Jessica Diaz McKechnie, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Counseling, Higher Education, and Special Education. Dr. McKechnie is also the interim director for the School Counseling program. 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.
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