Welcome back to The Connection
NASAP’s Online Newsletter

July 2025 Issue

Dear Adlerians,

Welcome to the July/August 2025 issue of The Connection. We are pleased to focus this issue on the recent NASAP annual conference which took place in Portland, Oregon, from May 29 through June 1. As you peruse this issue, please enjoy pictures of the conference and articles written by attendees.

On a personal note, I especially enjoyed this event as a first-time conference-goer. I was thrilled by the opportunities to finally meet personally with Adlerians I have been corresponding and Zooming with over the past two years, including attendees from Florida, Idaho, Georgia, Minnesota, and Massachusetts. As a non-clinician — Adler has long appealed to me for his philosophy and theory-– the conference also provided a wonderful forum to glean new insights concerning Adlerian counseling and practice. I felt particularly gratified to meet Dr. Amy Lew and learn about her groundbreaking work with the four crucial C’s. I was also struck by the positive feelings fostered when meeting people who have dedicated their careers to promoting social interest, healing, contribution, and justice.

As you read this issue, I hope you are inspired to consider how you might contribute to The Connection in the future. Please feel free to submit your articles, announcements, and photos to the email below.

Sincerely,

Ellen Alderton, Editor

NASAPNews@gmail.com

P.S. If you wish to receive future issues of The Connection, be sure to sign up for a NASAP membership. Use the button in the top right corner to access the member login/sign-up page. There are several membership levels to choose from, and you will then be eligible for other member perks like discounts on conference registrations.

President’s Message

Updates from HQ, July 2025

By Susan Belangee, Ph.D., NASAP Executive Director

Another amazing annual conference was held in Portland, Oregon, at the end of May. More than 160 attendees enjoyed excellent learning sessions, inspirational speakers, and some delectable food during the event. The feedback shared across the weekend was nothing but positive, with hope for the future of NASAP.

For me, the conference is truly a labor of love; I am the duck that seems to have it together, but the truth is I’m paddling like crazy, making sure everything goes smoothly. This year, I was so grateful for Miosotis Cotto, her son Enzo Diaz Cotto, and Marie Perez Torres, who helped coordinate an awesome crew of volunteers. Thank you to everyone who served as room monitors, bookstore helpers, or registration guides. Knowing you all had it covered gave me such comfort and peace, so I could attend to the other things that inevitably occur.

This year, I was absolutely floored during the banquet as we raised over $10,000! As far as I know, this is a NASAP record! The items in the auction, both silent and live, were generously donated by several NASAP affiliates and members, and all proceeds go right to next year’s scholarships. How thrilling it was to see those bids continue to rise, and many thanks go to Tamara Whear, a professional auctioneer and NASAP member, who donated her time to make it a successful event!

Thank you to Mary Simmerling, one of the Social Justice Section co-chairs, who coordinated the on-site donation of items for Rose Haven, a local shelter for women and children fleeing domestic violence. The boxes were overflowing on Sunday when Mary packed them up, and I do hope we think of initiatives like this for future conferences.

So many of you came up and offered help, support, encouragement, and love, all of which meant the world to me. Knowing that there was a willing army ready to help when needed gave me strength. When my head hit the pillow each night, I counted all of you as blessings.

It makes my heart happy to hear that “this was the best one yet,” and “I can’t wait for next year!” I loved meeting so many new faces in addition to greeting those I’ve known for years. Let’s make a date for next year at about the same time in Minneapolis! All are welcome, and be sure to bring your friends!

Truly,

Susan

Articles for CE Credits

Introducing Thinkific - https://nasap.thinkific.com/

The Didacte system was discontinued earlier this year, so NASAP’s Education and Professional Development Committee got to work finding the next Learning Management System (LMS).

Thinkific is the name of the new LMS and Rocky Garrison and Ben Rader have been working hard to load the articles and videos and other courses into this new platform. While the site is not fully open and ready for customers, feel free to take a look. It will launch fully in June - stay tuned for that announcement!