Developing Multicultural Counseling Competence

Danica G. Hays, PhD, LPC, NCC, is an associate professor of Counseling and Chair of the Department of Counseling and Human Services at Old Dominion University. She is a recipient of the Outstanding Research Award, Outstanding Counselor Educator Advocacy Award, and Glen E. Hubele National Graduate Student Award from the American Counseling Association as well as the Patricia B. Elmore Excellence in Measurement and Evaluation Award and President's Special Merit Award from the Association of Assessment in Counseling and Education (AACE).



Dr. Hays served as Founding Editor of Counseling Outcome Research and Evaluation, a national peer-refereed journal of the AACE, and is Editor of Counselor Education and Supervision, a national peer-refereed journal of the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision. She served as President of the AACE in 2011-12. Her research interests include qualitative methodology, assessment and diagnosis, trauma and gender issues, and multicultural and social justice concerns in counselor preparation and community mental health. She has published over 75 articles and book chapters in these areas and coauthored or coedited these other books to date: Qualitative Inquiry in Clinical and Educational Settings (Guilford Publications), Mastering the National Counselor Exam and the Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Exam (Pearson), and the ACA Encyclopedia of Counseling (American Counseling Association). Professor Hays is also co-editor of the upcoming text, A Counselor's Guide to Career Assessment Instruments (6th edition, National Career Development Association). She has been a faculty member at Old Dominion University since 2006 and her primary teaching responsibilities are doctoral-level research methods courses, assessment, and clinical supervision.



Bradley T. Erford, PhD, is a professor in the school counseling program in the Education Specialties Department at Loyola University Maryland. He was President of the American Counseling Association during 2012-2013. He is an American Counseling Association (ACA) Fellow, and the recipient of several ACA awards, including the Research Award, Extended Research Award, Hitchcock Distinguished Professional Service Award, Professional Development Award, and the Carl Perkins Government Relations Award. He has received the Association for Assessment in Counseling and Education (AACE) Exemplary Practices Award; Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES) Robert O. Stripling Award for Excellence in Standards; and the Maryland Association for Counseling and Development (MACD) Maryland Counselor of the Year, Professional Development, Counselor Visibility, and Counselor Advocacy Awards.



Professor Erford's research specialization falls primarily in development and technical analysis of psychoeducational tests and has resulted in the publication of numerous books, journal articles, book chapters, and psychoeducational tests. He is a past chair of the ACA, Southern Region; past president of the AACE, the MACD, the Maryland Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (MACES), the Maryland Association for Mental Health Counselors (MAMHC), and the Maryland Association for Measurement and Evaluation (MAME). Dr. Erford is the past chair of the ACA Task Force on High Stakes Testing, Task Force on Standards for Test Users, Public Awareness and Support Committee, Bylaws Committee, and Interprofessional Committee. A Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, Licensed Professional Counselor, Nationally Certified Counselor, Licensed Psychologist, and Licensed School Psychologist, he teaches courses primarily in the areas of assessment, human development, research and evaluation, school counseling, and stress management.