Research Examines Disaster Impact on Children, Mental Health Misinformation at 2026 ACA Conference

The American Counseling Association (ACA) is preparing to host its 2026 Conference & Expo in Columbus, Ohio, offering mental health professionals an extensive program addressing the industry’s most pressing challenges.

The three-day event, running April 9-11 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center, will feature over 200 educational sessions spanning 24 distinct topic areas in mental health and counseling. Organizers have designed the conference to serve as both a professional development opportunity and a networking hub for counselors nationwide.

Keynoting the conference will be D.J. Vanas, a former U.S. Air Force officer, bestselling author, and member of the Ottawa Tribe in Michigan. Vanas will draw from his latest book, “The Warrior Within,” to share Indigenous perspectives on personal and professional transformation. As president of Native Discovery Inc., he brings a unique cultural lens to the concepts of resilience and inner strength.

The conference program reflects growing concerns in the mental health landscape, with particular attention to cultural competency, technological impacts, and emerging social challenges.

Several sessions address the intersection of politics and mental health. One workshop will focus on deportation anxiety among Latine clients, offering clinicians culturally responsive, trauma-informed approaches for immigrant families experiencing chronic stress. Another session titled “When Politics Gets Personal” will equip counselors with strategies for ethically navigating political content in therapy while supporting clients facing discrimination or ideological conflicts.

Digital wellness figures prominently in the agenda. One session will examine the crisis among teenage girls using social media, noting that 93% of teen girls are active on platforms while 57% report persistent sadness. Counselors will learn adapted cognitive behavioral techniques for digital contexts and methods for establishing healthier boundaries with technology.

The rise of artificial intelligence in mental health services will also be addressed, with experts exploring why clients increasingly turn to chatbots and language models instead of traditional counseling. The session will analyze factors including affordability, accessibility, and reduced stigma while examining the ethical implications for practitioners.

Trauma counseling receives significant attention, with the Ohio Association for Resiliency and Trauma Counseling—the first state-level trauma counseling division in the U.S.—presenting its work in advancing trauma-informed competencies. Another session will focus specifically on disaster-related trauma in children and short-term interventions to prevent long-term psychological damage.

The program also recognizes specialized populations requiring tailored approaches. One session focuses entirely on counseling first responders—firefighters, law enforcement, EMS professionals, and dispatchers—who face unique barriers to seeking mental health support due to occupational culture and stigma. Another addresses human trafficking in Ohio and beyond, emphasizing how trafficking occurs in everyday settings, not just stereotypically “dangerous” areas.

Body image concerns across the lifespan will be discussed in a session examining psychological flourishing in middle age, challenging the notion that body image is primarily a young woman’s issue. The workshop will share findings from a survey of former collegiate athletes now in middle age and offer practical strategies for enhancing body appreciation.

The American Counseling Association represents over 62,000 members across various practice settings, making it the world’s largest organization exclusively representing professional counselors. Founded in 1952, the ACA focuses on professional development, advocacy, and ensuring ethical, culturally inclusive practices within the counseling profession.

Registration information and the complete conference agenda are available on the ACA Conference & Expo website. The event is expected to draw counseling professionals from across the country, providing a comprehensive overview of the field’s current challenges and innovations.