Paul C. Abney, MEd, PhD

Professor, Behavioral Sciences; Senior Director, Academic Examinations and Scheduling; NBME Executive Chief Proctor

Paul C. Abney, PhD, has extensive experience working as an educator, researcher, consultant and clinician. His background includes many years as a university professor, and serving as a consultant to education and community human services agencies. Additionally, Dr. Abney has more than two decades of clinical training and experience as a mental health practitioner and addictions counselor.

In addition to being a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC), Dr. Abney has received extensive recognition as a national and international author and presenter. His research has been published in the Journal of Counseling and Development, Journal of Technology in Counseling, Journal of Technology in Human Services, Integrating Technology in Higher Education (University Press of America), and Traumatology. He has presented at numerous medical conferences, including the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education, the International Meeting on Education and Thinking, the World Conference of the American Counseling Association, the Association for Specialists in Group Work, the Association for Adult Development and Aging, the International Congress on Constructivism and Psychotherapy, the Work-Scholar Panel at Esalen Institute, and the American Association of Counselor Education and Supervision.

Dr. Abney’s research interests and presentations include his personally developed dialogical approach to medical interviewing, consulting, coaching and counseling entitled: "RESOURCERY (Reiteratively Expressed Self-in-Relation Orientations Utilizing Reality Constructs Exhibiting Relational Yields): A Meaning Practice for a Practice Full of Meaning."

Areas of expertise

Interpersonal Communication Skills
Group Therapy
Existential Counseling
Addiction Treatment
Organizational Leadership

Education and Certification

1999–2002, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas
Doctor of Philosophy, PhD
Department of Counseling, Development, and Higher Education, Major: Counselor Education
1996–1998, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas
Masters of Education, MEd, Major: Counselor Education
1976–1978, University of Albuquerque, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Bachelors of Arts, BA, Major: Philosophy
1994–1996, Eastfield College, Dallas, Texas
I. Associate of Applied Science, AAS, Major: Substance Abuse Counseling
II. Associate of Applied Science, AAS, Major: Social Work

Certifications

National Certified Counselor (NCC), National Board of Certified Counselors
Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Texas Department of State Health Services
Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor (LCDC) (Inactive), Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse
Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LADC) (Inactive), Nevada State Board of Examiners for Drug and Alcohol Counselors

Honors and Awards

Distinguished and Meritorious Award for 2008, University of the Virgin Islands
Outstanding College of Education Instructor for 2003, University of Nevada, Reno, NV

Affiliations and Memberships

Member - An International Association for Medical Education (AMEE)
Member - American Counseling Association (ACA)
Member - Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES)
Past Member - International Association for Play Therapy (IAPT)
Member - Association for Specialists in Group Work (ASGW)
Charter Member - International Gestalt Therapist Association (IGTA)
Charter Member - Chi Sigma Iota Honor Society, Rho Kappa Chapter
American Association University Professors (AAUP)

Research

Co-Principal Investigator: Math Science Partnership-Start from the National Science Foundation - Awarded $300,000. (Sept. 2008).
Project Director: No Teacher Left Behind (2^nd iteration) - From the U.S. Department of Education. Awarded $90,366. (2006-2008).
On-Site Evaluator: State Incentive Grant and the Mental Health and Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grants. Development of a comprehensive substance abuse prevention state system for youth ages 12-17. Awarded $1,257,210 annually for three years [extended]. (2005-2010).
On-Site Evaluator: State Epidemiology Outcome Workgroup. USVI Division of Mental Health, Alcoholism and Drug Dependency Services. To establish and sustain a State Epidemiological Outcomes Workgroup that will examine alcohol, tobacco, and other drug-related archival data in the Virgin Islands. Awarded $77,476 annually for three years [extended]. (2006-2010).
Project Director: No Teacher Left Behind - From the U.S. Department of Education - Awarded $74,852. (2005-2006).
Project Director: Closing the Gap between High Touch and High Tech: Integrating Multi-Media Technology into a Counseling Skills-Based Training Model- Scholarly Activity Pool Application- University of Nevada, Reno. Awarded $4,000. (2003).

Publications

Coulter, M. A. & Abney, P.C. (Jan., 2009). A study of burnout in international and country of origin teachers. International Review of Education/Internationale Zeitschrift für Erziehungswissenschaft/Revue internationale l'éducation.(55)1. pp. 105-121.

Stein-Seroussi, A., Brodish, P., & Abney, P.C. (Mar, 2008) Virgin Islands Prevention (VIP) State Incentive Grant (SIG) summary of the findings from the 2007 Virgin Islands Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Chapel Hill, N.C.: Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation. Available here

Stein-Seroussi, A., Brodish, P., & Abney, P.C. (May, 2007) Virgin Islands prevention (VIP) state incentive grant (SIG) summary of the findings from the 2006 Virgin Islands Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Chapel Hill, N.C.: Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation. Available here

Abney, P.C. (April, 2007). Virgin Islands Epidemiological Profile. State Epidemiological Outcomes Workgroup (SEOW). Pacific Institute of Research and Evaluation (PIRE) and University of the Virgin Islands (UVI). St. Croix, USVI: USVI Department of Health-Division of Mental Health, Alcoholism, and Drug Dependency Services and the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (CSAP-SAMHSA).

Brodish, PH; Mills, F; Abney, PC; Berkeley, CS; & Stein-Seroussi, A. An epidemiological profile for the prevention of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use in the Virgin Islands.

Maples, M. F., & Abney, P. C. (Jan. 2006). Baby Boomers Mature: Gerocounseling comes of age. Journal of Counseling and Development, 84(1).

Maples, M. F., Packman, J., Abney, P. C., Daughtery, R. A., Casey, J. A., & Pirtle, L. (Sept. 2005). Middle school teen suicide: A postvention team approach. Journal of Counseling and Development,83(4).

Newman, J. & Abney, P. C. (Nov. 2005). The use of digital video editing software in microskills based counselor education programs: A technology perspective. Journal of Technology in Counseling, 4 (1).

Newman, J. & Abney, P. (2004). Microskills Based Counselor Training Using Digital Video Editing Software. In C. Crawford et al. (Eds.), Proceedings of Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education International Conference 2004 (pp. 1303-1306). Chesapeake, VA: AACE.

Abney, P. C., & Maddux, C. D. (2004). Counseling and technology: Some thoughts about the controversy. Journal of Technology in Human Services,22(3).

D’Andrea, L.M., Abney, P.C., Swinney, R., & Ganyon, J.R. (2004). Critical incident stress debriefing (CISD) in rural communities. Traumatology, 10(3). 179-184.

Liu, L. & Abney, P.C. (2004). Integrating interactive video technology into counseling skill training. In M.O. Thirunarayanan (Ed.), Integrating Technology in Higher Education. University Press of America. Lanham, MD.

Liu, L., Maddux, C., Abney, P., & Kongrith, K. (2004). Creating interactive video for counseling skill training. In C. McLoughlin & L. Cantoni (Eds.), Proceedings of ED-MEDIA, Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia and Telecommunications (pp. 1863-1868). Charlottesville, VA: AACE.

Newman, J. & Abney, P. C. (2004). Microskills based counselor training using digital video editing software. Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education International Conference, V. 2004, 1, 1303-1306.

Abney, P. C. (2002). A study of the relationship between counselor self-awareness and counselor effectiveness. Dissertation Abstracts International, 63(09), 3112A.

Abney, P. C. (1999). The most important issue facing the counseling profession today. Recovery Today, 4(10) 1-4.