NEIU Counselor Education Alumni; have
continued to grow, with 185 students on FB (averaging 30 posts and 90 comments monthly) and
over 70 alumni on LinkedIn. These online resources provide a platform for information sharing
and networking.
CESA Peer Mentor Program is a brand new pilot program that provides first year NEIU
Counselor Education students a final year internship student as a mentor to answer questions on
the program and the profession and build professional identity for both mentor and mentee. 24
students have participated this year.
Fall 2014 Events
November 17th a “Resume and Internship Panel Workshop” was held for chapter members.
This workshop presented information on how to tailor your resume in the counseling field and
for counseling internships. After a brief overview of the internship process, a panel of current
interns and alumni answered questions for students preparing for their internship year.
December 12th an “End-Of-The-Semester Mixer” was held off campus. This was a social
event where students were encouraged to unwind after finals and have a drink or some food with
fellow classmates.
Spring 2015 Events
March 29th, CESA Officer Elections for 2015-16. The new slate of officers elected is:
President Leslie Contos, Vice-President Nicole Debnar, Treasurer Katherine Petty, and Secretary
Rachel Sonberg. They will serve from July 1, 2015 until June 30th 2016.
April 1st, CESA partnered with Illinois Association for Play Therapy to provide a free
Introduction to Play Therapy Training at NEIU. Dr. Laura Tejada, a registered play therapy
supervisor led the interactive training.
April 28th, CESA hosted a Licensure Workshop for students to learn about the process
involved from taking the NCE exam and graduating, to the various levels of state licensure.
NEIU Clinical Coordinator, Dr. Nan Giblin, presented to students on the process of achieving
LPC and LCPC licensure.
May 1st, an “End-Of-The-Semester Mixer” was held off campus. This was a social event
where students were encouraged to unwind after finals and have a drink or some food with
fellow classmates.
Summer 2015 Events
June 26th , CESA is scheduled to host their annual Recognition Ceremony for graduating
counselor education students. Our alumni speaker will be counselor, author, and teacher, Dr.
Julie Milne; and our professional association speaker will be award winning chair of the
Inclusion & Access Committee for the National Association of College Admission Counseling,
Aliza Gilbert. Graduating students will cross the stage to be given a recognition certificate from
our department head, and afterwards, family, friends, students and faculty celebrate with light
refreshments, music, and a slideshow of student photos.
We hope to continue these resources and events next year, and welcome the opportunity for
increased collaboration with ICA and its divisions and chapters.
Sincerely,
Leslie Contos, 2014-15 CESA President
Bill Harrison, 2014-15 CESA Vice-President
Katherine Petty, 2014-15 CESA Treasurer
Melissa Erickson, 2014-15 CESA Secretary