DR. APRIL CLAY
CEO & DIRECTOR
April M. Clay is the founder and CEO of Clay Counseling Solutions, a counseling corporation and a mental health nonprofit, Clay Counseling Foundation. Since 2015, she has led a team of mental health professionals who provide counseling and behavioral health services in Riverside and San Bernardino counties of California providing services to over 2,000 individuals and families per year.
Dr. Clay possesses a License in Marriage and Family Therapy, a Pupil Personnel Services Credential in School Counseling and a Doctorate in Education with an emphasis on Educational Justice. She has extensive executive leadership experience and is a national trainer for numerous topics including restorative justice, suicide prevention, cultural competence, anti-racism and unconscious bias. April has delivered keynote speeches, served on discussion panels, presented at esteemed research conferences, and is a chapter author of a recently published book. At the collegiate level, April has led the school counseling program for a private university, served as the counseling center director of a California State University, and taught pre-service mental health therapists and school counselors for over 12 years as a university professor.
Her years of experience are topped by her commitment to service. You can find April volunteering in the community as the chair of San Bernardino County Department of Behavioral Health’s Cultural Competency Advisory Committee. In a few months, April is celebrating 30 years as a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated. In her sorority she has led in state and regional positions and currently leads in an international role and as president of her local chapter. She actively volunteers with several community organizations and sits on nonprofit boards. She is a life member of two historical civil rights organizations: the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the National Association of Negro Women (NCNW). April is an established researcher, presenter and author and continues to contribute to academic literature on student experience in K-16 education, microaggressions and Critical Race Theory since her first writings in 2010. Her recent publication was released in December 2023.
Dr. Clay has been featured in multiple media outlets including a recent episode of Black Entertainment Television’s (BET) segment of America in Black called Tangled Beauty, a special on The Crown Act. Above all else, April is committed to her family and is a proud wife of 28 years, and loves her role as a caregiver for her eldest relative, mother and grandmother.