A counseling psychology professor at West Virginia University has been recognized as one of the best counseling, psychology and therapy professors in the United States.

James Bartee, assistant professor in the Department of Counseling, Rehabilitation Counseling, and Counseling Psychology, is included in a list of “99 Top Professors in Counseling, Psychology & Therapy” published this month on MastersinCounseling.org.

The list focuses on U.S. professors and is not intended as an ordered ranking, but as a collection of experts highly involved in research and promoting learning in their field of expertise, explains the website.

“Many of these educators are doing the research and promoting the ideas that are transforming the theory and practice of counseling,” said Rebecca Bennett, of MastersinCounseling.org.

Bartee, who came to WVU in 2004, specializes in severe personality disorders in adults. Prior to coming to WVU, Bartee spent 14 years working as a consulting and counseling psychologist in Haifa, Israel. During that time, he worked with about 1,500 volunteers at the Bah�’� World Center, a spiritual and administrative hub of the Bah�’� Faith. His work training students to become psychologists is what garnered him recognition from MastersinCounseling.org.

“As a practitioner myself, it was an honor to be recognized for my work in helping to train the next generation of professional psychologists,” Bartee said. “It is an investment in the hope that the world can become a healthier, happier and kinder place; I am privileged to be a part of that endeavor.”

Bartee is also the training director for the Ph.D. in counseling psychology program at WVU. In that role, he oversees the development and maintenance of the APA-accredited doctoral program in professional psychology.

He also teaches doctoral courses in psychopathology, physiological psychology, psychopharmacology, history and systems of psychology; as well as the introductory class and advanced interventions.

On his time working as a psychologist in Israel, Bartee said, “It was truly an international experience as on a given day I might be talking to someone from Michigan experiencing challenges transitioning to the Middle East, someone from the Gambia trying to figure out how to buy familiar foods in the local markets, a 10-year old from Iceland struggling with Hebrew in a local school or maybe a college student planning a graduate career back home in Mexico City.”

MastersinCounseling.org is an informational online tool for students considering a master of counseling degree.

-WVU-

cz/06/18/13

CONTACT: Christie Zachary, College of Education and Human Services
304.293.0224, Christie.Zachary@mail.wvu.edu

Follow @WVUToday on Twitter.