International Association for Wellness Counseling (IAWC) 2026 World Conference
Join us for the IAWC 2026 World Conference in the city of Dallas, Texas where we will celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month, advancements in wellness counseling, wellness-based practices, research, and contributions from members throughout our global community!
May 20-23, 2026
Dallas, Texas
(Located at NorthPark Central - East Texas A&M University - Dallas)
The IAWC 2026 Conference is located near the Shops at Park Lane and NorthPark Center and includes
20+ Restaurants, 31+ Retail Stores, and 31+ Services + Entertainment
Pre-Conference Sessions: May 20, 2026
Featured Conference Sessions May 21-23
Hotel Reservations are Available at the IAWC 2026 Conference Rate until April 29
To become a IAWC member, 2026 conference sponsor and/or exhibitor, select the Membership Rates tab or click here.
Best Value
Early Registration until April 1
150
IAWC 2026 World Conference
Early registration fee in-person: $150 until April 1, 2026
12 ay için geçerli
Includes all featured sessions, keynotes, panels, and CEUs
Includes May 20th Pre-Conference sessions.
Best Value
IAWC 2026 Conference Registration
250
IAWC 2026 Conference
Registration Fee In-Person: $250
12 ay için geçerli
Includes all featured sessions, keynotes, panels, and CEUs
Includes May 20th Pre-Conference sessions.
Best Value
IAWC 2026 Conference Platinum Sponsor
400
Platinum Sponsors are featured in the IAWC 2026 Conference Agenda/Program Booklet, Post-Conference May Newsletter, IAWC website, social media, and with conference keynotes and panels.
12 ay için geçerli
Mental Health Businesses, Agencies, Private Practices, etc.
Best Value
IAWC 2026 Conference Gold Sponsor
300
Gold Sponsors are featured in the IAWC 2026 Conference Agenda/Program Booklet, Post-Conference May Newsletter, IAWC website, and with conference keynotes and panels.
12 ay için geçerli
Mental Health Businesses, Agencies, Private Practices, etc.
Best Value
IAWC 2026 Conference Silver Sponsor
150
Silver Sponsors are featured in the IAWC 2026 Conference Agenda/Program Booklet and Post-Conference May Newsletter
12 ay için geçerli
Mental Health Businesses, Agencies, Private Practices, etc.
Best Value
IAWC 2026 Conference Bronze Sponsor
100
Bronze Sponsors are featured in the IAWC 2026 Conference Agenda/Program Booklet.
12 ay için geçerli
Mental Health Businesses, Agencies, Private Practices, etc.
Early Registration and Sponsorships
IAWC 2026 World Conference Registration and Sponsorships
International Association for Wellness Counseling (IAWC)
2026 World Conference
Celebrating Mental Health Awareness Month, Advancements in Wellness Counseling, and Wellness-Based Practices Throughout our Global Community!
When: May 20-23, 2026
Where: Dallas, Texas
NorthPark Central - East Texas A&M University Dallas https://www.etamu.edu/dallas/
-
8750 North Central Expressway Suite 1900, Dallas, Texas 75231
Hotel Reservation at Conference Rate:
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Dallas - Campbell Centre (4-min drive/10-min walk from conference venue) Hotel Registration
All education sessions, roundtables, poster presentation, and panels will be announced soon!
Conference registration includes all sessions, including pre-conference.
Topics include, but are not limited to:
Wellness counseling outcome research
Client wellness strategies and interventions
Evidence-based wellness counseling practices
Wellness approach to client assessment
Wellness approach to case conceptualization
Wellness approach to treatment planning
Wellness approach to intervention
Wellness practices for counselors and counselors-in-training
Wellness approaches in supervision and counselor education
Volunteer form (volunteers receive free conference registration):
Dr. Donna Gibson
May 21, 2026
Who We Are Is How We Practice:
Counselor Wellness Competencies as Identity Work
Wellness has long been recognized as a core value of the counseling profession, yet it is often treated as an individual responsibility rather than a defining feature of professional identity. This keynote reframes counselor wellness as identity work, arguing that who we are as counselors directly shapes how we practice, teach, supervise, and lead. Using the Counselor Wellness Competencies as a guiding framework, this address explores how wellness functions as professional competence, ethical responsibility, and a foundation for sustainability in an increasingly complex and demanding field. Attendees will be invited to consider how the intentional integration of wellness competencies into counselor education, supervision, and professional culture can strengthen counselor identity, enhance effectiveness, and support the future vitality of the profession.
