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About ARCA

Our Mission

ARCA’s mission is to continually improve the profession of rehabilitation counseling in its service to persons with disabilities. 

Our Vision

ARCA strives to provide the type of leadership that encourages excellence in the areas of rehabilitation counseling practice, research, consultation, and professional development. 

ARCA is equally interested in eliminating environmental and attitudinal barriers so that more opportunities are available as it relates to education, employment, and community activities to people with disabilities. Through public education and legislative activities, ARCA aims to increase public awareness of rehabilitation counseling and disability education while encouraging members to become involved in the association’s outreach and educational efforts.

Our Goals

In its pursuit of ARCA’s mission, we strive to

  1. Provide leadership in advancing the profession and science of rehabilitation counseling. 
  2. Promote standards that represent the highest quality of professional rehabilitation counseling practice in a rapidly changing environment. 
  3. Provide research findings with direct application to the current and future practice of rehabilitation counseling.
  4. Foster dialogue and coordinate activities among rehabilitation counselors, educators, administrators, and other rehabilitation professionals within and among various specialty areas. 
  5. Engage in active collaborations and partnerships with other national professional organizations and with consumer groups.

Who We Are

ARCA members comprise rehabilitation and clinical mental health counselors, educators, students, and allied mental health professionals—each of whom are dedicated to the tenants of rehabilitation counseling by serving persons with disabilities.

ARCA members, both past and present, have made significant contributions to rehabilitation and clinical mental health counseling as it relates to emphasizing disability competencies, disability education, disability justice, and addressing ableism. Through our flagship journal, the Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin, our monthly webinar series, in-person and virtual conferences, and advocacy within the larger counseling profession, ARCA continues to strive toward disability justice and inclusion. We invite you to join us in this goal!

Join Today

Are you passionate about making a real difference in people’s lives?

We invite you to join members of the American Rehabilitation Counseling Association (ARCA) by learning more about what it means to have a disability, what it means to be a Rehabilitation Counselor, and why our members decided to join ARCA.