Professional Associations

All students are encouraged to become active members of National and State Counseling Associations. Professional associations offer valuable resources for professional development and professional advocacy.

National:

• American Counseling Association (ACA): www.counseling.org
• American School Counselor Association (ASCA): www.schoolcounselor.org
• National Board for Certified Counselors and Affiliates (NBCC): www.nbcc.org

Other ACA Divisions:

• Association for Assessment and Research in Counseling (AARC): www.aarc-counseling.org
• Association for Creativity in Counseling (ACC): https://www.creativecounselor.org/
• Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES): http://www.acesonline.net
• Association for Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual, and Transgender Issues in Counseling (ALGBTIC): http://www.algbticconference.org
• Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development (AMCD): https://multiculturalcounselingdevelopment.org
• Association for Spiritual, Ethical, and Religious Values in Counseling (ASERVIC): http://www.aservic.org
• Association for Specialists in Group Work (ASGW): http://www.asgw.org
• Counseling Association for Humanistic Education and Development (C-AHEAD)
• Counselors for Social Justice (CSJ): http://www.counselorsforsocialjustice.net
• International Association of Marriage and Family Counselors (IAMFC): http://www.iamfconline.org
• The National Career Development Association (NCDA): http://ncda.org/

State:

• Massachusetts School Counselors Association (MSCA): www.masca.org
• Western Massachusetts Counseling Association (WMCA): http://www.masca.org/affiliates/wmca.htmm
• Franklin-Hampshire Guidance Association (FHGA) https://masca.wildapricot.org/Affiliates

Transportation & Parking

There are a variety of transportation options for those who live on and off campus. Additional information can be found at the following links:

Car Travel

UMass Parking Services sells parking permits for lots on campus.

Alternatively, you can purchase a full-year parking pass to park in the Immanuel Lutheran Church parking lot next door to the school of education building (Furcolo). This parking pass is valid for daytime use (7am – 10pm) Monday-Friday. These passes are available on a first-come-first-serve basis. You can find more information by calling 413-549-0322 sometime between Mon-Fri from 10 a.m. through 2 p.m.

Graduate students can also join the graduate student union for a nominal fee, and that membership provides a parking discount. See the Graduate Employee Organization (GEO) website for additional information.

PVTA Bus Transportation

UMass Transit operates PVTA buses for the Five Colleges as well as the towns of Amherst, Belchertown, Deerfield, Granby, Hadley, Northampton, South Hadley, and Sunderland. PVTA bus service is free for UMass students in Amherst (except the B 45 in summer)

PVTA Bus Schedule 
Locate your PVTA bus online, or with a downloadable app. 

Bicycling to Campus

Rail Trail (Bike Path): "The Norwottock Branch of the Mass Central Rail Trail is an 11-mile paved path linking Northampton, Hadley, Amherst and Belchertown along the former Central Massachusetts Railroad Company right-of-way. The path's level terrain provides safe passage for pedestrian and wheeled users of all ages, types and abilities" - from Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. Check out a copy of the Rail Trail Map.