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Professional Counseling Organizations
Graduate and undergraduate students are encouraged to join and become active members of local, regional, and national counseling organizations. Below you will find information about several counseling organizations and links to their websites.
American Counseling Association (ACA)
http://www.counseling.org/
The American Counseling Association (ACA) is a professional association composed of over 55,000 counselors and human development specialists.
ACA provides leadership training, continuing education and professional development opportunities and advocacy services for its members.
Student memberships are available; a subscription to the Journal of Counseling and Development is included with membership. Applications
can be obtained online. Professional liability insurance is available to members. ACA has 16 divisions and special
interest groups that members may join. Each division publishes a newsletter and many publish journals. Some of these divisions that may
be of interest to students are: American Mental Health Counselors Association, American Rehabilitation Counseling Association, Association
for Counselor Educators and Supervisors, Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development, Association for Specialists in Group Work,
International Association of Marriage and Family Counselors, and National Career Development Association, and the association for Creativity in Counseling.
American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA)
http://www.amhca.org/
Mental health counseling is a distinct profession with national standards for education, training and clinical practice. The American Mental
Health Counselors Association (AMHCA) is the professional membership organization that represents the mental health counseling profession.
Clinical membership in AMHCA requires a master's degree in counseling or a closely related mental health field and adherence to AMHCA's
National Standards for Clinical Practice.
American School Counselor Association (ASCA)
http://www.schoolcounselor.org/
The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) is an affiliate of ACA and supports school counselors' efforts to help students focus on academic, personal/social and
career development so they achieve success in school and are prepared to lead fulfilling lives as responsible members of society. ASCA provides
professional development, publications and other resources, research and advocacy to more than 19,000 professional school counselors around the
globe. Applications can be obtained online.
Chi Sigma Iota (CSI)
http://www.csi-net.org/
Chi Sigma Iota is an international honor society for counselors-in-training, counselor educators and professional counselors. Its mission is to
promote scholarship, research, professionalism, leadership and excellence in counseling, and to recognize high attainment in the pursuit of
academic and clinical excellence in the field of counseling. Omega Alpha is UNLV's chapter of Chi Sigma Iota, consisting of student, alumni,
faculty and professional members. Membership includes a certificate, a pin and a subscription to the Chi Sigma Iota newsletter. Members are
encouraged to strive for excellence in the field of counseling and are honored both at the chapter and international levels. Annual awards and
fellowships are given to compel members to work for outstanding scholarship and professionalism. Application information may be obtained online.
The Association for Play Therapy (APT)
http://www.a4pt.org/
APT was established just over 25 years ago to promote clinical excellence for counselors and other masters (and above) prepared clinicians who use Play Therapy
in their work with clients. APT puts out a research journal as well as the popular Play Therapy Magazine™. Dr. Dale served as clinical editor from
late 2006 through the end of 2008. APT also provides clinicians the opportunity to become a Registered Play Therapist (RPT) or Registered Play Therapy
Supervisor (RPT-S).
National Association of Alcohol Drug Abuse Counselors (NAADAC)
http://naadac.org/
NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals, is the largest membership organization serving addiction counselors, educators and other
addiction-focused health care professionals, who specialize in addiction prevention, treatment and education. With nearly 11,000 members and
46 state affiliates, NAADAC's network of addiction professionals spans the United States and the world. NAADAC's members work to create healthier
families and communities through prevention, intervention and quality treatment. Applications can be obtained online.
