Skip to main content
HomeAbout WCA


Mission

The mission of the Wisconsin Counseling Association is to enhance the quality of life in society by promoting the development of professional counselors, advocating for the professional practices in the profession of counseling and promoting respect for human dignity and diversity.


Purpose

 

  • To promote and advance the interests of counseling and personnel services in the State of Wisconsin.
  • To provide an organization through which those engaged in counseling and personnel services can exchange ideas, seek solutions to common problems, and stimulate their professional growth.
  • To establish and improve standards of professional services in counseling and personnel
    services.
  • To assume an active role in helping others in educational institutions and in the community to understand and improve counseling and personnel services.
  • To conduct activities designed to promote the professional growth of counseling and personnel services.
  • To disseminate information and to focus public attention on and promote legislation affecting counseling and personnel services in the state of Wisconsin.
  • To encourage the formulation and growth of Chapters and Divisions.

 


Objectives

 

The objectives of the Wisconsin Counseling Association are to cooperate and or federate with organizations interested in the human development profession and to federate with and coordinate associations through the American Counseling Association.
“Power-Based Professionals Initiating Change”The Wisconsin Counseling Association believes in the strength of its members and the values which govern us.




Caring for Self
and Others

 

 

We believe in the worth and dignity of the individual, and we value caring and respect for self and others.
We respect and care for the self by preserving professional identity through the support of, and for, the professional association, WCA, and by establishing and maintaining professional standards and ethical behavior. We also respect and care for the self through continuing personal development. We also value examination of the relationship among the intellectual, physical, spiritual, and psychological aspects of human development. We respect and care for others through identification and the removal of barriers to human development and through pro-active approaches to human rights. This respect and caring for others extends to concerns about global issues such as world peace and the ecology. We value and celebrate the diversity of cultures and interests within our society, our profession, and our association. We also value the power, strength and support of a unified profession.

Enabling Positive
Change

 

 

We believe that positive change in people, organizations and societies can be facilitated.
Positive change involves moving to higher levels of moral, ethical, spiritual, intellectual, physical and interpersonal development. Working for a positive change is a major function of our profession.

Acquiring and Using
Knowledge

 

 

We believe that we need to be aware of current and evolving knowledge, including alternate ways of knowing, that can assist in facilitating positive change.
We have a responsibility to acquire, utilize and disseminate new knowledge in our field. We have a responsibility to utilize both traditional and alternative methods of understanding. We have a responsibility to exert leadership in using and sharing our knowledge and skills.

Empowering
Leadership

 


We believe in the kind of leadership which requires a willingness to take risks, a readiness to take stands, and a responsibility to act on vital issues.
Empowerment means that individuals, groups, and organizations by their actions, enable (empower) others to make changes. Counselors and human development professionals see themselves as active leaders, willing to take risks. Responsible and professional leaders act when faced with compelling situations. Leaders who are committed to this belief are consistent in what they say and do. This leadership style ensures that all populations served are empowered to reach their human potential.


Promoting Linkage

 


We believe in fostering an integrative quality, interdependence, and connectedness among people, organizations and societies.
Collaboration is a preferred mode of operation which fits the philosophical foundations on which the counseling and human development profession is based. Action to accomplish identified goals, in some instances, involves interpersonal coalition-building between professionals and, at other times, involves inter-professional and international cooperation.