Celebrating Our Accomplishments
2025 At A Glance
Updated Mission Statement - As we prepare for new strategic initiatives in fiscal year 2027 (July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027), we updated our mission statement to clarify who we serve and how we serve them.
New Bylaws and Governance Structure - Governing Council passed revised bylaws over the summer, setting the stage for the transformation of our governance structure, an effort that has been years in the making. Calls for nominations for positions on the new Board of Directors, including president-elect, treasurer, treasurer-elect and 11 at-large Board members, opened in the fall. The new Board of Directors and Advisory Council will be seated in July 2026. We thank the Governing Council, the Board Operations and Governance Committee, the Nominations and Elections Committee for their tireless work on this monumental change for ACA.
Thriving Through Leadership Transitions - This year, we said goodbye to our former CEO Shawn Boynes, welcomed Interim CEO Syvonne Carter and now await the start of our new permanent CEO, who will join us in early 2026. During these transitions, ֲýstaff is proud to have continued to serve our members without skipping a beat.
Community and Membership - In 2025, we counted more than 60,000 counselors and counselors in training among our members and saw new member growth reach nearly 3,000 — a 17% increase over 2024.
Upgraded Technology - We’ve worked diligently to enhance the way you connect with ֲýwith new and improved systems and platforms. With upgrades to the ֲýConnect member networking platform, the Career Central job board, our ethics reporting and consultation system and the Advocacy Action Center, we’re proud of the systems we’ve developed to elevate your ֲýexperience.
Our Reach
Advocacy & Engagement
We guide counselors in advocating for the mental health and well-being of their communities and clients, as well as the profession.
Advocacy & Engagement Accomplishments
This year, the counseling community made their voice heard with a 310% increase in advocacy engagement over 2024. We also celebrated several significant milestones, including:
- The Counseling Compact is now live! On Sept. 30, the Counseling Compact officially launched with Arizona and Minnesota ready to grant privileges to licensees in the respective states. To date, 38 states and the District of Columbia have signed the Counseling Compact into law. Additional states and jurisdictions are expected to begin granting privileges in the coming months.
ֲýis proud to be a major contributor to the establishment and development of the Counseling Compact, designating $1.8 million to these efforts so far.
- In October, we launched our inaugural Advocates in Action Month — a month-long effort to help counselor advocates kick their efforts into high gear and make their voices heard on key issues impacting counselors, clients and communities. Advocates in Action Month featured three key opportunities for involvement:
- 2025 Hill Day - Despite the government shutdown, we showed up and took our advocacy directly to lawmakers with our biggest in-person Hill Day event since 2019!
- 100+ counselors came to Washington, D.C., to advocate at 95 congressional offices.
- Spotlight on States Virtual Event - More than 100 attendees joined us for a virtual event featuring state-level advocacy efforts with valuable tips, insights and information from ֲýBranch leaders, ֲýstaff and a state legislator.
- Engagement with Our Legislative Priorities - Throughout October, 444 total actions (letters, calls) were taken across ACA’s legislative priority areas: parity, workforce development and telehealth.
- 2025 Hill Day - Despite the government shutdown, we showed up and took our advocacy directly to lawmakers with our biggest in-person Hill Day event since 2019!
Community & Partnerships
We nurture the counseling community and mutually beneficial partnerships to advance the profession and expand its footprint.
Community Accomplishments
We made important updates in 2025 that nurture the counseling community and improve the ways we serve our members.
- New ֲýDivision - We were thrilled to bring onboard our newest ֲýdivision, the .
- Member Onboarding - Our new member webinars helped more than 1,000 new members get acquainted with ACA, make the most of their ֲýmembership and stay engaged throughout the year. We also launched the Benefits Navigator within Myֲýto assist members in discovering benefits tailored to their career level and getting acclimated to our wealth of resources and services.
- Online Networking - , our members-only community platform, received a refresh this year. It is now easier to navigate and more engaging — offering you more ways to get involved and contribute to critical conversations about counseling with your colleagues.
- Powered-up Job Board - Qualified counselors are in high demand now more than ever before. We launched the enhanced to help you plan your next move, connect you with new and exciting career opportunities and provide valuable new career content to help you land the job you want.
