Steven J. Danish is president of Life Skills Associates and emeritus professor of psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University.  He served as chair of the department of psychology and founder and director of the Life Skills Center. Previously, he held academic positions at Penn State University and Southern Illinois University following the receipt of his doctorate in counseling psychology from Michigan State University.  Dr. Danish is a licensed psychologist and a diplomate in counseling psychology of the American Board of Professional Psychology and a registered sport psychologist of the Sports Medicine Division of the United States Olympic Committee. He is a fellow of the American Psychological Association, the American Psychological Society, and the Association of Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) and is past president of the Society of Community Research and Action.  In 2007, he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award for “Prevention” by the Society for Counseling Psychology. In 2008, he was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award from the College of Education at Michigan State University. In 2013, he was identified as one of the top 21 psychology professors in Virginia by StateStats.org.  They noted that “he has earned praise from students, peers, and governmental agencies for his work helping veterans and their families cope with life after deployment.”

He has written in the areas of military, counseling, community, sport, and life-span psychology; health and nutrition; and substance abuse prevention.  He has received grants from the National Institute of Mental Health, National Cancer Institute (National Institutes of Health), the Office of Substance Abuse Prevention, the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Olympic Committee, U.S. Diving, and the Athletic Footwear Association.

In addition to his work as a psychologist, Dr. Danish has coached basketball at both the college and high school level and has consulted widely with professional and amateur athletes, allied health professionals, corporate managers, and police.  He is a past member of the Virginia Governor's Commission on Sports and Physical Fitness, has served as the chair of the Virginia Tobacco Settlement Foundation Board and presently serves on the Richmond Behavioral Health Authority.

He is the developer of the Going for the Goal (GOAL), SUPER (Sports United to Promote Education and Recreation), FREE 4 Vets (family, relationships, education and employment) and HELP 4 Families (health, empowerment, lifestyle and parenting) programs.  GOAL is a winner of the Lela Rowland Prevention Award from the National Mental Health Association and has been honored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  He served as part of the development team and curriculum coordinator of the life skills component for The First Tee, a national youth golf program, the NFL’s Coaches Academy, the Career Assistance Program for Athletes for the United States Olympic Committee, and the Youth Education through Sports Program for the NCAA. For the past decade he has focused on developing, implementing, and evaluating programs for veterans and their families.

He has been married to his wife for over 50 years.  They have two sons and four grandchildren.