IAWC 2026 World Conference Thursday, May 21, 2026
Keynote
Dr. Elsa Soto Leggett
May 22, 2026
Counselors in Leadership & Advocacy
Professional counselors as leaders play a vital and transformative role within organizations, communities, and the broader mental health field. Their unique combination of empathy, ethics, and advocacy positions them to lead with integrity, inclusivity, and purpose. Dimensions of servant leadership and counseling skills can be transferrable leadership skills and roles. As leadership builds confidence and communication, voices become amplified to influence change. Counselors as leaders can bring voice to social justice issues and empower others through advocacy (Prasath et al., 2021).
IAWC 2026 World Conference Friday, May 22, 2026
Keynote
Dr. Bengü Ergüner-Tekinalp
May 23, 2026
Universal or Pluriversal? Toward a Relational and Plural Vision of Wellness Counseling
Our conference begins with keynotes that emphasizes the importance of counselor identity in wellness and the importance of leadership and advocacy. This keynote builds on those conversations by extending them into a broader question: should wellness counseling be guided by a universal model of human flourishing assumed to apply across contexts, or by a pluriversal approach that makes room for multiple cultural, relational, spiritual, and community-based ways of wellness? Counseling scholarship has increasingly moved in the direction of situating wellness within interconnected systems, and within multicultural, social justice and decolonial frameworks. Building on these contributions, this keynote asks how such insights might more fully reshape the field’s theories, practices, and professional imagination. Wellness is not only an individual self-management, but something created and sustained in relationship with others in communities within the systems. The keynote will invite a global horizon in conversation with the panel that follows. Wellness is culturally and relationally situated; therefore, the future of wellness counseling cannot rest on globalizing a single dominant framework. It must instead pluralize the global, making room for many worlds of knowing, healing, belonging, and flourishing. Our task may not be arriving at one universal wellness, but to create a genuine engagement with many worlds of wellness. The question is how relationally and plurally we are imagining wellness?
IAWC 2026 World Conference Saturday, May 23, 2026
Keynote
IAWC 2026 World Conference Schedule
Wednesday, May 20, 2026
Pre-Conference Sessions Announced Soon
12:00 - 5:00 PM
Onsite Registration
IAWC Meetings
IAWC Info Sessions: Wellness Counseling Today Podcast, Wellness Counseling Monthly Newsletter, Wellness Counseling Quarterly Journal
IAWC Info Session: IAWC Wellness Retreats (Summer/Mid-Year 2026 - Winter/New Year 2027)
Thursday, May 21, 2026
9:00 AM Opening Ceremony
10:00 AM
Keynote
Donna Gibson, Ph.D., LPC, NCC, BC-TMH
Who We Are is How We Practice: Counselor Wellness Competencies as Identity Work
11:00 AM
Awards Ceremony
12:00 PM
Lunch
IAWC Meet & Greet - First-time Conference Attendee Mixer
IAWC Info Sessions - Wellness Counseling Today Podcast, Wellness Counseling Monthly Newsletter, Wellness Counseling Quarterly Journal
12:00 - 5:00 PM
Venders/Exhibits
1:00 PM
50 min Education Sessions
Stacy Haynes, EdD, LPC, ACS
Little Hands Family Services, LLC
IAWC 2026 World Conference Platinum Sponsor
Love Our Babies Well: Helping Clinicians Use the 8 Dimensions of Wellness in Family Counseling
Dr. Osaro Airen, PhD, LPC-S, NCC, MBA
Tarrant County College
Well-Being in a Connected World: Rethinking Social Media and Mental Health
Brittani Adache, M.S., PhD-C
Capella University
Ethical, Wellness-Oriented Counseling Strategies for Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Jesse Fox, PhD
Stetson University
Contemplation, A Long Loving Look at the Real: How Christian Contemplation Informs Wellness through Lectio Divina
2:00 PM
50 min Roundtables
Donna Gibson, Ph.D., LPC, NCC, BC-TMH and Lindai Xie, Ph.D.
Virginia Commonwealth University and Texas Tech University
More Than Just a Degree: Cultivating the "Whole Counselor" in Doctoral Education with a Wellness Competency-Based Approach
Weiping Lam, M.A., LPC and Ana L. Castro, M.Ed., LPC-A
East Texas A&M University
Strengthening Wellbeing Skills for Healthy Adolescent Digital Technology Use: An Indivisible Self Model-Informed Approach
Cebrail Karayigit, Assocaite Professor & Jason Kushner, Professor
Rowan University & University of Arkansas at Little Rock
Wellness and Mental Health for International Students: A Socio-Ecological Approach
Emily Lee-Chong, M.S., NCC, LAPC
Duquesne University
Cultivating Counselor-in-Training Resilience through Wellness Practices
3:00 PM
50 min Education Sessions
Bengu Erguner-Tekinalp, PhD
Drake University
Teaching Wellness: Embodied Contemplative Practices
Kate Johnson, PhD, LPC-S (MS), LPC (AL), NCC and Naseera Mays, NBC-HWC
Delta State University
From Gratitude Ripples to Wellness Waves: Simple Practices That Amplify Whole-Person Wellness for Counselors and the Clients They Serve
Samantha Swift MA, LPC, NCC
National Louis University
From Rupture to Repair: A Wellness-Based Framework for Conceptualizing Friendship Loss
Lydia Thomas, MS, NCC, CAADC/CSAC
William & Mary
Beyond Bubble Baths: Rethinking Self-Care
4:00 PM
30 min Poster Sessions
Gabriella Gilbert MS, NCC, LPC
Duquesne University
Promoting Client Wellness: Practical, Evidence-Informed Strategies and Interventions for Holistic Counseling Practice
Kayla Newkirk, MHC-LP, M.S.Ed.
