The National Vocational Guidance Association formed in 1913 is considered a distant forerunner of which organization?

• A. American Counseling Association
• B. American Psychological Association
• C. National Education Association
• D. American Vocational Association

Answer: (A)

The idea is tracing how early professional groups in counseling evolved into today’s dominant counseling organization. The National Vocational Guidance Association, created in 1913, began as a group focused on helping people choose and enter appropriate occupations. As the field grew to encompass broader counseling functions—educational guidance, personal development, and career counseling—the organization expanded its scope and went through name changes and mergers that reflected this broader mission. That evolving lineage ultimately became the American Counseling Association, the current main umbrella for professional counselors. So, the NVGA is understood as a distant forerunner of the American Counseling Association. The other options don’t fit because psychology-focused groups (APA), teachers’ unions (NEA), or separate vocational-education groups did not become the primary counseling association.