As I have traveled around the country talking with professional counselors and have received weekly emails from other professional counselors, it has become apparent to me that many of the concerns of ACA members are directly related to the activities of a group usually referred to as the “20/20 Commission.” The formal title of the group that began its work in 2005 is “20/20: A Vision for the Future of Counseling,” and it consists of representatives from 31 counseling organizations or entities. The group was very deliberate in its discussions under the leadership of Sam Gladding during the first five years and continues in that manner under the current direction of Kurt Kraus.

Earlier in the process, discussions by the 20/20 Commission resulted in seven “Principles for Unifying and Strengthening the Profession,” which 30 professional counseling organizations and entities have endorsed. Those principles are:

1) Sharing a common professional identity is critical for counselors.

2) Presenting ourselves as a unified profession has multiple benefits.

3) Working together to improve the public perception of counseling and to advocate for professional issues will strengthen the profession.

4) Creating a portability system for licensure will benefit counselors and strengthen the counseling profession.

5) Expanding and promoting our research base is essential to the efficacy of professional counselors and the public perception of the profession.

6) Focusing on students and prospective students is necessary to ensure the ongoing health of the counseling profession.

7) Promoting client welfare and advocating for the populations we serve is a primary focus of the counseling profession.

Following determination of the underlying principles, the group next sought to develop a consensus definition of counseling. The goal was a definition that would be all-inclusive yet concise, and also one that was specific and could be communicated to legislative groups and the general public. In March 2010, a consensus was reached and the group released a definition of counseling. That definition is: “Counseling is a professional relationship that empowers diverse individuals, families and groups to accomplish mental health, wellness, education and career goals.”

Recently, this definition was submitted to the chairperson or administrator of all state licensure boards with an endorsement from both ACA and the American Association of State Counseling Boards. The letter requested that the boards adopt and endorse the consensus definition when describing and defining what counseling is and what professional counselors do. Hopefully, we will begin to see the definition throughout the literature and on websites.

The next objective for the 20/20 Commission is even more challenging because it addresses the single-most-voiced professional concern I have encountered among counselors nationwide. That issue is licensure portability. The portability issue was included in the initial list of unifying and strengthening principles and has now emerged as the next focus of the commission. I suggest that you find your November issue of Counseling Today (also available at ct.counseling.org) and read the article “20/20 delegates pushing toward licensure portability” by Heather Rudow. The article discusses the Building Blocks to Licensure Portability initiative and gives the perceptions of many of your colleagues who are serving on the 20/20 Commission. For those of you planning on attending the ACA Annual Conference & Expo in San Francisco, I hope you will consider participating in the presentation by Kurt Kraus, Brad Erford, Caroline Wilde and David Kaplan titled “20/20: A Vision for the Future of Counseling — The Building Blocks to Portability Project.” This session will focus on the possibilities of achieving licensure portability following the development of a common licensure title, a specific licensure scope of practice and common educational requirements necessary for licensure.

As we continue to unify our profession, this initiative takes on significant implications. The successes related to licensure portability will impact our future direction and move us well beyond 20/20 as we strive to make our profession stronger and more viable.