Answers to Consumer Questions

Question #11.  Is the name of the local professional organization for counselors, "Seattle Counseling Association," or "Seattle Counselors Association?"

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And the winner is.....Seattle Counselors Association!

In a brief history of the organization, written by Georgie Kunkel, founder and charter member, we find that on April 11, 1983, Georgie Kunkel invited Sarah Gortler and James May to meet and begin the process of forming a professional counseling association in the Seattle area. Tentative by-laws were written.

At that time, the Washington Counseling Association (then called the Washington Association for Counseling and Development) required a minimum of ten of their members to participate to form a local chapter. A list of the state membership was obtained. Another organizational meeting was held with the required number of WCA members present. 

Later, at a third meeting September 10, 1983, the by-laws were approved and provisional officers were elected. Jerald Forster acted as temporary secretary for the meeting. Charter officers were John Clark, president; Susan Dearborn and Bob Hawkins, co-vice president; and Sara Gortler, Secretary-Treasurer.

On October 14, 1983, the Washington Association for Counseling and Development accepted our request to be chartered.   Dr. Jerald Forster, a U of W professor, hosted the first two meetings at the University of Washington. Then Susan Dearborn offered her home for regular meetings and all social meetings. 

After the first three years, Georgie Kunkel was voted SCA Office Executive. She maintained the SCA office, answering the phone, putting out the newsletter, and taking care of membership. After a number of years, Jennie Merchant and Barbara Zick arranged for commercial office management.

SCA developed an organizational structure including committees, monthly meetings and a bi-monthly newsletter. Dues were originally $5.00. A brochure was published and revised. The first directory of members was published.

The SCA by-laws were revised and approved by the membership as amended at the June 19, 1992 meeting. Hazel Johnson, secretary, took minutes on this process. SCA is presently an autonomous group with only informal ties to the state and national counseling associations.

In 1999, Floyd Else published his website CounselingSeattle.com and included what he called the "East Wing" for Seattle Counselors Association.  For the first time, SCA had a web presence to promote their training programs, to advertise the members private practices, and to recruit new members.

In late 2003, SCA board members began negotiating the development of a new SCA website with a searchable database.  It is expected to be operational in September 2004 at SeattleCounselors.org.

But in all that historical data, there is nothing that explains why the name ended up Seattle Counselors Association instead of Seattle Counseling Association--which would seem to be the local name for the local chapter of the then "Washington Association for Counseling and Development" or as presently known, the "Washington Counseling Association," (a state branch of the national organization, the "American Counseling Association)!

           

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