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.
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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:
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Our HistoryFounding 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
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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.
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Looking forward, CSJ aims for greater impact through:
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Leadership
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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
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
© COPYRIGHT 2020. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | COUNSELORS FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE IS A DIVISION OF THE AMERICAN COUNSELING ASSOCIATION