Advocacy seeks to remove barriers and obstacles that inhibit access, growth, and development". It is an ethical and professional responsibility of all counsellors. "When appropriate, counselors advocate at individual, group, institutional, and societal levels to examine potential barriers and obstacles that inhibit access and/or growth and development of clients". To best serve the counseling clients, administrative supervisors advocate for clients, counseling services and perspectives, their counseling departments and staff members, and for their agencies. Often advocacy is about reminding others that meeting the clients' needs holds a higher priority than meeting the counselors' or the agency's needs. In the community, professional counsellors have contact with others that range from connecting with other counselors to community members who may not have a lot of information about counseling or may have negative opinions about counseling. As stated in the American counseling association advocacy Competencies, advocacy-oriented counselors "awaken the general public to macro-systemic issues regarding human dignity"and development.