Mission.

Counselors for Social Justice works 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.

Who is CSJ?

CSJ has been a consistent voice for counselors involved in social justice work. CSJ members have successfully advocated on a number of issues including: healthcare for women, equal access for disabled, issues of discrimination against the LGBTQ community, racism, classism, and immigration. CSJ has:

Design by Kate Madden

• Criticized the use of reparative therapy
• Developed and lead to ACA’s endorsement of the Social Justice Advocacy Competencies
• Promoted Multicultural Competencies and socially responsible approaches to counseling

Our History

Founding members believed in fostering increased levels of empowerment, psychological liberation, critical thinking, and the importance of having a social justice voice within ACA and the counseling profession. ​
CSJ began through discussions between individuals from groups such as the Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development (AMCD), the Association for Specialists in Group Work (ASGW), and the National Career Development Association (NCDA), who wanted to discuss the multicultural competency movement and the opportunity for ACA to better commit to multiculturalism.

​Read more about the history of CSJ HERE
​Learn about the CSJ bylaws HERE

Moving ​Forward

Social justice is an issue that touches all lives. In 2018, CSJ joined with AMCD, ALGBTIC, and ASERVIC in solidarity to begin a new practice of joint webinars, advocacy statements, and service days as well as continued collaboration and support of social justice.

Looking forward, CSJ aims for greater impact through:

• Mentorship & support
• Learning & training opportunities
• Outreach
• Collaboration

Leadership

Lauren Shure, Ph.D., LMHC

President (2019-2020)

Lauren Shure has been a CSJ member since her Masters in Counseling studies at University of Florida in 2003. Her interest in social justice in counseling was sparked early there and continued into her PhD in Counselor Education studies. It was then that she began investigating how school counselors position students who are culturally different from them as learners, as well as how students’ cultural behaviors influence how school counselors position students, especially African American and other Students of Color. Lauren is currently an Associate Professor of Counseling at Barry University, as well as the MS in Counseling Program Director. She is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) with extensive experience in crisis intervention and the treatment of trauma. Her professional and scholarly interests include multicultural training and supervision, issues of educational equity and anti-bias education, resilience in LGBTQ youth, as well as family adjustment following a youth’s disclosure of a diverse affectual or gender identity. 

In her role as President of Counselors for Social Justice she hopes to operationalize the mission and three established goals of the organization: (1) increasing awareness and knowledge of social justice concerns, (2) enhancing the ability of counselors to engage in social justice action and advocacy, and (3) building a community of counselors committed to social justice nationally and internationally. Some examples of how this is currently being done through the CSJ board and committees, include: the posting of social justice current events on social media (Instagram, Facebook and Twitter), free webinars on social justice in counseling topics, and the development of a CSJ mentorship program. Lauren is always open to feedback about how she can best serve in her role as president, as well as how CSJ can best serve CSJ members, their clients, and their communities. Lauren Shure can be reached at: president@counseling-csj.org. 

2019-2020 Counselors for social justice board 

President: Lauren Shure
President Elect: Colette Dollarhide
Past President: Anna Flores Locke
Secretary: Rachel Reinders
Treasurer: Chiquita Holmes
Communications Officer: Frannie Neal
Student Representative: Haley Jones
Community Representative: Alexia DeLeon
School Representative: Tamara Tribitt
Retiree/Limited Means Representative: Dianne Logan-Parr
Governing Council Representative: Edil Torres Rivera

Past Presidents

2018-2019 Anna Flores Locke
2017-2018 Rachael D. Goodman
2016-2017 Jane Goodman
2015-2016 Rita Chi-Ying Chung
2014-2015 Fred Bemak
2013-2014 Selma Yznaga
2012-2013 Rhonda Bryant
2011-2012 Manivong Ratts
​2010-2011 Judy Daniels
2009-2010 Michael D’Andrea

​​2008-2009 Eric Green
​2007-2008 Hugh Crethar
2006-2007 Edil Torres-Rivera
2005-2006 Vivien McCullough
2004-2005 Stuart Chen-Hayes
2003-2004 Farah Ibrahim
2002-2003 Sandra Lopez-Baez
​2001-2002 Azara Santiago-Rivera
1999-2001 A. Michael Hutchins