The American Counseling Association Foundation provides grants twice a year to ACA members who are licensed professional counselors, counselor educators, or graduate students. The grants are awarded to individuals who are expanding their clinical services, reaching out to culturally diverse populations, or creating resources for those in need of counseling support. Grant applications are available online during each application period.
Five American Counseling Association members received $500 grants from the American Counseling Association Foundation to fund counseling-related projects designed to help clients and communities. The projects selected for support in this round of grants focus on youth, from childhood through the high school and college years.
The grant recipients and their projects include:
- Sarah Agarwal, The University of North Texas
Play-Based Training in Residential Treatment Centers for Children
This project will examine the effects of child-teacher relationship therapy in residential treatment centers, direct care staff’s perceptions and observations of children’s behaviors, and direct care staff’s symptoms of burnout.
- Dana Isawi, Northern Illinois University
Play Therapy for Children Experiencing Grief
The Center for Grief and Loss at Northern Illinois University will provide play therapy in a fully equipped playroom for children experiencing grief. Play therapy can create opportunities for catharsis, metaphoric distance through symbolism, memorialization of a lost loved one, and an overall feeling of empowerment and relief.
- Aishwarya Joshi, Idaho State University
Reframing Mental Health Perceptions:
Need for Mental Health Assessment and Education in Embu, Kenya
This qualitative project will assess the need for mental health education and identify the barriers that hinder the accessibility and acceptability of mental health services in Embu, Kenya. The goal is to be able to implement a mental health curriculum for students in grades 912 in the Embu school district to promote better understanding and awareness.
- Felix Morton IV, North Carolina State University
They Look Like Me: A Mentorship Model for Black Male Student Leaders
This project focuses on the responsibility to empower Black male students interested in their wellbeing and advancement. The grant will fund experiential opportunities for Black male students mentored at NC State.
- Carley Springer, SAFY Lima Behavioral Health (nonprofit outpatient community mental health center)
Specialized Alternatives for Families & Youth of Ohio's Youth Drop-In Center
The project will engage youth in pro-social activities by offering resources to self-regulate and learn skills for the activities of daily living, as well as increase their practice with positive coping techniques. Specialized Alternatives for Families and Youth of Ohio’s (SAFY of OH) Youth Drop-In Center, located in Lima, Ohio, works with youth through trauma treatment, allowing them to increase their resiliency and reach their full potential.
Additional information about the American Counseling Association Foundation, including donation opportunities, is available on the foundation’s page. The American Counseling Association Foundation receives no financial support from American Counseling Association member dues.