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Who are we?

Our Mission: 

To enhance human development and promote the counseling profession

Our Vision:  

ORCA will support the counseling profession in Oregon by:

  • Providing networking and professional development opportunities for counselors
  • Being responsive to our members needs
  • Creating modalities for counselor communication throughout Oregon
  • Fostering collaboration and collegiality across counseling degrees and specialties
  • Nurturing a common purpose and a sense of unity within the counseling profession in Oregon
  • Advocating for counselors and their clients

The Oregon Counseling Association is a 501(c)(6) tax-exempt trade association that promotes and protects the counseling profession in Oregon.  ORCA is run by a 15-member Governing Board, including 6 elected officers, 2 Division Presidents, and 7 Committee Chair positions, appointed by the President.  ORCA has more than 1,500 members throughout the state. Read ORCA's Bylaws here. The specific purposes of ORCA are to:

  • Function as the Oregon Branch of the American Counseling Association
  • Promote the professional and business interests of professional counselors and therapists engaged in the practice of Professional Counseling as described in ORS 675.705, including but not limited to:
    • political and professional advocacy for the profession of mental health counselors and therapists
    • promoting ethical practice of mental health counseling and therapy
    • promoting diversity and human rights, and advocacy for consumers of mental health counseling.



Why join ORCA?

The benefits of joining ORCA include: 

Networking

  • Connecting you to other counselors through professional networking events.
  • Hosting a members-only listserv, which is great for finding referrals, joining groups, advertising, and finding resources.
  • An exceptional quarterly newsletter, and the opportunity to share your expertise with others in the counseling community—and get your name out there—by submitting articles for publication in The Counselor
Professional Development
  • Gain more knowledge (and Board required CEs!)   with discounted fees for continuing education events
  • Access and to discounts for ethics and technology help from our partners at Person Centered Tech—a Portland-based consultant for mental health professionals and a great resource for ORCA members. 
  • Every ORCA member gets a free legal consultation with mental health attorney, Paul Cooney, who is the go-to expert to help you with legal questions or issues. 

Advocacy

      • Support a strong lobbying presence in the Capitol working on behalf of counselors and family therapists. 
      • Work toward social justice and human rights with other counselors.
      • The opportunity to join OACES (the Oregon Association of Counselor Education and Supervision), a division of ORCA. Select OACES in the ORCA membership process below.


Empowering a profession, one counselor at a time.

The Oregon Counseling Association is a 501(c)(6) tax-exempt trade association.

Join our Google Group Listserv (ORCA members only)

Oregon Counseling Association 
(503) 722-7119 
PO Box 2163 Portland, OR 97208
secretary@or-counseling.org


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