Waynesburg University
Virtual Vitality: Bridging the CSI Counselor Wellness Competencies and the CHANGES Model for Accessible Telehealth Supervision
Zahide Sunal, PhD, NCC, LPC
University of Texas at Tyler
Mental Health and Wellness in Older Adults: A Wellness-Based Perspective
Malley Morales, CMHC Student/Intern, Amanda Ly, M.S., LPC-Associate, NCC
East Texas A&M University
Barriers and Challenges to Wellness and Self-Care for Masters Counseling Students in Practicum and Internship: A Qualitative Inquiry
Friday, May 22, 2026
9:00 AM
50 min Education Sessions
Dr. Paul Granello, Ph.D., LPCC-S
The Ohio State University
15 Spiritual Wellness Attributes for Wellness Counseling
Geneva Walker, LPC
Victorious Walk Counseling & Southwestern University
Why Holding Both Is the Secret to Living Victoriously: A Trauma-Informed Path to Healing and Resilience
Abigail Van Patten-Freeman, PhD, LMHC (IA) , CCMHC, NCC
South Dakota State University
From Surviving to Thriving: The Effects of Executive Function and Organizational Support on the Wellness of Counselors with ADHD
Portia Allie-Turco, PhD, LMHC, NCC
State University of New York Plattsburgh
Midlife Wellness Reimagined: Clinical Strategies for Counseling During Perimenopause and Menopause
10:00 AM
50 min Education Sessions
Stephanie Pair, Ed.D.
Bowie State University Yes, Education Session (50 min)
The Ideal Empath: Integrating Preventive Measures to Boost Work Quality
Brittani Adache, LMHC, PhD(c) and Jordan Dunn, LMHC-A, PhD
Capella UniversityYes, Education Session (50 min)
Embodied Wellness and Ethical Practice: Integrating Somatic Counseling for Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Cindy R Boyle, PhD, LMHC, LCPC, LPC, NCC
Boyle Counseling & Consulting
Accessible Wellness: A Strengths Focused Approach to Counseling Clients with Disabilities
Lynnquell Gardiner, PhD
Nova Southeastern University
Ecowellness and Blue Space Engagement: A Caribbean Perspective on Mental Health and Well-being
11:00 AM
Keynote
Elsa Soto Leggett, PhD, LPC-S, RPT-S, CSC
Counselor Leadership and Advocacy
12:00 PM
Lunch
IAWC Info Session: Advocacy
Graduate Student Mixer
12:00 - 5:00 PM
Venders/Exhibits
1:00 PM
50 min Education Sessions
Abdelaziz Elmadnani, Ph.D., CMHC-LP
CUNY- Brooklyn College
The Role of Advocacy in Clients' Well-being
Shay Carper, Ph.D., LPC-S, GCDF
University of the Cumberlands
Calendar invite: Self-Care
Gary Wardlaw, LMFT-S, LPC-S
The Relationship Clinic
Healing a Bloodline of Trauma: Understanding The Psychological Effects of Racism, Bias, & Practical Ways to Foster Healing
Tristen Hyatt, PhD, LPC, NCC, BCTP-I
Fort Hays State University
Self-Care and Autonomy: Recognizing the Impact of Decision Making on Wellness
2:00 PM
50 min Roundtables
Fatima Leghari, Ed.M.
