About Me

I am an associate professor and serve as the chair for the Department of Counseling and Special Education at the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Education. I teach graduate students in the master's and doctoral counselor education programs with a focus on school counseling. I present at state, regional, and national conferences in the fields of counseling and education along with publishing articles in scholarly journals. Furthermore, I am on the editorial board for the Journal of Counseling and Development and Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development. I also serve as an Associate Editor for Counseling and Values and Editor for the Journal of School-based Counseling Policy and Evaluation. 

I attended the University of Central Florida (UCF; Go Knights!) in Orlando, FL where I earned my Ph.D. in Education with a concentration on Counselor Education. In addition, I earned my M.A. in Counselor Education and a Graduate Certificate in Career Counseling at UCF. Prior to attending UCF, I earned my B.A. in Psychology at Florida International University (FIU; Go Golden Panthers!) where I was also a student-athlete on the inaugural football team. 

I hold my Pupil Personnel Services License for School Counseling through the Virginia Department of Education. I am also a National Certified Counselor (NCC), a National Certified School Counselor (NCSC), and an Approved Clinical Supervisor (ACS). I have worked both as a school counselor and mental health counselor with a variety of diverse clientele and presenting issues. I have worked in a variety of fields that include working as a high school teacher, mental health technician, and football coach.

My work as a school counselor placed me in an alternative education setting serving high-risk youth who were expelled from their traditional school. As a result, I have an interest in investigating interventions that aim to improve educational outcomes for students considered at-risk for school failure.

My research focus includes school counseling, counselor education and supervision, and professional well-being. You can view some of my publications on Google Scholar by clicking here.

A selection of recent publications:

• An examination of school counselors’ career-sustaining behaviors and its relationship to burnout and job Satisfaction (2023): Click here

• Preparing school counseling trainees in professional legislative advocacy (2023): Click here

• An Examination of the GPS for SUCCESS Program (2022): Click here

• School Counselors as Critical Consumers of Research: Guidelines for Evaluating Quantitative Research by Recognizing Quality Indicators (2022): Click here

• Understanding the Relationships between Personal Growth Initiative, Hope, and Abstinence Self-Efficacy (2022): Click here

• School Counselor Burnout, Job Stress, and Job Satisfaction by Student Caseload (2021): Click here

• School Counselors’ Work-Related Rumination as a Predictor of Burnout, Turnover Intentions, Job Satisfaction, and Work Engagement (2020): Click here

• Development and initial testing of the Multidimensional Cultural Humility Scale (2020): Click here 

• School counselors’ use of SBIRT for substance use screening (2019): Click here

• Comparison of school characteristics among RAMP and Non-RAMP schools (2019): Click here

• An Examination of School Counselors’ Leadership Self-Efficacy, Programmatic Services, and Social Issue Advocacy (2019): Click here

• School Counselors' Attitudes toward Evidence-Based Practices (2019): Click here