About the PCA

... PCA

The Pennsylvania Counseling Association is ...

	a vibrant state professional association, with regional chapters, divisions, and special interest groups, advocating for professional counselors and their clients in Pennsylvania
	a strong voice in Harrisburg for legislation affecting professional counseling
	an authorized provider of continuing education units
	an association dedicated to promoting accreditation, board certification, and state licensure for Pennsylvania's professional counselors
	a dynamic network of Pennsylvania professional counselors

Pennsylvania Counseling Association and American Counseling Association/American Counseling Association—North Atlantic Region

The Pennsylvania Counseling Association (PCA) is a state branch of the Washington, DC-based American Counseling Association (ACA), the national professional association that represents the 526,000-plus professional counselors who live and practice here in the United States. The PCA is also a part of the American Counseling Association—North Atlantic Region's (ACA—NAR) network of state branches, the ACA—NAR being one of four regional chapters of the ACA. The PCA president serves as the association's official delegate to the ACA—NAR.

Pennsylvania Counseling Association Mission Statement

As a state branch of the American Counseling Association, the Pennsylvania Counseling Association accepts the responsibility to serve and represent Pennsylvania's professional counselors by providing leadership and professional development. The purpose of the association is to enhance human development throughout the life span and to promote professional counseling.

Pennsylvania Counseling Association Vision Statement

To achieve recognition of Pennsylvania professional counselors as providers of mental healthcare in all human service systems and practice settings.
To achieve access to quality mental health services for Pennsylvanians across cultures at all stages of the life span.
To educate Pennsylvanians about the skills and qualifications of professional counselors.
To provide professional development experiences for all professional counselors in Pennsylvania.
To be a resource for state and local government officials and all community leaders who address the mental health needs of their constituents.
To recruit and train a diverse membership, which includes all professional counselors in Pennsylvania, and to involve each of them in carrying out our mission and realizing our vision.
To recruit as members Pennsylvania graduate students of professional counseling, to involve each of them in carrying out our mission and in realizing our vision, to mentor each of them through the transition from graduate student to professional, and to develop each of them as future leaders of our profession.

Pennsylvania Counseling Association Core Values

The Pennsylvania Counseling Association is an organization of professional counselors who value a collegial community, continuous learning, service to others, visionary leadership, and a commitment to professional ethics and standards of practice.

Pennsylvania Counseling Association Governance

All Pennsylvania Counseling Association (PCA) activities and programs are conducted in accordance with the B y-Laws of the Pennsylvania Counseling Association, as amended and approved by the PCA Executive Council in May 2003, and in accordance with the by-laws of its parent association, the American Counseling Association (ACA). Furthermore, the PCA has adopted the ACA Code of Ethics, last revised and approved by the ACA Governing Council in 1995. PCA members must agree to abide by this code as a condition of membership. (For more on ethics, please refer to our Ethics page.)

(In order to view both the PCA's by-laws and the ACA's by-laws and ethics code, you'll need to use the [free] document reader.)

The PCA Executive Council, consisting of five elected officers and the elected presidents of all PCA divisions, special interest groups, and regional chapters, is the policy-making body of the association. PCA committees, various other appointed officials, and staff implement that policy.


Rev. July 30, 2006 \| Site Map \| Search