About HCA

Our History

The Hawai'i Counselors Association, the Hawai'i state branch of the American Counseling Association, was founded in 1956. Membership is open to individuals whose responsibility or interests are in the areas of counseling in settings such as educational institutions, community agencies, businesses and government. The HCA promotes state-wide professionalism among counselors and ensures the use of best practices in counseling by providing professional development workshops and trainings. The Association was a significant force behind Hawai'i legislation granting licensure for mental health counselors in 2005.

Our Mission

The purpose of the Hawaiʻi Counselors Association is to enhance individual human development and to advance and promote the discipline of counseling by:

Conducting educational and professional meetings at conferences
Publishing educational and professional literature
Advancing high standards of professional ethics
Informing and educating the general public about the counseling profession
Establishing contacts with various organizations with common purposes
Examining conditions which create barriers to personal growth and working to remove them
Supporting the development of state divisions corresponding to those existing in the ACA structure
Encouraging state divisions to cooperate with related state departments in the promotion of common objectives