Paul De Sena, a professor of counselor education in the School of Education, was named the recipient of the 2014 Loyola Marymount University Rains Award for Excellence in Service. The university’s Rains Award recognizes “a tenured member of the professoriate whose service exemplifies the LMU mission in a manner that is outstanding.”
For almost 50 years, De Sena has been intimately involved in the counseling profession in California, serving as a counseling consultant to students in several school districts, and holding numerous leadership positions in regional and state professional organizations. An expert in all areas of counseling and counselor education, he has keynoted conferences and given presentations nationwide and internationally.
In 2013 De Sena was inducted into Stanford’s H.B. McDaniel Hall of Fame, which recognizes those who have made significant contributions to the counseling profession. He received the H.B. McDaniel Counseling Award in 1999, the most prestigious counseling award in the state of California, and in 2011 was honored with the Distinguished Service Award from the California Counseling Association. He was recognized with the Outstanding Mentorship Award and the Outstanding Service Award by the Western Association of Counselor Educators and Supervisors and in 2013 he was awarded the Counseling Advocacy Award by the California Association of School Counselors.
He is past president of the California Association for Counselor Educators and Supervisors (CACES), former president of the California Association for Specialists in Group Work (CASGW) and served on the board for the California Coalition for Counselor Licensure (CCCL), which was successful in bringing licensure for professional counselors to California in 2009. He served on the Executive Council and the Educational Foundation Board of the California Counseling Association (CCA) and is on the Governing Board of the California Association of School Counselors (CASC) serving as the counselor educator representative.
