the history of SCA

On April 11, 1983, Georgie Kunkel invited Sara Gortler and James May to meet and begin the process of forming a professional counseling association in the Seattle area. Tentative by-laws were written.

At that time, the Washington Counseling Association (then called the Washington Association for Counseling and Development) required a minimum of ten of their members to participate to form a local chapter. A list of the state members was obtained. Another organizational meeting was held with the required number of WCA members present.

Later, at a third meeting on September 10, 1983, the by-laws were approved and provisional officers were elected. Jerald Forster acted as temporary secretary for the meeting. Charter officers were John Clark, president; Susan Dearborn and Bob Hawkins, co-vice president; and Sara Gortler, secretary-treasurer.

On October 14, 1983, the state association accepted our request to be chartered. Charter members were: Gary Adams, N. Becky Allen, Carole S. Campbell, Carol Cannon, John A. Clark, Susan Dearborn, Anne I. DeVore, Robert Hawkins, Dan Houtman, Sara Gortler, Mary Kay Morgan, Jerald R. Forster, Patricia Hare, Georgie Kunkel, Cathy A. Kuwamoto, Charles E. Landis, Don MacDonald, Albert MacLean, Don C. Matney, Sandra S. Meggert, Yvonne Owen, Carol Peters, Jerry Plymire, Char Raynor, Nina Redman, Susan S. Scott, Lynn Spurlock, Linda Thompson, Robert C. Vanderway, and Casimir Zieliniski.

Dr. Jerald Forster, a UW professor, hosted the first two meetings at the University of Washington. Then Susan Dearborn offered her home for regular meetings and all social meetings. Membership grew to over 150 and larger quarters were required. Over the next few years, SCA met at Seattle University, University of Puget Sound and the University Unitarian Church before establishing our current meeting site at Swedish Cultural Center.

After the first three years, Georgie Kunkel was voted SCA Office Executive. She maintained the SCA office, answered the phone, put out the newsletter, and took care of membership. After a number of years, Jennie Merchant and Barbara Zick arranged for commercial office management.

SCA developed an organizational structure including committees, monthly meetings, and a bi-monthly newsletter. Dues were originally $5.00. A brochure was published and a directory of members was created.

In the beginning SCA was SACD, Seattle Association for Cousnseling and Development, to match the state name of Washington Association for Counseling and Development. When SCA became autonomous, it was changed to SCA, Seattle Counselors Association.