The American Counseling Association
Your Passion. Your Profession. Our Purpose.
The American Counseling Association is a not-for-profit, professional and educational organization that is dedicated to the growth and enhancement of the counseling profession. Founded in 1952, ACA is the world's largest association exclusively representing professional counselors in various practice settings.
What is counseling?
According to 20/20: A Vision for the Future of Counseling, the delegates comprised of 31 counseling organizations agreed upon a unified definition of counseling: Professional counseling is a professional relationship that empowers diverse individuals, families, and groups to accomplish mental health, wellness, education, and career goals.
There are 18 chartered divisions within the American Counseling Association. These divisions provide leadership, resources and information unique to specialized areas and/or principles of counseling. ACA has four regions, which serves members in those regions. Lastly, ACA has 56 chartered branches in the U.S., Europe, and Latin America. Please click the following links to get more information about ACA's Divisions, Branches, and Regions.
Annual conference: The American Counseling Association Conference & Expo is the premier professional development and networking event for licensed professional counselors, students and mental health professionals. This year we are heading back to face-to-face to connect, engage, and learn.
ACAs Vision, Mission, & Values
Our Impact: Every person has access to quality professional counseling to thrive.
What we do: Promote the professional development of counselors, advocate for the profession, and ensure ethical, culturally-inclusive practices that protect those using counseling services.
What we believe: Counseling is a professional relationship that empowers diverse individuals, families, and groups to accomplish mental health, wellness, education, and career goals. The American Counseling Association (ACA) is an educational, scientific, and professional organization whose members work in a variety of settings and service in multiple capacities.