ACES Interest Networks

ACES Interest Networks provide a mechanism for ACES members with common professional interests to share ideas, information, research, and to engage in project collaboration with other interest network members.  Membership in any Interest Network is open to all ACES members.  If you are interested in joining an interest network, contact the Interest Network Chair.

Advocacy Interest Network

The Advocacy Interest Network will be recognized as a vanguard of change within the ACES organization.  We are committed to:

  • Advancing pedagogy and advocacy education and training of counselors, supervisors, and counselor educators;
  • Affirming and enhancing education and supervision that advocates for the needs of a culturally diverse society; and
  • Promoting a unified professional identity for counselors, supervisors and counselor educators in the spirit of advocacy and
  • Supporting the dissemination of premier advocacy research and scholarship

For more information and to get involved, please contact either co-chair:

Bi-Lingual Interest Network

The goal of the Bilingual Counselor Education and Supervision (BCES) Interest Network is to promote increasing awareness of bilingual counselor education and supervision and provide a supportive and educational community about bilingual counseling within ACES and it’s 5 regions. This interest network is committed to find ways to support unique needs of educators and supervisors of bilingual counselors. Lastly, this interest network will be used as a place of networking and resource sharing for those who are invested in bilingual counselor education and supervision. For more information and to get involved, please contact either co-chair:

Career Interest Network

The goal of the ACES Career Interest Network is to connect counselor educators teaching career courses with one another and resources for effective pedagogy. This interest network provides space for counselor educators to connect, discuss best teaching practices, and engage in research focused on career development and counseling. For more information and to get involved, please contact:

Climate Justice in Counseling

The ACES Climate Justice in Counseling Interest Network aims to do impactful Teaching, Service and Research. We are committed to:

  • Actively promoting ethical CJC scientific knowledge and practices, advocacy and environmental justice among counselor educators, counseling graduate students & counselors
  • Advancing and integrating CJC content into Counselor Education
  • Disseminating innovative CJC-related research
  • Promoting the integration of CJC themes into clinical supervision knowledge and practices

Clinical Directors and Placement Coordinators Interest Network

The Clinic Directors and Placement Coordinators Interest Network is a space for individuals who work as Practicum and Internship Placement Coordinators or Training Clinical Directors and other clinic personnel to gather and share best practices related to these roles. The goal of the CDPC Interest Network is to share information and work collaboratively to solve problems that arise when running training clinics and coordinating clinical placements within Graduate Counseling Programs. The CDPC Interest Network supports members through a monitored listserv (contact co-chair Kristen Nadermann to join the listserv), meetings at ACES and regional ACES conferences, and online meetings throughout the academic year. For more information and to get involved, please contact:

Diversity and Inclusion Interest Network

The purpose of the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision Diversity & Inclusion Interest Network (ACES DIIN) is to promote the appreciation and understanding of multiculturalism and diversity in research/scholarship, teaching, leadership/advocacy, supervision and counseling through building a community of counselor educators, counselors, supervisors, and counselor education students in training dedicated to addressing the concerns of minoritized individuals.

The interest network is able to do this and more by (a) providing a wellness-centering space of community and supportive dialogue, (b) allowing voluntary collaboration in activism related subcommittees (e.g., antiracist practice in counselor education, research and publication, guest speaker/webinars, and an upcoming disability/ability status advocacy group) to provide resources to inform the field, (c) establishing or facilitating mentorship, and (d) overall ensuring that the beliefs and concerns of marginalized individuals are addressed in ACES governance.

Historically, the network was named the Multicultural Interest Network. In 2020, it was revitalized and reformed as the ACES Diversity & Inclusion Interest Network through the dedicated efforts of Drs. Teysha Bowser and K. Lynn Pierce. This interest network is committed to improving the conversation around diversity topics including race/ethnicity, gender expression/gender identity/gender, sexual/affectional orientation, ability/disability status and accessibility, trauma proximity, religion, spirituality, and addiction proximity among various cultural identities that may influence access within the counselor education profession.

For more information and to get involved, please contact the current chair(s) of the leadership team (links found below):

International Students and Faculty Interest Network

The International Students and Faculty Interest Network (ISFIN) aims to create an inclusive and culturally affirming community for international and non-international ACES members. ISFIN is committed to providing support for counseling students and faculty through networking, mentorship, resources, and advocacy.

To get involved, please complete this brief new member form.

New Faculty Interest Network

Welcome to the New Faculty Interest Network (NFIN)! The purpose of NFIN is to provide new faculty support as they begin to establish their career. Being a new faculty member can be an overwhelming and isolating experience. This interest network is designed to be a space for new and emerging counselor educators to gain support and connection (through meetings at national conferences, virtual meetings, and a dedicated email list) as they navigate counselor education and supervision. This group is intended for faculty who are pre-tenure (or pre-promotion) and doctoral candidates.

If you have any questions, please contact:

Qualitative Interest Network (CEQUIN)

The purpose of CEQUIN is to provide a supportive and educational community for counselor educators and supervisors who engage in qualitative research. CEQUIN strives to be an open, collegial, reciprocal, and friendly environment for qualitative researchers.

For more information and to get involved, please contact: Chair TBD

Rural Interest Network

The ACES Rural Interest Network focuses on the experiences, needs, and challenges of counseling in rural settings. As an ACES Interest Network the primary focus is on preparing counselors for practice in rural areas, through teaching and supervising and in research, writing, presenting, and discussing rural counseling. Isolation is often a challenge for rural people. To that end, this group provides an opportunity for networking among counselor educators and supervisors who have an interest in rural counseling. Goals of the Rural Interest Network include developing a model for rural counselor education and continuing to shine the light of the needs of rural counselors through conference presentations, webinars, research, and publication.

For more information and to get involved, please contact:

School Counseling Interest Network (SCIN)

The goal of SCIN (School Counseling Interest Network) is to support ACES members who have an interest in school counseling (e.g., counselor educators, doctoral students, etc) through (1) professional development (e.g., speakers), (2) networking, and (3) sharing resources and information pertaining to counseling, counselor education, and school counseling. We achieve these goals through monthly meetings via zoom (during the academic year), meeting at professional conferences (e.g., ACA, ACES), and providing support to our workgroups (which provide networking opportunities).

Supervision Interest Network

In ACES Supervision Interest Network, we are aiming at reaching out researchers and practitioners of counseling supervision to discuss, collaborate, and create partnerships on conducting research on as well as clinical strategies toward current issues in counseling supervision. Our members include ACES members who are doctoral students, faculty, and practitioners from the field.

For more information and to get involved contact:

Become a member

ACES members are counselors, supervisors, graduate students, and faculty members who strive to improve the education and supervision of counselors in training and in practice. ACES and the regional associations host conferences to highlight research and best practices in supervision and in the training of counselors.

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