Counseling Services Trade Associations

American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT)

Professional association for licensed marriage and family therapists; provides advocacy, education, practice standards, and research via journals and conferences.

https://www.aamft.org Membership: 50,000

American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC)

Faith-based professional body supporting Christian counselors with training, conferences, publications, and ethical guidance.

https://www.aacc.net Membership: 50,000

American Art Therapy Association (AATA)

Advances the profession of art therapy through education, research, advocacy, and continuing professional development.

https://arttherapy.org Membership: 3,500

American College Counseling Association (ACCA)

Serves professionals in higher-education counseling centers; offers networking, advocacy for campus mental health, and professional development.

https://www.collegecounseling.org Membership: 1,800

American Counseling Association (ACA)

The largest professional organization for counselors in the U.S.; sets the counseling Code of Ethics, advocates for the profession, and hosts major conferences and journals.

https://www.counseling.org Membership: 56,000

American Group Psychotherapy Association (AGPA)

Supports group therapy practitioners with education, training institutes, research dissemination, and practice standards.

https://www.agpa.org Membership: 2,300

American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA)

Represents clinical mental health counselors, advancing licensure portability, clinical practice standards, advocacy, and continuing education.

https://www.amhca.org Membership: 7,000

American School Counselor Association (ASCA)

National professional organization for K–12 school counselors; provides the ASCA National Model, training, resources, and annual conferences.

https://www.schoolcounselor.org Membership: 42,000

Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES)

Promotes excellence in counselor education and supervision; supports research, standards, leadership development, and biennial conferences.

https://www.acesonline.net Membership: 5,000

Association for Play Therapy (APT)

Advances the field of play therapy by offering training, research support, credentials, and public education.

https://www.a4pt.org Membership: 8,000

Association for Spiritual, Ethical, and Religious Values in Counseling (ASERVIC)

Focuses on ethical integration of spiritual and religious values in counseling; provides resources, training, and community for practitioners.

https://www.aservic.org Membership: 1,500

British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP)

The UK’s leading professional body for counselors and psychotherapists; offers accreditation, ethics, professional development, and public registers.

https://www.bacp.co.uk Membership: 70,000

Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA)

Canada’s national association for counselors and psychotherapists; provides certification, advocacy, liability insurance options, and continuing education.

https://www.ccpa-accp.ca Membership: 7,000

Employee Assistance Professionals Association (EAPA)

Represents employee assistance professionals; advances EAP standards, research, training, and an annual world conference.

https://www.eapassn.org Membership: 3,000

International Association for Counselling (IAC)

Global network that advances counseling worldwide through advocacy, conferences, and international projects supporting professionalization and access.

https://www.iac-irtac.org Membership: 1,000

International Association of Marriage and Family Counselors (IAMFC)

An international division of ACA promoting marriage, couple, and family counseling; provides training, resources, and networking.

https://www.iamfconline.org Membership: 1,500

Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (IACP)

Ireland’s professional body for counselors and psychotherapists; sets accreditation standards, provides CPD, and maintains a public register.

https://www.iacp.ie Membership: 5,000

National Association for Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors (NAADAC)

Represents addiction counselors and related professionals; offers credentials (via affiliated boards), advocacy, education, and resources.

https://www.naadac.org Membership: 100,000

National Career Development Association (NCDA)

Professional association for career counselors and specialists; sets standards, offers certifications, publications, and an annual conference.

https://www.ncda.org Membership: 5,000

Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA)

Australian federation advancing counseling and psychotherapy; maintains national registers, sets training standards, and provides advocacy and CPD.

https://www.pacfa.org.au Membership: 9,000