Mark Taracuk begins term as president of the Georgia College Counseling Association

February 22, 2023

Mark D. Taracuk, Ph.D., assistant director of Georgia Southern University’s Counseling Center, recently began his term as the president of the Georgia College Counseling Association (GCCA). 

Taracuk’s appointed position as president includes three years of service where he will act as president-elect, president and past president. Taracuk has already completed his term as president-elect and his current term as president will end in February 2024.

“It is a real honor and privilege,” said Taracuk. “I am incredibly passionate about college student mental health. My goal is to highlight and advocate for training in college mental health as this is an important specialty within counseling and psychology. I hope we can continue to illuminate the incredible work that we are doing here at Georgia Southern and across the state as we work to support the growth and development of our students through holistic and multifaceted approaches that are essential to their well-being.”

The GCCA is a professional membership organization composed of professional practitioners employed in the counseling facilities of Georgia’s public and private institutions, colleges and universities, and is a state branch of the American College Counseling Association. 

GCCA advocates and promotes professionalism, offers continuing education through an annual conference and regional workshops, promotes state licensure and national certification, provides crisis intervention network support, fosters networking with colleagues, governs through a leadership council dedicated to serve the members’ professional needs, and otherwise promotes the profession of college counseling. 

The Association sprang to life during the summer of 1992 with the founding and purpose of organizing Georgia’s college counselors. Its first general membership meeting was held Oct. 29, 1992, during the American Counseling Association’s convention in Atlanta. GCCA held its 30th annual conference in early February 2023.