Jessica Diaz McKechnie, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Counseling, Higher Education, and Special Education. Dr. McKechnie is the director of field placement for the School Counseling program and the program coordinator of the newly launched Post Master's Certificate in Supporting Immigrant Students for Professional School Counselors. Dr. McKechnie has degrees in Psychology, Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling, and Counselor Education from the University of Maryland. She worked at the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Washington DC as a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor specializing in outpatient assessments with youth transitioning from school to postsecondary or work options while completing her Ph.D.. She also spent time as the Director of High School Support for KIPP Through College in Washington, DC supporting a group of school counselors and students throughout MD, DC, and VA. Dr. McKechnie has co-authored several book chapters and presented at national conferences on the subject of multicultural counseling. Her other interests include disability culture and field experience development over the course of the program. 

Spring 2012    Chi Sigma Iota, Alpha Delta Chapter, Outstanding Service to Chapter Award

Fall 2007         Counselor Education, School Counseling Research Fellowship (2007-2009)

March 2007     American Counseling Association Foundation, 2007 ACA Annual Convention Graduate Student Grant

Fall 2006         The Willamy Simonds King Memorial Scholarship (Fall & Spring semesters)

Chapters in Books

Hipolito-Delgado, C. & Diaz, J. M. (2012). Counseling Latinos/as. In C.C. Lee (Ed.) Multicultural issues in counseling: New approaches to diversity (4th Ed.). Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association.

Lee, C. C. & Diaz, J. M. (2010). Clemmont E. Vontress: His work within the sociopolitical context of the United States, 1950-1999. In R. Moodley & R. Walcott (Eds.) Counseling across and beyond cultures: Exploring the work of Clemmont Vontress in clinical practice. University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division.

Lee, C. C. & Diaz, J. M. (2009). The cross-cultural zone in counseling. In C.C. Lee, D. Burnhill, A. Butler, C.P. Hipolito-Delgado, M. Humphrey, O. Muñoz, HJ Shin (Eds.) Elements of culture in counseling. Boston, MA: Pearson Allyn & Bacon.

Lee, C. C. & Diaz, J. M. (2009). Counseling people of color. In D. Capuzzi, Gross, D.R (Eds.) Introduction to the counseling profession. Boston, MA: Pearson Allyn & Bacon.

Other Articles: Articles in Professional Publications (Refereed) & Dissertation

Havlik, S. A., Schneider, K., & McKechnie, J. D. (2019). Exploring Pre-practicum Site-Based Experiential Learning in School Counselor Preparation. The Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision, 12(2). 

McKechnie, J. D. (2012). Factors related to college-going self-efficacy among urban African American high school students. (Doctoral Dissertation). ProQuest Dissertations & Theses (http://hdl.handle.net/1903/13250).

Presentations

Lee, K., McKechnie, J., & Jacobson, J. (April 5, 2019). Hidden disabilities: Strategies for empowering mental health kindergarten through college. Presented at 2019 University of Maryland Disability Summit: Looking Ahead – ADA turns 30, College Park, MD.

McKechnie, J. D., Jacobson, J., Mitchell, N., Lee, K., & O’Neal, C. (March 6, 2020). Joy and community building for women faculty: Dismantling oppressive practices in the academic space. Presenting at Association for Women in Psychology First-Ever Virtual Conference: Doing Anti-Racism Work and Addressing Intergenerational Trauma.

2022    Morris and Alma Schapiro Family Foundation Fund, co-PI: The cultural competence of school counselors: Immigrant student perspectives [Submitted 2022; Funded]

EDCP 879                Apprenticeship in Counseling and Personnel Services; School Counseling

EDCP 621                Practicum in Counseling; Practicum in School Counseling

EDCP 615                   Counseling I: Appraisal (Blended)

EDCP 616                   Counseling II: Theory and Practice (Blended)

HONR218V                Disability Culture and Life Narratives