LCA is proud to announce the keynote speakers for the 2024 Conference.

There will be three general sessions and the LCA Luncheon.

Sunday, October 13, the Inaugural  Keynote will be at 2:00 - 4:00 and will feature Dr. Kimberly Nelson.

Kimberly Nelson is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Board Certified in TeleMental Health (BC-TMH), an Approved Clinical Supervisor (ACS), a Chartered Psychologist in Alberta (inactive), a Certified Mindfulness Informed Professional (CMIP), and a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT). She is core faculty at Walden University in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program, adjunct faculty at Yorkville University in the Master of Arts Counseling Psychology Program, and has a private practice in Austin, Texas. Her clinical work is diverse and includes community mental health, private practice, as well as assessment and counseling in schools from K-12.

Monday, October 14, the LCA will feature the LCA Awards and Christine Suniti Bhat, PhD, LPC, LSC, OH, ACA President

Dr. Christine Suniti Bhat earned her Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision from Ohio University.  Her prior qualifications include a B.A. and an M.A. from Bangalore University, India, and a Master's of Organisational Psychology from Monash University, Australia. Dr. Bhat has extensive experience in the USA and internationally as an educator, counselor, and psychologist in diverse work environments such as the Australian military, non-profit agencies, schools, and universities. Prior to coming to Ohio University, she was a tenure-track professor at California State University, Long Beach. Dr. Bhat teaches in the master’s and doctoral programs in Counselor Education. She is licensed as a professional counselor and a school counselor in Ohio. Dr. Bhat is the current President for the American Counseling Association (ACA). She is a first-generation immigrant to the USA and an Asian Indian --both firsts for an ACA president.

Tuesday, October 15, the Cornerstone Keynote will be given by the Austin Brothers -Jude and Justin.

Drs. Jude & Julius Austin have doctoral degrees in Counselor Education and Supervision. Dr. Jude Austin is an LPC-S and LMFT-S and Dr. Julius Austin is also an LPC and NCC. Dr. Jude is an Associate Professor in the Master of Arts in Counseling Program at the 
University of Mary Hardin-Baylor and serves as the Interim Associate Dean of Social Sciences. Dr. Julius Austin is an Assistant Professor in the Counseling Program at The University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Both are private practitioners, supervisors, and award winning professors and counselor educators. They were the 2021 American Counseling Association Conference Keynote Speakers as well as Keynote Speakers for local, state, regional, and national organizations. They are the co-authors of the books "Counselor Self-Care"  published by the American Counseling Association (ACA), "Surviving and Thriving in your Counseling Program" published by ACA, "Doing  Counseling: Developing Your Clinical Skills and Style" published by ACA, and “The Counselor Educator’s Guide: Practical In-Class Strategies and Activities published by Springer Publishing Company. Both are fathers of three, active community and church servants, and devout fans of Arsenal Futball Club. 

Wednesday. October 16, the Finale Keynote will be given by our own Dr. Roy Salgado, LPC Board President and Dr. Christian Dean.

Dr. Roy A. Salgado, Jr. is happily married and is the proud father of a son and daughter. He received his B.S. in Psychology from Tulane University in 1995, his Masters degree in School Counseling in 2000 and his Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision in 2003 from the University of New Orleans.  Dr. Salgado has also worked as a teacher for the Archdiocese of New Orleans School System.  In addition to his teaching experience he has had diverse experiences as a counselor at an elementary school, a high school, a child and adolescent youth ranch, a community agency, and in private practice.  His research interests are in the area of child and adolescent neglect and abuse, play therapy, child and adolescent development, domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, human trafficking and family counseling.  He has also served on faculty at Xavier University of Louisiana.  Dr. Salgado has provided clinical mental health counseling services to members of the English and Spanish speaking communities through his work with the New Orleans Family Justice Center and the Hispanic Apostolate, as well as has worked with the general population in private practice where he has served the community since 2003. 

Dr. Christian J. Dean is licensed as a professional counselor/board approved supervisor (LPC-S) and a Marriage and Family Therapist/board approved supervisor (LMFT-S) in Louisiana, where he practices at Counseling for Growth, LLC. Dr. Dean is a 26+ year member of the military (Army National Guard or Army Reserves), currently holds the rank of Colonel, and is a Veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom III. He is a National Certified Counselor (NCC) and participated as a collaborative investigator for the DSM-5 Field Trials in Routine Clinical Practice Settings. He works with Spanish Speaking clients, Service Members, Veterans, and with a wide variety of diverse client populations. Dr. Dean is an EMDR trained therapist and also integrates cognitive behavioral therapy in hic clinical work. Dr. Dean has interest, presented and/or published in the use of metaphors in counseling and counselor education, counseling couples, understanding military systems and dynamics, differential diagnostic and diagnostic processes, and ethical considerations in counseling. Dr. Dean resides in Baton Rouge, Louisiana with his wife Kelly, and two children. Dr. Dean enjoys exercising, traveling, learning about all things real estate or stock/EFT investing, and soccer (especially international and continental tournaments - World Cup, Euro Cup, CONCACAF Cup, Copa America, etc.).