Heather Trepal Begins Term as 68th President of the American Counseling Association

She starts her term as ACA president on July 1, 2019, after serving as ACA President-Elect from July 1, 2018, through June 30, 2019.

Dr. Trepal is a professor and clinical mental health counseling program coordinator at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Her research and publications focus on professional advocacy, self-injurious behavior, body image, bilingual counselor supervision and training, integrated behavioral health care, and relational-cultural theory.

A member of the American Counseling Association Professional Standards Committee, Dr. Trepal has been an ACA member for more than 17 years. She served as president of two ACA divisions—the Association for Creativity in Counseling (ACC) and the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES). In addition, she was the ACC Governing Council representative and chaired the ACA Graduate Student and Mentoring Task Force and the ACA Professional Advocacy Task Force.

Dr. Trepal is active in her state ACA branch, the Texas Counseling Association, where she co-chaired the Graduate Student Involvement Committee.

She has worked in a variety of settings, including a college counseling center, a rape crisis center, and private practice. Dr. Trepal earned a PhD in Counseling and Human Development at Kent State University, an MEd in Community Counseling at Cleveland State University, and a BA in English at The Ohio State University.

The American Counseling Association is the world’s largest organization representing professional counselors in various practice settings. Founded in 1952, ACA includes 18 chartered divisions focused on areas of specialty or principles of counseling. The association’s more than 53,000 members worldwide participate in 56 branches in the U.S., Europe, and Latin America. ACA also collaborates with counseling organizations located in other parts of the world.