Illinois Mental Health Counselors

The IMHCA Board of Directors has unanimously and proudly supported the following statement. 

As professional counselors, we are called in this moment to our highest ethical ideals and application of our bounty of knowledge as humans, practitioners, educators, and researchers.

These are challenging times for our black and brown siblings across the nation and across our state. We are experiencing two pandemics simultaneously: COVID-19 and Systemic Racism.

Our hearts go out to all our black and brown siblings who have lost their lives and their surviving family members due to police violence and health disparities. As a profession, we must stand against these acts of social injustice and advocate for our black and brown siblings across the nation and globe.

We stand with ICA, ACA, AMCD, SAIGE, CSJ, ACES, ASCA and the plethora of professional counseling organizations that have denounced police violence and the systemic and institutional racism experienced by our black and brown siblings.

We encourage you to continue to speak out against systemic and institutional oppression by contacting your local, state, and regional representatives. Find your state, regional, county, or local representatives here.

We have also compiled multiple resources for you and your clients to engage long-term in the work of antiracism. Please see the link

We will continue this conversation, as spearheaded by the Diversity in Leadership Taskforce.

If you are interested in joining the ICA Diversity in Leadership Taskforce, please complete this FORM.

Look out for our upcoming town hall for further additional action item steps.

In Solidarity and Compassion,

Dr. Tamekia Bell, President
IL Counselor Educators and Supervisors

Dr. Jahaan Abdullah, President
IL Association for Multicultural Counseling

Dr. Nicole Thompson, Chair, Diversity in Leadership Taskforce
President Elect, IL Association for Couples and Family Counseling 

Dr. Kristina Wilkerson, Past President
Jim Keck, President
IL Counselors for Social Justice

Missy Lugo, Past President
Gideon Litherland, President
IL Association for LGBT Issues in Counseling

Allison Greene, President
IL College Counseling Association

Laurie Siegel, President
IL Mental Health Counselors Association

Leslie Contos, President
Greta Nielsen, President-Elect
Karolina Hogueisson, President-Elect-Elect,
Association for Child & Adolescent Counseling in IL

ICDA Leadership Board
IL Career Development Association

IASGW
Anna Marie Yates, Immediate Past-President IASGW
IL Association for Specialists in Group Work

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