2026 Annual Conference Registration Now Open

Resilent Together: Building Community, Healing Survivors, Advancing Justice

Licensed Clinical Counselors of North Carolina (LCCNC) is excited to announce that registration is now open for our 2026 Annual Conference.

Register for the 2026 Annual Conference

Dates: October 10-11, 2026
Location: Charlotte, North Carolina

This two-day conference brings together counselors, educators, researchers, advocates, community partners, and survivor-leaders to engage in meaningful dialogue and learning centered on violence, trauma, healing, advocacy, and justice in counseling practice. 

Conference Overview

Resilient Together focuses on strengthening the capacity of mental health professionals and allied practitioners to respond to trauma and support survivors, particularly within women, minority, Indigenous, and other marginalized communities.

Conference sessions will explore:

• Violence prevention and intervention
• Trauma-informed and culturally grounded care
• Survivor-centered healing practices
• Advocacy and systems-level change
• Ethical and community-based counseling approaches

Speakers will present on these critical topics through a variety of engaging and interactive formats designed to deepen learning and practical application.

Keynote Highlight 

LCCNC is honored to welcome Kit Gruelle and Bea Coté as our keynote speakers for the 2026 Resilient Together Conference.

Together, they bring more than six decades of combined experience in domestic violence prevention, intervention, advocacy, and survivor support. Their partnership offers a powerful and rare opportunity to learn from both a nationally recognized survivor advocate and an expert in offender intervention and systemic accountability.

Kit Gruelle is a survivor of domestic violence and a nationally recognized advocate, educator, and consultant. She has spent nearly four decades supporting victims and survivors while advancing coordinated community responses to abuse. Her work has influenced criminal justice systems, healthcare providers, educators, policymakers, and advocacy organizations nationwide.

Bea Coté, LCSW, founder and Executive Director of IMPACT+, is a leading expert on coercive control, post-separation abuse, and offender intervention. Her work helps clinicians better understand the often-hidden dynamics of abuse within counseling settings, family court systems, and communities.

Together, they will challenge attendees to expand traditional understandings of domestic violence, deepen awareness of power and control dynamics, and explore how counselors can promote safety, healing, accountability, and justice.

These two keynote speakers will lead what promises to be one of the most impactful conversations of the conference and is not to be missed.

Hotel & Group Rate Information 

Book your group rate for the LCCNC 2026 Conference

You will find the information for your online reservation link below. If you have questions or need assistance with booking, please reach out for support.

Event Summary:

LCCNC 2026 Conference
Start Date: Saturday, October 10, 2026
End Date: Sunday, October 11, 2026

Hotel Information:

Charlotte Marriott City Center
Group Rate: $221.00 - $241.00 USD per night
Last Day to Book: Saturday, September 19, 2026

Book your hotel for the LCCNC 2026 Conference

We look forward to welcoming you to Charlotte as we come together to build community, support healing, and advance justice.

In addition to the Annual Conference, LCCNC is pleased to partner with the National Board of Forensic Evaluators (NBFE) to offer a specialized training event occurring during the same weekend as the conference.

Additional Training Opportunity: Forensic Mental Health Evaluation Workshop (LCCNC26)

In collaboration with the National Board of Forensic Evaluators, Inc. (NBFE), the Licensed Clinical Counselors of North Carolina (LCCNC) is offering a forensic mental health certification training designed for licensed mental health professionals seeking to expand their clinical expertise into forensic practice.

This 8-hour workshop will be held on October 10-11, 2026, and will be available in a hybrid format, allowing participants to attend either in person or virtually via Zoom. The in-person training will take place at the Charlotte Marriott City Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, with remote access available for national participants.

The training provides an introduction to the foundational principles of forensic mental health evaluation and outlines the pathway to the Certified Forensic Mental Health Evaluator (CFMHE) credential. Participants will be introduced to essential concepts that distinguish forensic evaluation from clinical practice, including ethical and legal considerations, professional standards, and the evaluator’s role in legal contexts.

This workshop is intended to serve as an accessible entry point into forensic mental health work, an area not typically emphasized in graduate clinical training. It is well-suited for professionals seeking continuing education, expanded scope of practice, or future certification in forensic evaluation.

Workshop Highlights

Participants will gain an overview of:

• Core principles of forensic mental health evaluation and distinctions from clinical practice
• Ethical, legal, and professional standards in forensic settings
• Key areas of assessment, including competency, custody, violence risk, and related forensic evaluations
• Fundamentals of forensic report writing and expert witness preparation
• Overview of the CFMHE certification process and requirements
• Common assessment tools, interview techniques, and evaluation methods used in forensic practice

Format: In-person and virtual (Zoom available)
Dates: October 10-11, 2026
Time: 1:00 PM - 5:30 PM (EDT) each day
Location: Charlotte Marriott City Center
Seats Available: 60 participants

View Registration Options