MC counseling chair tapped for SACES Ethics Task Force service
Kayla Acklin, chair and assistant professor in the MC Department of Counseling, has been selected to serve on the 2025-26 Southern Association for Counselor Education and Supervision Ethics Task Force. The appointment runs from Jan. 1 through June 30.
The SACES is a regional professional organization affiliated with the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision and the American Counseling Association. It supports counselor education programs, faculty and students across the southern U.S.
Acklin said she is honored to serve on the task force.
“Ethical leadership in counselor education matters deeply because our decisions shape how future therapists are trained to care for others,” she said. “Being selected for this role is personally meaningful, as ethical leadership and professional responsibility are core values that guide my work as a counselor educator and department chair.
“Ethical leadership is not abstract in our field. It is reflected in how we treat people, how we respond to concerns, and how willing we are to hold ourselves accountable when it matters.”
The task force is charged with laying the groundwork for a standing SACES Ethics Committee by developing clear and practical guidance on ethical leadership and engagement, including outlining steps members can take when concerns arise and establishing transparent, consistent procedures for reviewing and addressing those concerns.
“What I am most looking forward to is collaborating with counselor educators who care deeply about creating ethical systems that are not only principled, but workable and support a culture of trust, clarity and responsibility within our professional community,” Acklin said. “I am proud to represent Mississippi College in this role.
“MC’s Christian mission aligns closely with the values at the heart of ethical counselor education, including integrity, accountability, service, and care for others. I am grateful for the institution’s support and for the opportunity to contribute to work that strengthens both SACES and the counseling profession as a whole.”
MC has been rated a 2025 Top Online School for Counseling by OnlineU for its Doctorate in Professional Counseling program. Christopher Washam, interim dean of the MC School of Education and Human Sciences, said the designation is indicative of Acklin’s leadership.
“I think it speaks highly of the School of Education and Human Sciences and our commitment to our Christian mission when one of our departmental leaders is chosen as a representative on an ethics task force in their discipline,” Washam said. “Dr. Acklin is an outstanding leader and will represent our school and MC in an exemplary fashion.”
Acklin joined the MC faculty in 2022 after serving as adjunct faculty in the Department of Counseling, Psychology and Special Education in the School of Education at Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Originally from Alabama, she received her B.S. in human development and family studies and her M.Ed. in clinical mental health counseling from Auburn University and her Ph.D. in counselor education and supervision from Duquesne.
A Licensed Professional Counselor, Acklin has provided individual, group and family counseling services for professional health care institutions in Pittsburgh; Warrior, Alabama; and Hoover, Alabama. An inductee of the Kappa Omicron Nu, Phi Kappa Phi, and Iota Delta Sigma Chapter of the Chi Sigma Iota Honor Societies, she was a Building Rural Alliances through Collaboration and Education (BRACE) Fellow.
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