Dear Valued Arkansas Counseling Association Members,

How do you want to be remembered? This was recently discussed as the top question fans ask their favorite celebrities. Ultimately, we strive to leave a lasting impression, a positive change in someone’s life. Whether you’re a licensed counselor in the office with your client, a school counselor with a student, a counselor educator with an aspiring counselor, a supervisor with a fledgling clinician, or somewhere in the midst of all these, you are hoping what you do and say leave a lasting constructive impression in their lives.

Sometimes, this is moment by moment, and at other times, this is on a grander scale. These broader opportunities are where organizations like Arkansas Counseling Association can be of service. ArCA’s mission is “to promote public confidence and trust in the counseling profession and to support the membership through representation and training.” We work in conjunction with and under the guidance of the American Counseling Association, whose mission is to “promote the professional development of counselors, advocate for the profession, and ensure ethical, culturally-inclusive practices that protect those using counseling services.”

Only with one voice will we be able to have a lasting impact and develop the legacy we choose. That is why we ask for your collaboration in ArCA’s efforts toward representation and training. Your voice may be one among many, but it is no less valued. Your passion for your profession and the promotion of effective, accessible counseling services for all who would seek them are crucial to our organization. Our values; Caring for Self and Others, Promoting Ethical Practices, Respecting Diversity, Encouraging Positive Change, Acquiring and Using Knowledge, Encouraging and Enhancing Leadership, and Promoting Collaboration; provide the steppingstones for this process.

My hope is to leave this association and the field of counseling stronger than I found them. I am honored to serve as this year’s Arkansas Counseling Association President and am proud to work alongside a group of strong, service-minded, passionate individuals in our Executive Committee and Governing Council. Will you join us in leaving a lasting impression of hope?

Ginny L. Reding, MS, LPC, LMFT

President, Arkansas Counseling Association, 2022-2023

“The one thing you leave behind
Is how did you love, how did you love?”