IASC Launches: A New Home for Space Counseling and Behavioral Health
Today marks a milestone for the emerging field of space counseling and behavioral health. The International Association for Space Counseling (IASC) is officially open for membership and we are inviting professionals, researchers, students, and space industry colleagues from around the world to join us.
Why IASC, and Why Now?
Human spaceflight is entering a new era. Commercial space companies are expanding access to orbit. National space agencies are planning sustained lunar presence. Mars missions are moving from science fiction to engineering reality. And with this expansion comes a growing recognition that the psychological wellbeing and behavioral health of space travelers is not a secondary concern. It is mission-critical.
Yet the professional infrastructure to support this recognition has lagged behind the ambition. There is no established professional home for counselors, psychologists, and behavioral health researchers working at the intersection of space counseling and behavioral health. There is no peer-reviewed journal dedicated to the field. There is no community where practitioners can share knowledge, develop standards, and advocate for the importance of space counseling and behavioral health in exploration missions.
IASC was founded to fill that gap.
What IASC Offers
From day one, IASC is committed to providing meaningful value to its members:
The Journal of Space Counseling and Behavioral Health: Our peer-reviewed publication will advance the science and practice of space counseling and behavioral health in spaceflight, providing a rigorous venue for original research, review articles, and case studies.
Counseling Beyond Earth Magazine: Our professional magazine brings together perspectives from across the field, making space counseling and behavioral health accessible to practitioners, students, and space industry professionals alike.
Professional Community: IASC connects members across disciplines and borders, creating opportunities for collaboration, mentorship, and professional development in space counseling and behavioral health.
Advocacy: We will work to ensure that space counseling and behavioral health are recognized as essential components of mission planning, crew selection, and in-mission support.
Free Inaugural Memberships
To celebrate our launch, we are offering free inaugural memberships for a limited time. This is our investment in building a strong, diverse community from the start.
Professional memberships are open to individuals who have completed their formal education or are engaged in space, counseling, behavioral health, or a related field. Student memberships are available to currently enrolled students.
Availability is limited and offered on a first-come, first-served basis.
Join Us
The field of space counseling and behavioral health is at an inflection point. The decisions made now, about training standards, research priorities, ethical frameworks, and professional norms, will shape the field for decades to come.
We believe those decisions should be made by a community of dedicated professionals, working together with rigor, integrity, and a shared commitment to the wellbeing of those who venture beyond Earth.
We hope you will be part of that community.
Become a Member today and join us as we build this field together. Free inaugural memberships are available for a limited time.
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