American Mental Health Counselors Association Names First Black Female President

The American Mental Health Counselors Association, a national organization with more than 7,000 clinical mental health counselors among its ranks, announced this month that Angele Moss-Baker, owner of Comprehensive Addiction & Psychological Services in Washington, D.C., has been named president of the association.

Moss-Baker is the first Black woman to be appointed to the role of president in the association’s 44-year history.

A licensed professional counselor, licensed marriage and family therapist, master addiction counselor and employee assistance counselor, Moss-Baker has more than 25 years of experience in behavioral health, specializing in treating co-occurring disorders and integrated treatment practices. Among the issues Moss-Baker will focus on as she begins her tenure as the leader of AMHCA will be the challenges for mental health professionals created by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as structural and systemic racial issues in society and mental healthcare.

“It is my honor to represent the thousands of clinical mental health counselors at the forefront of discussions when policymaker and mental health stakeholders search for practical solutions to the challenges in our nation's mental health system,” Moss-Baker said in a news release. “I am committed to do whatever I can to address the needs and promote the interests of clinical mental health counselors around the country.”