Michael Chaney, counseling, ACA awards
May 15, 2023
While attending the American Counseling Association Convention and Expo in late March, Associate Professor of Counseling Michael Chaney recently received both the ACA Fellows Award, the highest honor given by the organization – and the Presidential Service Award.
This distinctive ACA Fellows Award recognizes members who have advanced the counseling profession with significant and unique contributions throughout their career. Honorees represent a diverse community of leaders who create and expand knowledge and insight into the strategic matters of the counseling profession and who take an active role in the ACA in the identification of future trends, research and issues.
Meanwhile, the ACA’s Presidential Service Award recognizes Dr. Chaney's contributions to the Society for Sexual, Affectional, Intersex and Gender Expansive Identities (SAIGE). This division of the ACA advocates for equity and inclusion of LGBTQ+ people within the counseling profession and beyond.
“For the nearly two decades Dr. Chaney has been at OU, he has been a consistent and ardent advocate for social justice,” said Dr. Todd Leibert, chair of OU’s Department of Counseling in the School of Education and Human Services.
“That Dr. Chaney received these two prestigious awards tells me that his positive impacts on social justice have been felt far beyond our department. These recognitions are a credit to his efforts and are well-deserved.”
SAIGE also promotes the professional development of counselors and related professionals to ensure that all LGBTQ+ individuals receive ethical, culturally inclusive, liberating services that attend to all aspects of their intersectional identities.
Specifically, Dr. Chaney was recognized with the President’s Service Award to SAIGE for his service as Editor-in-Chief from 2016–22 of the Journal for LGBTQ Issues in Counseling.
"I am incredibly honored to be inducted as an American Counseling Association Fellow," he said.
"I entered the counseling profession because I wanted to make a difference in people's lives, and to be recognized for doing something I am passionate about – giving back to others and to my profession – is a true privilege."