Through our divisions, branches and regions, ֲýis a stronger, more robust organization.
- Content Collaboration - In partnership with the Association for Child and Adolescent Counseling (ACAC), we launched the ֲýCertificate in Foundations of Child and Adolescent Counseling, offering up to 12.25 CE credits and strengthening the knowledge and skills of child and adolescent counselors.
- Support of ֲýDivisions, Branches and Regions - We supported divisions, branches and regions at their events via speakers, exhibits and sponsorships, including:
- ֲý of Georgia
- Association for Counselor Education and Supervision
- Association for Creativity in Counseling
- Oklahoma Counseling Association
- Society for Sexual, Affectional, Intersex and Gender Expansive Identities
- Tennessee Counseling Association
Partnerships Accomplishments
We actively sought opportunities to raise the profile of professional counseling and partner with like-minded organizations in discussions and initiatives focused on improving access to quality mental healthcare.
- We added two new partners to the ֲýStrategic Partner Network — After launching the program in late 2024, we were pleased to add Simple Practice and Upheal to the Network, joining our inaugural partner HPSO.
- We welcomed new Member Savings Program partners — Jane App and Paubox joined nearly 20 additional partners in our Member Saving Program. Our partners are committed to providing ֲýmembers with access to discounted products and services to manage their professional and personal lives.
Education & Awareness
We provide broad-reaching education for counselors across their career trajectories. ֲýamplifies counseling as a viable path to wellness and delineates the counselor's identity and counseling position in the mental health field.
Education Accomplishments
We continued to build our catalog of educational offerings to help counselors stay up to date on the latest developments in the field and maintain the continuing education credit hours needed for licensure.
- Nearly 3,000 professional counselors gathered in Orlando, Florida, for our 2025 Annual Conference & Expo, featuring more than 450 sessions and nearly 700 presenters.
- We debuted more than 30 new continuing education products this year, with more than 21,000 learners engaging across all products.
- We offered 20 live webinars, increasing our efforts to provide accessible and affordable educational offerings.
- We expanded our virtual events, introducing three new summits this year:
- School-Based Mental Health Professionals Summit
- Business of Counseling Summit
- Supervision in Counseling Summit
Awareness Accomplishments
- Making an Impact During Counseling Awareness Month in April — For Counseling Awareness Month, we generated a large promotional cycle that spanned the ֲýwebsite and social media. As a result, we reached 657,872 impressions and 33,767 total engagements across all our social media channels during the month of April.
- ֲýin the News — We fielded reporter inquiries and generated news coverage of counseling experts and ֲýleaders major media outlets, including , , the and . We also established a Media Mentions section to capture and share great media placements with website visitors.
- The revamped Counseling Today Member Blog received 8,000+ views in its first few months. Popular posts included “9 Future Trends in Neuroscience-Informed Counseling,” “6 Ways to Have a Better Relationship with Social Media” and “Counseling Couples in Long-Distance Marriage.”
Research & Practical Application
We curate and disseminate rigorous, innovative research and scholarly activity to continually advance data-informed practice.
Research Accomplishments
- We launched , ACA’s new digital publishing platform, providing a centralized, accessible hub of counseling research. Counseling Nexus features legacy VISTAS, a repository of instructor materials for textbooks, and development is underway to expand the platform to host journals for ֲýdivisions and new interactive books and historical content.
- We released our biannual ֲýBook catalog, presenting the full scope of forthcoming, new and backlist titles in a refreshed format.
- Highlighted findings from 20+ studies published in ֲýjournals in the “Research Focus” section of Counseling Today. We also issued press releases on nearly 30 pieces of research from the ֲýjournal portfolio as well as conference sessions and posters.
Practical Application Accomplishments
- In collaboration with the ֲýResearch & Knowledge Committee and members of the wider community, we are updating more than 85 and publishing new ones to Counseling Nexus. Publication of new and revised briefs are forthcoming.
We invite you to stay connected and take advantage of the opportunities that ֲýMembership provides to share, network, volunteer and engage. And we thank you for your membership.
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