The conference – which had the theme was “Professional Counseling in Action, and Appalachian Americans: Issues and Concerns for Counseling and Psychotherapy” – was kicked off by a keynote talk by internationally recognized mental health professional Cirecie West-Olatunji. West-Olatunji is associate professor and academic program director of the University of Cincinnati Counseling Program and Director of the Center for Traumatic Stress Research. She is also past-president of the American Counseling Association.