ÀÖ²©´«Ã½

My third presidential initiative is about advocacy, especially legislative advocacy. This is one of the most valuable benefits ÀÖ²©´«Ã½offers members. Your membership dues go toward supporting legislative priorities championed by the Government Affairs and Public Policy Division of ACA. Your association has worked diligently over the years to ensure that counselors and the counseling profession are thriving.

Each one of us can maximize our impact through legislative advocacy! Please check out the ÀÖ²©´«Ã½Advocacy Toolkit (counseling.org/advocacy/take-action) and see how you can help. And invite your friends and relatives to be advocates too. A few moments of your time can educate your senators and representatives about bills of importance. So, call, write letters, participate in legislative advocacy events in our state or with ACA, and together let us make counseling stronger.

Counseling in the Coming Decades

This magazine issue has three feature articles (starting on page 24) aimed at piquing your interest in what counseling will be in the future. The articles examine the profession from three lenses: workforce, technology and education.

One thing for sure is that the pace of change is accelerating, and we must think ahead wisely. Given the behavioral health workforce shortages, I am a proponent of baccalaureate counseling training. In future, I envisage tiered systems of licensure for counselors trained at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels.

For our survival as a profession, it is essential that we have a well-defined counselor professional identity and that we continue to educate the public about counselors and counseling.

The Role of Technology

Artificial intelligence (AI) is growing exponentially, and counselors should be proactive about harnessing AI for the benefit of our profession. Technology helps us to be connected across vast distances. The globalization of counseling is taking place as we speak, and, with it, more indigenous ways of healing will transform parts of our profession.

Technology can also help us with the neuroscience of counseling, educating us about how brain function is related to mental disorders and wellness. I believe counselors of the future will be more integrated with the medical field for the benefit of our clients.

Some of my ideas here are from an essay I was invited to write by Gerald Corey, PhD, for a book of his expected to be published in 2026: Counseling Journeys: Reflections and Voices From the Field.

As we look to the future, I am hopeful that our collective altruism can transform our profession powerfully while retaining that quintessential element of counseling: human connection. Thank you for all you do and have a fantastic 2025!