School of Education

Education

• Ph.D. in Counselor Education, University of Maryland
• M.Ed. in Counselor Education, University of Virginia
• B.S.Ed. in Health & Physical Education, University of Virginia
  
  

Research interests

Student-athlete wellness; college and career readiness; mental health of K-12 students; school counselor development.

Career highlights

• Editorial Review Board Member for Professional School Counseling journal
• Senior Advisory Board member for The Professional Counselor journal
• Former President of Virginia School Counselor Association
• Former member of the board of directors for the American School Counselor Association
  
  

Recent publications

• Mayes, R. D., Ford, D. Y., Mims, L. C., Harris, P. C., Dhahan, M. K.*, & Mitchell-Dodge, K.* (2024) Policy matters for Black youth mental health. 
• Harris. P. C., Byrd, J., Kim, H., Seward, M., Baker, A., Meyyappan, A., Kumar, D., & Nickens, T. (2023). Counseling Black Male Student-Athletes in K-16. In Hines, E.M., & Fletcher, E.C. (Ed). Black males in secondary and postsecondary and education (Advances in race and ethnicity in education, Vol. 9). Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, 163-177.
• Hines, E.M., Fletcher, E. C., Harris, P.C., Henderson, J. A., & Moore, J. L. (2023). Using Homeplace to Guide STEM Identity Development in Black Males Theory Into Practice. Theory in Practice, 63 (1), 88-98.
• Hines, E.M., Mayes, R.D., & Harris, P.C. (2022). Introduction to special issue: Equity-based career development and postsecondary readiness. Journal of College Access, 7(1), 7-10. 
• Hines, E. M., Mayes, R. D., Harris, P. C., & Vega, D. (2022). Using a culturally responsive MTSS approach to prepare Black males for postsecondary opportunities, School Psychology Review.
  
  

Bio

Paul Harris, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the VCU School of Education, Department of Counseling and Special Education. His research draws on his experience as a K-12 counselor, teacher, and administrator. The goal of his research is to understand and build on the strengths of historically underserved youth and facilitate their empowerment to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. He pursues this goal through three lines of research: 1. Investigating the mental health and college and career promise of historically underserved youth; 2. Analyzing the identity development process of student-athletes with emphasis on Black males; 3. Examining the pre- and in-service school counselor training process to ensure the implementation of comprehensive school counseling programs in K-12 schools.

Curriculum Vitae