Society of Counseling Psychology Leadership Academy: Cultivating Leadership Competence and Community

Abstract

The Society of Counseling Psychology Leadership Academy is a year-long program designed to engage and develop student and early career psychologist leaders in counseling psychology. As a division of the American Psychological Association, the Society of Counseling Psychology is part of a nonprofit professional organization that seeks to recruit and retain members as well as to develop talent to meet future organizational leadership needs. This article describes the history of the Leadership Academy, its conceptual foundations, curriculum and program components, and associated implementation processes. We discuss how we utilized results of a formative program evaluation to improve the program over time. Outcomes associated with three cohorts of the Leadership Academy suggest that the program was largely effective in achieving its functional goals. Conclusions and recommendation for leadership development and research are discussed.