Welcome to the official website of the Society of Counseling Psychology (SCP), Division 17 of the American Psychological Association! We are a professional organization with more than 2,600 members and affiliates. We invite you to become a member, and we welcome your involvement.

The purpose of the Society of Counseling Psychology is to promote the interests, activities, and values of counseling psychologists. In particular, we aim:

1. to guide professional education and training of specialists in counseling psychology
2. to encourage the generation and dissemination of research and scholarship in the specialty of counseling psychology
3. to support the ethical and competent practice of counseling psychology in a variety of applied settings
4. to promote diversity within the Society and the application of counseling psychology in the public interest
5. to support effective communication among counseling psychologists and between the Society and other entities

Our philosophy emphasizes developmental, strength-based, multicultural, and social justice principles, as well as positive psychology and international perspectives. This philosophy is apparent in our nationally ranked journal, The Counseling Psychologist, and our Newsletter which is available electronically on this website.

We currently have 13 Sections and 9 Special Interest Groups tailored for various interest topics in counseling psychology. Feel free to browse their websites and join as many Sections or Special Interest Groups as you like, many of which have free memberships. We also have a Facebook for more frequent updates of SCP activities. I hope you will like this new way of communication and connection with SCP.

Students may join the Student Affiliates of Seventeen, a national organization for students in counseling psychology. There are opportunities for students to become voting members on various levels of SCP leadership, from the Executive Board to various Committees and Special Task Groups. We also value the participation and contributions of early career professionals in all facets of the organization.

SCP recognizes outstanding achievements and contributions of counseling psychologists through the Fellow status and various awards for professionals and students. Please consider nominating colleagues or yourself by contacting the Fellowship Committee or Awards and Recognition Committee.

My presidential theme for 2011-2012 is “The Future of Counseling Psychology Campaign.” I commissioned three Special Task Groups for the following projects. Please click on the links below to learn more about the initiatives.

1. Counseling psychology videos - to increase public awareness of counseling psychology and its contributions to society. Submission deadline is May 15, 2012.
2. Leadership academy - to inspire and train future leaders in counseling psychology
3. Globalization of counseling psychology - to facilitate international collaborations for the advancement of counseling psychology globally.

Thank you for your interest in counseling psychology, and we look forward to your joining us and participating in various committees and activities. Please contact me or any of our officers for questions, suggestions, and comments.

Y. Barry Chung, Ph.D.
President, 2011-2012
y.chung@neu.edu

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