Clinically Excellent, Distinctly Christian.
The American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC) was founded to bring biblical truth, clinical excellence, and compassionate care together in the counseling profession. What began as a small network of faith-based mental health professionals has grown into the largest organization of its kind, serving hundreds of thousands of Christian Mental Health Professionals across the globe.
Today, AACC remains committed to equipping counselors, coaches, pastors, and caregivers with the tools they need to serve others well—through education, credentialing, advocacy, and a growing community rooted in faith and integrity. As the challenges facing individuals and families evolve, so does our commitment to raising up Christian leaders who can respond with wisdom, grace, and professional excellence.
Mission
The AACC is committed to encouraging, strengthening and serving Christian mental health professionals including licensed psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, psychotherapists, marriage and family therapists, addictions counselors, and counselors, as well as Christian life and mental health coaches, pastors, lay counselors and the community at large. Our goal is to equip those in the helping profession with research-based biopsychosocial knowledge and spiritual truths to aid in counseling and ministering to those who seek assistance in achieving mental wellness, personal wholeness, interpersonal competence, and spiritual maturity. In addition, the AACC is on a mission to help the church worldwide become more caring and mental health friendly, as we seek to champion for spiritual practices and spirituality within mental health care.
Vision
The AACC is committed to encouraging, strengthening and serving Christian mental health professionals including licensed psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, psychotherapists, marriage and family therapists, addictions counselors, and counselors, as well as Christian life and mental health coaches, pastors, lay counselors and the community at large. Our goal is to equip those in the helping profession with research-based biopsychosocial knowledge and spiritual truths to aid in counseling and ministering to those who seek assistance in achieving mental wellness, personal wholeness, interpersonal competence, and spiritual maturity. In addition, the AACC is on a mission to help the church worldwide become more caring and mental health friendly, as we seek to champion for spiritual practices and spirituality within mental health care.
Core Values
Our Source
We are committed to honor Jesus Christ and glorify God, remaining flexible and responsive to the Holy Spirit in all that He has called us to be and do.
Our Strength
We are committed to Biblical truths, and to clinical excellence and unity in the delivery of all our resources, services, training and benefits.
Our Service
We are committed to serving the global community of care—our members and the church—with excellence, timeliness, and a steadfast dedication to delivering on our calling.
Our Staff
We are committed to value and invest in our people as partners in our mission to help others effectively provide Christ-centered counseling and soul-care for hurting people.
Our Stewardship
We are committed to profitably steward the resources God gives to us in order to continue serving the needs of hurting people.
“In all of my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 1:4-6 NIV
Statement of Faith
AACC BELIEVES THAT:
There exists only one God, creator and sustainer of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally co-existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The Scriptures, both Old and New testaments, are the inspired, inerrant and trustworthy Word of God, the complete revelation of His will for the salvation of human beings, and the final authority for all matters about which it speaks.
Human nature derives from two historical personas, male and female, created in God’s image. They were created perfect, but they sinned, plunging themselves and all human beings into sin, guilt, suffering, and death.
The substitutionary death of Jesus Christ and his bodily resurrection provide the only ground for justification, forgiveness, and salvation for all who believe. Only those who trust in Him alone are born of the Holy Spirit and are true members of the Church; only they will spend eternity with Christ.
The Holy Spirit is the agent of regeneration and renewal for believers in Jesus Christ. He makes the presence of Jesus Christ real in believers, and He comforts, guides, convicts, and enables believers to live in ways that honor Christ.
Ministry to persons acknowledges the complexity of humans as physical, social, psychological, and spiritual beings. The ultimate goal of Christian counseling is to help others move to personal wholeness, interpersonal competence, mental stability, and spiritual maturity.
Executive Leadership
Tim Clinton, Ed.D.
President
Zach Clinton, Ph.D.
Vice President
Ben Allison, J.D., Esq.
Chief Executive Officer
Executive Advisory Board
Ron Hawkins, Ed.D., D.Min.
Gary Oliver, Th.M., Ph.D.
Jennifer Cisney Ellers, M.A.
Sharon May, Ph.D.
Jim Cress LPC, MA, LPC, CSAT, CMAT
Ted Cunningham M.A.C.E.
Herb Fischer
Kenny Mauck M.A.
Executive Directors
Medical Director
Karl Benzio, M.D.
Director of Psychology
Shannae Anderson, Ph.D.
Director of Counseling
Mercy Connors, Ph.D.
Spiritual Director
Siang-Yang Tan, Ph.D.
Leadership Director
Henry Cloud, Ph.D.
Clinical Director
John Townsend, Ph.D.
Divisional Leaders
John Eklund, M.S.W.
Addictions & Recovery
Ian Jones, Ph.D., Ph.D.
Biblical Counseling & Spiritual Formation
Caitlin Overfelt, Ph.D., LPC.
Perinatal Support and Wellness Division
Jennifer Cisney Ellers, M.A.
Grief, Crisis, & Trauma Network
Mark Crear, Ph.D.
Multicultural Division
John C. Thomas, Ph.D.
Marriage and Family Division
Nicolene Joubert, Ph.D.
Society for Christian Psychology Division
Tim Murphy, Ph.D.
Military Counseling Division
Shannae Anderson, Ph.D
Ethics and Advocacy Division
Ed Garrett, Psy.D.
Sport and Performance Psychology Division
Summer Kuba, Ph.D., Ed.S., MSW
School Counseling Division
National Board of Reference
Daniel Amen, M.D.
Steve Arterburn, M.Ed.
Gary Chapman, Ph.D.
Chap Clark, Ph.D.
Mark Crawford, Ph.D.
Jim Cress, M.A.
Ron Deal, M.MFT.
Fred DiBlasio, Ph.D.
Kathie Erwin, Ed.D.
Sylvia Hart Frejd, D.Min.
Heather Davediuk Gingrich, Ph.D.
David Hawkins, Ph.D.
Mark Yarhouse, Psy.D.
Mark McMinn, Ph.D.
Paul Meier, M.D.
Linda Mintle, Ph.D.
Gary Moon, Ph.D.
Margaret Nagib, Psy.D.
Miriam Stark Parent, Ph.D.
Leslie Parrott, Ed.D.
Cliff Penner, Ph.D.
Joyce Penner, MRN
Georgia Shaffer, M.A.
Gary Sibcy, Ph.D.
Daniel Sweeney, Ph.D.
Gary Thomas, D.Div.
Curt Thompson, M.D.
John Trent, Ph.D.
Leslie Vernick, M.S.W.
Catherine Hart Weber, Ph.D.
Everett Worthington, Jr., Ph.D.