Hannah Barnhill Bayne, PhD, LPC (VA), LMHC (FL)

Candidate Statement:

I have been a counselor and counselor educator for over 15 years. I am passionate about this work, and still in awe of the transformative power of the therapeutic process. Through my practice, research, and teaching, I have felt an urgency to address larger issues, such as how counselors can provide holistic and culturally-informed care. This has led me to explore anti-racist counseling and counselor training, LGBTQIA+ affirming practices, social justice and advocacy at the local and national levels, integration of religion and spirituality within the counseling process, and methods for enhancing the therapeutic alliance amid value or identity-based conflicts. My interests and desire for impact at the national level also led me to become involved in numerous divisions within ACA, including a term as president of the Association of Spiritual, Ethical, and Religious Values in Counseling, and a board position within the American College Counseling Association. I deeply value these opportunities, as they allowed me to develop an awareness and empathy for the varied needs of counselors, and a birds-eye view of some of the challenges and opportunities of our profession. As I grow in leadership and advocacy, I feel that a position within the ACA Board of Directors would give me a seat at the table to advocate for the current needs of our clients, students, and peers in the field, while also lending my voice to how we might respond as a profession to professional and sociopolitical challenges. Empathy and perspective-taking are some of my strengths, along with practical visioning of where we might hope to go. I would bring these skills to the role with intention, striving to consider the diverse stakeholders of ACA while taking care to seek out and elevate the needs and experiences of underrepresented voices.

Candidate Biography:

I am a licensed counselor in Virginia and Florida, and an associate professor of counselor education at Virginia Tech. My areas of research focus on therapeutic alliance, particularly how people can connect across differences. This includes examining cultural empathy, racial dynamics in counseling, navigating value conflicts, and religious and spiritual integration. Throughout my work, I am focused on helping students and clinicians provide affirming spaces and culturally-informed interventions for their clients. My professional interests have led to involvement and membership in multiple divisions and interest groups, including ASERVIC, ACES, AARC, AMCD, SAIGE, and ACCA. I served as president of the Association for Spiritual, Ethical, and Religious Values in Counseling (ASERVIC) in 2023 and held a board member position from 2017-2022. Additionally, I served on the board of the American College Counseling Association (ACCA, 2011-2014). I have also held editorial roles as associate editor for the journal of Counseling & Values, along with editorial board positions for Counselor Education and Supervision and Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development. Within ACA, I served for two years on the Ethics Committee. I also worked as a CACREP initial reviewer during my doctoral studies. These experiences have collectively given me a broad understanding of the profession from multiple vantage points, and I am eager to continue growing in my awareness and advocacy within our field.