ACA Advocacy Competencies (Updated 2018) 2
expanded and clarified. Further, the Association for Multicultural Counseling and
Development (AMCD) presented an updated model of multicultural competence
integrating social justice and advocacy, informed by the original MCC model (1992) and
Advocacy Competencies (2003). Given these advances, contemporary sociopolitical
challenges faced by counselors, and increasing attention to advocacy within ACA and
accrediting bodies, the ACA Advocacy Competencies have been updated and clarified.
This document represents a brief overview to that updated model.
Overview of the ACA Advocacy Competencies
The ACA Advocacy Competencies describe necessary counselor skills, knowledge, and
behavior that can be implemented to address systemic barriers and issues facing
students, clients, client groups or whole populations (hereafter, clients and client groups
is inclusive of students and student groups). The Advocacy Competencies are organized
around two dimensions: Extent of Client Involvement in Advocacy and Level of Advocacy
Intervention. The first dimension, Extent of Client Involvement, distinguishes advocacy
done in collaboration with clients from advocacy conducted on behalf of clients, client
groups, or communities. When done effectively, advocacy in partnership with the client,
client groups, or populations facilitates greater empowerment and more helpful advocacy.
Still, there are times and circumstances in which it may be necessary and effective for
counselors to advocate on behalf of clients or client groups. The second dimension, Level
of Advocacy Intervention, refers to the focus of advocacy interventions and whether that
takes place at an individual level to address issues faced by an individual client; at the
school, community or organizational level to address issues faced by whole groups of
clients or community members; or, at the broadest level, within the public arena reflecting
large scale change efforts. In Figure 1, permeable lines indicate that the different
dimensions and domains are not mutually exclusive as advocacy may be most effective
when multiple approaches are taken.
The intersection of the two dimensions described above are reflected in six domains of
advocacy: empowerment, client advocacy, community collaboration, systems advocacy,
collective action and social/political advocacy. The Advocacy Competencies presume
that counselors evaluating and implementing advocacy examine multicultural and ethical
considerations relevant for the client, group, issue, and approach. Figure 1 depicts how
the intersection of the dimensions of advocacy relate to the different domains. In the
sections following the figure, each domain is described along with specific skills,
knowledge and behaviors associated with that domain.