Frances McClain

Dr. McClain (Dr. Mac) received her MA in Counseling from Governors State University and her PhD in Counselor Education & Supervision from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Since 2010, she has been the Director of Clinical Training in the Counseling Psychology Department and has been an adjunct instructor with The Chicago School since 2008. Prior to joining The Chicago School, she was the Program Director at a community mental health center on the North Shore. Throughout her career she has worked in a number of different capacities that includes individual, family, and group clinical work, clinical and administrative supervision, grant writing, program development and implementation, case management, psychosocial rehabilitation, community liaison work with both private and state psychiatric hospitals, and consultation with mental health centers around program development and accreditation preparation. Her career journey has taken her from the far South suburbs of Chicago to DuPage County to Chicago, and Chicago's North Shore. Dr. McClain has worked in the mental health field since 1984 and as a clinical supervisor since 1995. Dr. McClain has presented at the local, state, and national level on topics related to cultural sensitivity, professional ethics and values conflict, and human sexuality, especially as it relates to marginalized populations. She is a co-founder of the Association of Counseling Sexology & Sexual Wellness (ACSSW), a division of the American Counseling Association. As ACSSW President (22-23), she established the BIPOC Task Force with the objective of exploring sexuality education and training needs specifically as they relate to the BIPOC communities. Dr. McClain is also on the editorial board of the Journal of Counseling Sexology & Sexual Wellness: Research, Practice, and Education (ISSN: 2577-1299) and is the editor of the quarterly ACSSW newsletter. Since 2021 she has coordinated a series of webinars, done in partnership between ACSSW and The Chicago School, on sexuality and sexual wellness. Dr. Mac is also on the Advisory Board for Teach While Queer, a non-profit social justice, international organization. She maintains a limited private practice where she provides pro bono psychotherapy services, as well as providing training and consultation for community agencies, area hospitals, Cook County probation, and Cook County Judges office staff. Her areas of interest in research include social justice, anti-racism, and counseling sexology.