06/12/2025
Re: Recent Changes Regarding NMMHCA Membership and Organizational Structure
Date: Thursday, June 12, 2025
To: NMMHCA Members and Mental Health Professionals Across New Mexico
We want to inform you of an unexpected and immediate separation between the New Mexico Mental Health Counselors Association (NMMHCA) and the New Mexico Counseling Association (NMCA). The urgency of implementing this decision was not initiated by us and we apologize for any inconveniences you may experience during this transition period. For over 20 years, we have walked alongside NMCA toward shared goals for mental health in our state. We sincerely wish them well and remain hopeful for collaboration in the future.
What remains unchanged is our mission: advocating for our clients and supporting the professionals who care for them. NMMHCA continues to stand strong and advocate for licensed professionals under the NM Counseling and Therapy Practice Board and all those committed to improving mental health in New Mexico. Since 1979, as a chartered chapter of the American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA), we have served counselors in community agencies, private practice, educational settings, and beyond. AMHCA remains a steadfast supporter of NMMHCA's work and our vision.
Going forward, NMMHCA will offer a fully independent membership process and you will no longer need to join NMCA to be a member of NMMHCA. While we will honor your current NMCA/NMMHCA membership through its expiration, renewing your membership through NMCA will now no longer include membership in NMMHCA.
Additionally, this means that if your NMCA membership is set to auto renew (as most are), this auto renewal will only include NMCA going forward. If you wish to avoid auto renewal now that NMMHCA is no longer included in the NMCA membership, we recommend turning off auto-renewal to avoid future charges. This can be done by logging into your Zeffy account using the email associated with your membership, clicking “manage” under the My Transactions tab, and then clicking “stop.” Please note that NMCA’s website states that memberships are nonrefundable.
As we embrace this unexpected change, we ask for your grace. We remain committed to advocacy, professional development, policy work, and member engagement. We have been actively working on exciting membership perks over the last few months, including joint dues with AMHCA which offers substantial discounts, discounts on liability insurance, and additional new perks for our new and renewing members. More on this soon! Please visit our website www.nmmhca.com for the most up to date information related to membership.
If you are interested in joining our board as we step into this new season, or if you have questions or comments, please contact us at anytime at nmmhca@gmail.com. You can also visit www.nmmhca.com or check out our social media for ongoing updates regarding NMMHCA. Also be sure to check out our upcoming events listed below as we would love to connect with you!
We are eager to move forward with resilience and purpose as we continue to serve our communities and mental health professionals in New Mexico as an independent and dedicated professional organization.
Warm regards,
The NMMHCA Executive Board
Christine Herzog, President
Kathleen Charest, Treasurer
Lora Smalley, Ethics Chair
Emma Vdoviak-Markow, Publications Chair
Leandrea Romero-Lucero, Professional Development Chair
Brandy Ackland, Southern Region Representative
Up and Coming:
Thursday, June 12, 2025: 12pm-1pm: “You're Taking it All Too hard: Self-Care to Prevent Burn Out and Ensure Ethical Client Practice.” Virtual training with optional 1 NBCC CE. Sign Up: https://www.zeffy.com/ticketing/youre-taking-it-all-too-hard-self-care-to-prevent-burn-out-and-ensure-ethical-client-practice
Tuesday, June 24, 2pm-4pm: "Building Clinical Supervisor's Professional Identity as Gatekeepers in the Mental Health Field" AMHCA Conference presentation, Las Vegas by our very own NMMHCA President, Professional Development Chair, and Treasurer.
Thursday, June 26th from 12:30-1:30pm: Let's Meet! Hotel ballroom for those attending the AMHCA Conference in Las Vegas, NV. Check out the invite in the Whova app. We would love to meet you!