University of Alabama
Supporting International Students' Wellness in Practice: Reflections, Challenges, and Opportunities for Counselors
Diana Cascante, LAC and Lizy Humphrey, LPC
University Arkansas
Support for Latinx Counselors in Training in Underrepresented Programs
Cebrail Karayigit
Rowan University
From Suffering to Wellness: Meaning in Life Framework as a Counseling Intervention
Dr RJ Davis, PhD, NCC, LPC, CSC
University of Houston Clear Lake
The Influence of Technology on Mental Health and Wellness
3:00 PM
50 min Education Sessions
Lea Cuevas, LPC-Associate & Olivia Fellers, LMFT-Associate
Denton County Friends of the Family
Beyond Survival: Holistic Clinical Considerations for Women Impacted by Domestic Violence
Claire Martin, PhD, LPC, NCC, ACS, BC-TMH
Webster University
When Voices Are Silenced: Epistemic Injustice as Racial Trauma
Wendy Killam, Ph.D, NCC, CRC, LPC-S
Stephen F. Austin State University
Creative Recharge: Using Expressive Arts to Reduce Stress and Restore Energy
Cha'Ke'Sha Spencer, Ph.D., LPC, NCC, ACS, CPCS
Clark Atlanta University
"You Good?": Wellness Practices and Barriers to Black Counselor Wellness
4:00 PM
50 min Education Sessions and Panels
Katina S. Dimitro, MS, AFC
Southern Arkansas University
Integrating Financial Wellness: Client Strategies and Interventions for Holistic Health
Michelle Bryant Johnson
Michelle Bryan Johnson, LLC
Sustaining the Healers: Practical Wellness Practices for Counselors and Counselors-in-Training
Deb Majewski, EdD, LCPC, NCC
Trinity Christian College
Self-Care for Counselors: The Creation, Implementation, and Outcomes of a "Self-Care for Counselors" Course as part of a Clinical Mental Health Program Curriculum.
Saturday, May 23, 2026
9:00 AM
50 min Education Sessions
Iman L. Khan, LPC, LMHC
Blooming Minds
Rebranding Mental Health: A Total Health Framework for Wellness Counseling Practice
Jordan Dunn, LMHCA, PhD (C)
Capella University
Embodied Boundaries: Strengthening Counselor Wellness and Supervision
Michael Banta, M.S., LPC
East Texas A & M University
Finding the Words: Utilizing the Feelings Wheel to Enhance Emotional Literacy - A Novel Approach
Wm Marty Martin, PsyD, MPH, MSc
DePaul University
Beyond the Chatbot Hype: A Stepped-Care Blueprint for Responsible AI in Wellness Counseling
10:00 AM
50 min Education Sessions
Galaxina G. Wright, PhD, LMHC, NCC
Nova Southeastern University
Wellness Strategies for Managing Research and Other Academic Responsibilities as a Counselor Educator
Liz Dinwiddie, PhD, LPC, NCC and Joshua Epps, Ed.D.
Colorado State University and University of Virginia
Living the Six Dimensions: Embedding Wellness into School Counselor Professional Identity
Dawn Matherly, PhD, LPC-S
Northwestern State University (Natchitoches, La)
A Wellness Framework Across Counselor Training and Trauma Practice: From Classroom to Clinic
Kemmel Palmer, PhD, LLPC, CCC
Aquinas College
Integrating a Wellness-Based Approach into Client Assessment
11:00 AM
Keynote
Bengü Ergüner-Tekinalp, PhD
Universal or Pluriversal? Toward a Relational and Plural Vision of Wellness Counseling
12:00 PM
Lunch
Graduate Student Mixer
IAWC Info Session: Diversity in Wellness Counseling
IAWC New Member Mixer
12:00 - 3:00 PM
Venders/Exhibits
1:00 PM
50 min Education Sessions
April McAnally, LPC-S
April McAnally Therapy
Help for the Helper: Preventing Burnout and Implementing Self Care
Rich Phillips, Author
Make Life Extraordinary, LLC
Building a Wellness Narrative: Utilizing Literature and Storytelling to Foster Emotional Resilience
Amanda Ly, M.S., LPC-Associate, Ana L. Castro, M.Ed., LPC-Associate, Malley Morales, CMHC Student/Intern, Weiping Lam, M.A., LPC
East Texas A&M University
From Burnout to Balance: Promoting Personal and Professional Wellness in Counseling Students Through Participation in Chi Sigma Iota Leadership Roles
2:00 PM
50 min Education Sessions
Cha'Ke'Sha Spencer, Ph.D., LPC, NCC, ACS, CPCS
Clark Atlanta University
Tired but Still Called: How Black Counselors Practice Wellness
Euchay Ngozi Horsman, PhD, CRC, LPC, CFMHE, CVE
Southern Arkansas University
From Mandate to Practice: Integrating Counselor Wellness Across Training and Professional Development
Dr. Kelly Dryzal, Ed.D, LPC, CMNCS, CIS-R
Shippensburg University
Nourishing Recovery: Integrating Nutritional Interventions into Trauma-Informed Care
Yvette Longoria, PhD, LPC-S
Our Lady of the Lake
Integrating Human Design and Trauma-Informed Counseling: A Holistic Panel Discussion on Empowerment and Healing
3:00 PM
IAWC Info Session - Professional Development
IAWC Info Session - IAWC Wellness Retreats (Summer/Mid-Year 2026 - Winter/New Year 2027)
Panel - Announced Soon
4:00 PM
Closing Ceremony
IAWC 2026 World Conference Sponsors
Platinum Sponsors
Department of Counseling
