Richard Yep, CEO of ACA
On March 12th, the ACA employees and I will have worked in our “home offices” for a whole year. Given the growing concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic, we initially planned for staff to work remotely for two days (March 12-13 last year) so that we could test our technology in case we might be working from home need longer time in the future. On March 12, the United States recorded 1,323 cases of the new coronavirus and 38 confirmed deaths.
Two working days from a distance became two weeks, then two months, and soon it will be a full year. As I write this, those 1,323 cases in the US have grown to more than 26.5 million, and the 38 deaths have grown to more than 460,000. I know that each of you have also seen incredible changes that seemed unimaginable 12 months ago. Given a slowdown in the number of new cases, an increase in vaccinations and a gradual return to school and work, we must ask ourselves: "What will counseling look like in a post-traditional world?"
We know that our world has changed. What we've experienced and learned tells us how we see the world, how we interact with others, and how things can change dramatically in the blink of an eye. Before the pandemic, I used the term “post-traditional” mostly to refer to adult students – those who went back to school to learn a new profession or pursue a second career. In other words, they weren't the "traditional" college students straight out of secondary school. They were adults who had life experience but wanted to acquire additional knowledge and skills in order to be successful in a new world of work.
I hope you can see the connection I make between post-traditional students and my description of a post-traditional world. We have entered a new environment where we still depend on our life experiences but also need to consider how we will deal with those we interact with. For all of you, this includes customers and students who have been affected and shaped by the pandemic.
I have full confidence in the work of professional consultants as you navigate through this new world. You have your own experiences with COVID-19 that can affect the way you practice and how you determine how best to meet the needs of those you serve.
I started this column by telling you about our ACA staff. Finally, I would like to let you know how proud I am of your work over the past year. Over a period of two days this past March, they were literally upset from their workplace and asked to convert their kitchen tables and bedrooms into their ACA “home offices”. They are a dedicated bunch. Calls from ACA members will continue to be answered from the home offices of our employees. This magazine was produced by a talented group of employees from their home offices. The ACA Virtual Conference Experience, which starts April 5th and runs until the end of May (for more information, visit Counseling.org/conference), has been created and will be created in the home offices of our employees. I am grateful to all of you and to all of you for the fine work that is being done now and for what is being done in moving into our post-traditional world.
As always, I look forward to your comments, questions and thoughts. Call me at 800-347-6647. 231 or email me at [email protected]. You can also follow me on Twitter: @Richyep.
Be healthy.