Welcome to COPACT
COPACT represents all Oregon Licensed Professional Counselors, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists, and registered interns. COPACT is a collaboration of two professional organizations: Oregon Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (OAMFT) and Oregon Counseling Association (ORCA).
COPACT’s funding comes from both professional organizations and from individuals who wish to donate to COPACT directly. These funds are used to hire and direct a lobbyist to represent LMFTs and LPCs and to pursue the passage of legislation that helps and protects our professions in Oregon.
The Board of Directors
The board of COPACT is made up of three members, one each chosen by the professional organizations and one chosen by the acting president. Together they direct the political effort on behalf of all LPCs and LMFTs.
PRESIDENT: Larry Conner, MA LPC. Larry is serving as the President of COPACT and is currently the Public Policy and Advocacy Chair of ORCA. He has practiced as a professional counselor in Portland since 1987. Larry was one of the co-directors of the coalition that achieved passage of the LPC/LMFT Practice Act of 2009.
SECRETARY: Wendy Curtis, MA, LPC, CADC is serving as the Secretary of COPACT. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor who has worked in community mental health and is currently in private practice. She graduated with her Masters in Counseling from George Fox University in 2006 and has worked with adolescents and adults with issues including depression, anxiety, addiction and recovery, life adjustments, grief and stress. She is also passionate about social justice and community organizing. Her office is in the Hillsdale neighborhood of SW Portland.
TREASURER: Steve Rogers, MA, M.Div, M.Ed is the legislative liaison to the OAMFT board of directors and is serving as the COPACT Treasurer. He is a graduate of the George Fox Counseling program. Steve has been a priest and educator for over 30 years; teaching, running schools and churches and working with legislatures around issues of education and drug and alcohol education.
STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE: Oana Nita, student board member and liaison for the OAMFT. She is also a graduate studentin the Marriage, Couples and Family Therapy program at Lewis & Clark College. Oana likes to stay involved in the legislative process that affects the laws and licensing of MFTs so that she can relay this important information to students and clinicians. She also just simply enjoys hanging out with the amazing people involved in COPACT.
MEMBER-AT-LARGE: Cynthia “CJ” Strauss, LPC, NCC, is a counselor in private practice and community mental health. She has served on the Board of ORCA in several capacities and supported the Coalition since 2008. CJ has a strong belief in the values of unity and collegiality among professional counselors and therapists.
MEMBER-AT-LARGE: Libby Schwartz is a graduate student at Portland State University, pursuing a Masters Counseling in clinical mental health. She has been a practicing attorney for almost 20 years, focusing on commercial litigation and appeals.
MEMBER-AT-LARGE: Karen Hixson is President of the Oregon Association of Counselor Educators and Supervisors.She is a Licensed Professional Counselor in private practice in Portland, Oregon, teaches counseling students and supervises early career professionals.
WEB MASTER and MEMBER-AT-LARGE: Rebecca J. Caines is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Oregon and has practiced in various settings from residential treatment for youth, out patient family services with DHS involved children and families, and private practice. She has spent the last 4 years working for a leading HMO in the State of Oregon.