The American Counseling Association (ACA) is a health care advocacy association comprised of mental health personnel and professional counselors with 60,000 members worldwide. ^{1 2}

GAPP supports healthcare state-level policies such as increased state funding for mental health services and promoting what it calls “equity in mental health” based on “culturally competent counseling education and services.” ³ The group takes left-of-center advocacy positions on issues including gender reassignment availability, ⁴ gun control, ⁵ and the Israel-Hamas conflict. ⁶

Background

The American Counseling Association (ACA) originated in 1952 with the merger of four professional associations to form the American Personnel and Guidance Association (APGA). In 1983, it renamed itself to the American Association of Counseling and Development (AACD). In 1992, the organization rebranded itself as the American Counseling Association. ²

Advocacy

The American Counseling Association (ACA) manages a Government Affairs and Public Policy (GAPP) team that advocates on specific policy goals. ^{7 3}

GAPP’s 2025 legislative agenda includes supporting Student Support and Academic Enrichment (SSAE) Grants under Title IV-A to expand mental health support programs in schools. ³

GAPP supports increasing Medicare reimbursement rates for Licensed Professional Counselors (LPCs). ³

GAPP supports increasing federal funding for LPC training programs, including subsidies for universities that train LPCs, and an increase in the recruitment of LPCs among military veterans. ³

GAPP supports enacting federal regulations on the use of artificial intelligence in counseling services. ³

GAPP supports federal support for expanding tele-behavioral health services to expand mental health care access. ³

GAPP supports healthcare state-level policies such as increased state funding for mental health services and promoting what it calls “equity in mental health” based on “culturally competent counseling education and services.” ³

Counseling Compact

The American Counseling Association (ACA) advocated in favor of the Counseling Compact, a legislative agreement among participating states enacted in 2019 that permits LPCs to practice across state lines through online and tele-health services. As of April 2025, 37 states and Washington, D.C. have passed legislation to join the Compact. ⁸

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The American Counseling Association (ACA) claims to have a “strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion within the counseling profession.” ²

During the aftermath of George Floyd’s death, the ACA endorsed the Black Lives Matter movement and issued an “anti-racism” statement claiming that “racism, police brutality, systemic violence, and the dehumanizing forces of oppression, powerlessness, and White supremacy have eroded the very fabric of humanity which ideally binds our society together.” ⁹

Gun Control

After the May 2022 school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, the American Counseling Association (ACA) co-signed a statement calling gun violence in the United States a “public health crisis.” The ACA condemned the claim that mental illness is a significant causal factor in mass shootings, claiming it to be “a distraction that inflicts enormous damage by taking attention from solutions that could actually prevent such events…[and] perpetuates a false narrative that encourages stigmatization of and discrimination against the millions of Americans living with mental health conditions.” ⁵

The statement was co-signed by several medical associations, labor unions, and advocacy groups including the American Federation of Teachers, the American Psychiatric Association, Mental Health America, and the National Association of Social Workers. ⁵

Transgender Healthcare

The American Counseling Association endorsed a statement by the Society for Sexual, Affectional, Intersex, and Gender Expansive Identities (SAIGE) opposing federal and state legislation that limits access to gender reassignment surgery, including for minors, and arguing that such restrictions are a form of unlawful “discrimination.” ⁴

The ACA supports transgender individuals using the bathroom of their preferred gender, and considers such choice a “basic human right.” ¹⁰

Israel-Hamas War

Following the October 7, 2023 terrorist attack on the State of Israel by Hamas, the American Counseling Association (ACA) issued a statement condemning Hamas for carrying out the attack while further criticizing Israel’s counterattack in Gaza. The ACA advocated for “both sides of this war to take immediate steps to end the violence and work toward sustainable peace and collective healing.” ⁶

LGBT Care

The American Counseling Association (ACA) endorsed a statement by SAIGE condemning what was alleged to be anti-LGBT legislation proposed and enacted in the early 2020s. According to the statement by SAIGE: “Systems of oppression, including harmful legislation, contribute to adverse mental health outcomes for LGBTQ+ individuals, including depression, anxiety, trauma, and increased risk of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts.” ¹¹

The ACA opposes so-called “conversion therapy” to change sexual orientation and supports the legal banning of such practices. ¹²

1. “Who We Are.” American Counseling Association. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://www.counseling.org/about/who-we-are#:~:text=Founded%20in%201952%2C%20ACA%20is,settings%20and%20counselors%20in%20training.
2. Reichle, Bill. “The History of The American Counseling Association.” Bill Reichle/Counseling. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://billreichle.com/the-history-of-the-american-counseling-association/.
3. “American Counseling Association 2025 Legislative Agenda.” American Counseling Association. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://www.counseling.org/docs/default-source/advocacy/2025-legislative-priorities.pdf.
4. “SAIGE Position Statement on Gender-Affirming Healthcare Bans.” American Counseling Association. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://www.counseling.org/about/values-statements/saige-position-statement-on-gender-affirming-healthcare-bans.
5. “Gun Violence Crisis from 60 National Organizations.” American Counseling Association. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://www.counseling.org/about/values-statements/gun-violence-crisis-from-60-national-organizations.
6. “Israel-Palestine Conflict.” American Counseling Association. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://www.counseling.org/about/values-statements/israel-palestinian-conflict.
7. “About Our Advocacy.” American Counseling Association. Accessed March 31, 2025. https://www.counseling.org/advocacy/about-our-advocacy.
8. “Counseling Compact.” American Counseling Association. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://www.counseling.org/advocacy/counseling-compact.
9. “Anti-Racism Statement.” American Counseling Association. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://www.counseling.org/about/values-statements/anti-racism-statement.
10. “Human Rights.” American Counseling Association. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://www.counseling.org/about/values-statements/human-rights.
11. “SAIGE Position Statement on Anti-LGBTQ+ Legislation.” American Counseling Association. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://www.counseling.org/about/values-statements/saige-position-statement-anti-lgbtq-legislation.
12. “Conversion Therapy Statement.” American Counseling Association. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://www.counseling.org/about/values-statements/conversion-therapy.