In recent decades, the American Counseling Association has given voice to a variety of issues that have helped to shape our profession. However, two areas continue to challenge our efforts to represent all counseling professionals. One question with which we continue to grapple: Who is or should be part of
Category: From the President
As counselors, we understand all too well how many of our clients struggle in an imperfect and unfair world. Our desire to advocate and see positive change is often passionate. Some have even suggested that counseling is essentially a “sociopolitical” act. To the extent that counselors work to improve people’s
The field of counseling has experienced tremendous growth in the past 30 years. Unlike psychology, whose founding as a profession goes back almost 150 years, counseling is a relatively young profession. In many respects, the origin of the counseling profession can be traced back to the founding of what is
The Great Seal of the United States of America bears the Latin motto “E Pluribus Unum.” The motto’s literal translation, “Out of many, one,” originally referred to the union between the 13 original states and the federal government. However, the motto holds multiple meanings. It also underscores our country’s identity
As I made my final plans for traveling to Detroit for the 2007 American Counseling Association Annual Convention & Exposition, March 21-25, I began to reflect on how meaningful the convention has been for me and how much I have developed as a professional by attending over the years. There
It has been six years since our country was attacked on Sept. 11. The paramilitary operation conducted by elements of the al-Qaeda organization killed more Americans than the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Like Pearl Harbor, an event that propelled our nation into the Second World War, the attacks of
Counseling is a unique field and, by any objective standard, an established profession. We have a widely disseminated and growing body of scholarly knowledge as evidenced by high-quality journals and publications, professional conferences specific to the counseling field, our own national accrediting body and hundreds of accredited graduate training programs.
Over the past 10 years, I have had the privilege of facilitating the First-Timers event at the American Counseling Association Convention, often using “Oh, the places you’ll go” (think Dr. Seuss) as my opening. What a great opportunity to network and collaborate with colleagues and practitioners; provide information that may
In our pluralistic society, a multicultural perspective provides us with opportunities to connect with one another without loss of personal identity. As we address the need to be culturally responsive as professionals in the field of counseling, what resonates urgently is a personal awareness and knowledge of our heritage and
In a few weeks, we’ll be gathering in Detroit for a time of rejuvenation, collegial connections and celebrations. For many of us, convention time has played an important role in cultivating our professional growth, career development and relationship building. Within the design of our convention, it is imperative that the