PCA's 58th ANNUAL CONFERENCE

Join us at the Penn State Hotel and Conference Center November 5-8, 2026

• Awards
• Conference Agenda
• Presentations
• Pre-Conference Institute
• Registration
• Hotel and Area Information
• Exhibit and Sponsor Opportunities
• Continuing Education
• Disclaimer

AWARDS

The Call for Awards is open!  The deadline for submissions is Sunday, September 6, 2026, at 11:59 pm. This is the call for nominations to honor the hard work, commitment, and dedication of Pennsylvania counselors, students, supervisors, and programs. Please consider nominating a colleague, program, or graduate student for an award. The award categories are listed below. Winners will be announced during the 2026 PCA Conference.

• PCA Outstanding Practitioner Award: Awarded to an outstanding professional counselor for service to the profession; nominees must be current PCA members.
• PCA Lifetime Achievement Award: Awarded to a PCA member who is a Commonwealth of Pennsylvania resident and who has demonstrated outstanding dedication, service, and/or achievement in professional counseling. A PCA member can only receive this award once.
• PCA Outstanding Counselor Education Program Award: Awarded to an outstanding professional counseling program in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. At least one member of the counselor education program must be a PCA member.
• PCA Outstanding Graduate Student Award: Awarded to an individual who is currently a graduate student in professional counseling within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and who shows excellent potential and professionalism; preference will be given to a PCA student member who has had some involvement with the association.
• PCA Outstanding Research/Publication Award: Awarded to a PCA member who has contributed to the professional counseling profession through outstanding effort in the area of research and/or publication.
• PCA Outstanding Supervisor Award: Awarded to a PCA member who has demonstrated outstanding work as a supervisor in a university, community/mental health counseling, or school setting.
• PCA Outstanding Professional Teaching Award: Awarded to a PCA member to honor excellence in teaching in a counseling, counselor education, or counseling supervision program in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
• David W. Hall Advocacy Award: Awarded to a PCA member who has promoted the profession of counseling through advocacy to whom the many professional counselors in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania are forever indebted.  

Submissions of award nominations will go through an online portal located here: PCA Awards Nomination Application and Information

CONFERENCE AGENDA

The full 2026 conference schedule will be available in the conference app. Below is an overview of the tentative conference schedule.  

PRE-CONFERENCE INSTITUTE

Pre-Conference Details will be available in May 2026 when Registration Opens. 

• Pre-Conference 1: Leadership - Thursday 11/5 1-3:30pm
• Pre-Conference 2: PS-SAIGE - Friday 11/6 9am-12pm
• Pre-Conference 3: PASERVIC - Friday 11/6 9am-12pm 

PRESENTATIONS

• The PCA conference call for proposals is CLOSED! We are thrilled to have received over 200 proposals, and our reviewer team is looking forward to reviewing them. We are aiming to have proposal decisions to prospective presenters by May 15th. 
• A tentative agenda outlining presentations will be available shortly on the SCHED App. 

EMERGING LEADERS PROGRAM

The Pennsylvania Counseling Association (PCA) is excited to invite applications for the next cohort of our Emerging Leaders Program. Our Emerging Leaders Program is an intentional, year-long leadership development experience designed specifically for counselors.

Many counselors find themselves stepping into leadership roles with little formal preparation. This program was created to create a pathway for just that. Rather than learning leadership through trial by fire, Emerging Leaders are supported through mentorship, structured learning, and meaningful engagement within the profession.

We are seeking motivated graduate students and early-career professionals who are passionate about leadership, advocacy, and advancing the counseling field. Participants in this program will:

• Develop practical leadership skills grounded in counseling values
• Engage in mentorship and professional networking opportunities
• Collaborate with peers across programs and practice settings
• Provide them with the opportunity for involvement in PCA and the broader counseling community
• Experience leadership by initiating and completing a capstone project

We would greatly appreciate your support in sharing this opportunity with your students, supervisees, recent graduates, and colleagues who may benefit from leadership development and professional connections.

Application Link: Click Here

Application Deadline: June 30, 2026

Program Requirement: Applicants must be available to attend the PCA Annual Conference, November 5–8, 2026, where the cohort will officially kick off. Participants will then have approximately 3-6 hours of work each month, including synchronous online training, meetings, and project work.

Please feel free to reach out to pca57.president@gmail.com with any questions. Thank you for helping us cultivate the next generation of counseling leaders, on purpose, not by accident.

Warmly,

PCA Emerging Leaders Task Force

REGISTRATION

Registration for the 58th Annual PCA Conference is OPEN! Please use this link to register using our event platform, SCHED: https://2026pca58.sched.com/registration. 

Registration fees include the full conference and all meals detailed in the schedule. Pre-conferences are a separate registration fee.

*Student pricing will remain the same through the entire registration period*

HOTEL AND AREA INFORMATION

The Hotel Booking Link for the Penn State Hotel and Conference Center is Live! You can click here to reserve your room for the conference: PCA Hotel Reservations Link

EXHIBIT AND SPONSOR OPPORTUNITIES

PCA is excited to invite you to partner with us as a sponsor or exhibitor at the 2026 Annual Conference.  Each year, our conference brings together approximately 400 counseling professionals and students from across the state of Pennsylvania to learn, connect, and grow!

This year, we are offering a range of sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities designed to showcase your organization to our statewide network of counselors, educators, and students.  As a sponsor or exhibitor, you will gain visibility through recognitions at events, marketing, platforms, and exclusive opportunities to engage with attendees.

The exhibitor and sponsor application can be accessed here: PCA Exhibit and Sponsor Registration.

CONTINUING EDUCATION

The PCA Conference is a total of 13 CEs included in the full registration fee.  An additional 5.5 hours may be earned by attending a pre-conference Institutes as an additional cost.

The Pennsylvania Counseling Association has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider ACEP No. 2039. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. The Pennsylvania Counseling Association is solely responsible for all aspects of the program.

CONFERENCE COMMITTEE

The conference committee can be reached by emailing pca.programs@gmail.com. 

Joseph Birli, EdD, LPC, NCC - 58th President of PCA

Joe Charette, PhD, LPC, NCC - 57th President of PCA, Programs Co-Chair

Stephanie Onkst, PhD, LPC - Programs Co-Chair

Michael Stephens, PhD, LPC - Logistics Chair 

PCA EVENT ATTENDANCE DISCLAIMER

Registration and attendance at, or participation in, the Pennsylvania Counseling Association (PCA) conferences, meetings, and events constitutes an agreement by the registrant to PCA for use and distribution, now and in the future, of the registrant or attendees’ image or voice in photographs, videotapes, electronic reproductions and audio of such events and activities to illustrate and promote the PCA experience and products.

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