Session 1: Everyday Advocacy: Big and Small

Presenter: Katherine Bacon, PhD

Learning Objectives:

Learners will identify informal advocacy opportunities within counselor case studies and everyday client, school, and community interactions.
Learners will document an advocacy action using the Advocacy Moments Tracker to support accountability and ongoing engagement.
Learners will compose and deliver a brief advocacy elevator pitch tailored to the needs, interests, and influence of a specific stakeholder.

CE Credit: 1.5 NBCC Hours; 0 CRCC Hours; 1.5 WA Hours; 0 APT Hours; 0 NAADAC Hours; 1.5 NY Hours; 0 Ethics Hours

Dr. Katherine Bacon, PhD, LPC-S, NCC

Dr. Katherine Bacon is a distinguished leader in counselor education, advocacy, and nonprofit management, bringing more than three decades of experience advancing mental-health access, professional excellence, and social equity. As a former foster care youth who aged out of care, she carries a deep personal understanding of systemic inequities—an experience that continues to inform her work in policy, governance, and community-based support. She holds a PhD in Counselor Education & Supervision, is a Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor, and a Nationally Certified Counselor.

Dr. Bacon serves as a Trustee for The Harris Center for Mental Health & IDD, the largest local mental health authority in Texas, where she contributes her expertise in policy, ethics, and behavioral health governance. As Executive Director and founder of The Parris Foundation, she leads a mission-driven nonprofit providing free counseling, advocacy, and educational support to underserved communities. Her leadership has secured millions in grant funding for trauma-informed services, crime-victim advocacy, and educational pre-college programs that create pathways to opportunity.

Her statewide and national impact is further reflected through her service as Legislative Liaison to the Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors and as Past President of the Texas Counseling Association. In these roles, she testified before legislative bodies, trained hundreds of counselors in advocacy, and influenced mental-health policy reforms.

As a university professor, Dr. Bacon teaches Advanced Ethics and Law, guiding counselors in understanding how governance intersects with professional counseling through business and family law, professional practice standards, and the study of board rules designed to protect clients. Her teaching emphasizes the connection between ethical decision-making, policy awareness, and effective advocacy.
In the ACA Advocacy in Action series, Dr. Bacon facilitates “Everyday Advocacy: Big and Small” and “Understanding How Government Works,” empowering counselors to transform insight into impact through ethical, informed, and practical advocacy.