I just joined the ACA!

I just got done paying my $89 membership fee, and now am an official member of the American Counseling Association. Its interesting to think I now have malpractice insurance. Makes things even more official. Even though I'm in grad school, I'm still cocooned from the professional practice for a little bit. Since I am now a member, I immediately signed up for 2 counseling listservs. They're newsletters that get emailed to me. The first one I signed up for is called COUNSGRADS. According to the ACA website, its a forum for students across the country to discuss issues or ideas about counseling. I thought that would be a great resource. I also signed up for DIVERSEGRAD-L, which talks about multicultural issues in counseling. I was so pleased to see this, because we have so much emphasis in our program placed on being culturally competent. Oh, just as I wrote that I got an email saying it doesn't exist. Well, that is really disappointing! I am going to email the ACA later to let them know.

I'm also pleased that now I can listen to the podcasts they have. The website has a large section of podcasts available for free to members. The subjects look really interesting and diverse, from addiction counseling to a podcast about confidentiality. The website also has a section about the ACA foundation, which students can apply through for grants to go to the ACA conferences. I have a feeling I'll be looking into that. I also did a quick tour of the site (there is a link under the student section) and it pointed out public policy and advocacy. I plan to take an active role in that, and I love that the ACA makes it so easy to do.

I am really impressed by the ACA. Its important to have a group for your profession that you feel you can connect and grow with. I think joining will enrich my academic and professional career in many ways. I highly recommend anyone in a counseling program joining. There are no negatives!