Counselors for Social Justice

CSJ is a division of the American Counseling Association.

Welcome to Counselors

for Social Justice

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world"

-Mahatma Gandhi

What is Counselors for Social Justice?

The mission of Counselors for Social Justice is to work to promote social justice in our society through confronting oppressive systems of power and privilege that affect professional counselors and our clients and to assist in the positive change in our society through the professional development of counselors.

What is social justice in counseling?

Social justice counseling represents a multifaceted approach to counseling in which practitioners strive to simultaneously promote human development and the common good through addressing challenges related to both individual and distributive justice. Social justice counseling includes empowerment of the individual as well as active confrontation of injustice and inequality in society as they impact clientele as well as those in their systemic contexts. In doing so, social justice counselors direct attention to the promotion of four critical principles that guide their work; equity, access, participation, and harmony. This work is done with a focus on the cultural, contextual, and individual needs of those served.

Why should I join CSJ?

The overwhelming majority of people who join Counselors for Social Justice are already committed to issues of social justice in the world as well as the impact of social injustice in their clientele. CSJ serves as an association of professionals focused on improving the impact of counseling on the lives of others as well as the world around them. By joining CSJ, professionals find new allies in their work and passions, which serves to keep them focused on promoting human development and the common good.

Announcements

CSJ member's response to Counseling Today Article

See the following link for a response to an article in the May 2008 edition of Counseling Today written by Pamela F. Foley.

Special Statement from Hugh C. Crethar and Manivong J. Ratts:

The CSJ president and treasurer have written an article titled "Why Social Justice is a Counseling Concern" which will be published in the upcoming June edition of Counseling Today. See the statement here.

New edition of the Activist posted:

Please see the "newsletter" section of the website for the most recent edition of the CSJ newsletter, The Activist. Past editions of the newsletter and information on how to submit your own material to the newletter may also be found here.

2007 ACES Social Justice Summit:

The Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES) Social Justice Summit capped off the 2007 ACES Conference in Columbus, OH. It was a great event and CSJ leadership and membership was very active in the ACES Social Justice Summit at ACES on October 14, 2007. Hugh Crethar, Vong Ratts, Sandy Lopez-Baez, Nicole Hill, and Edil Torres Rivera were all part of the Summit Planning Committee and Denise Pickering chaired the committee. More information.

Launch of the new social justice focused journal!

Co-sponsored by Counselors for Social Justice and Psychologist for Social Responsibility, the Journal for Social Action in Counseling and Psychology recently put forth its very first issue. To access the journal, please click here.

New message from the President: Hugh C. Crethar:

Please visit the "president's message" section to view the CSJ president's recent update entitled "On the Shoulders of Giants".

CSJ Membership Listserv:

CSJ maintains a listserv in order to maintain quality communication with and among membership. If you would like to be added to the listserv, please email Dr. Edil Torres Rivera.