Psychology professor receives two national awards

Terence J. G. Tracey, a psychology and faculty head with ASU’s School of Letters and Sciences, will receive two national awards this week at the annual American Psychological Association Convention in Washington D.C.

The convention, which takes place Aug. 4-7, will feature internationally known presenters on issues such as immigration, racism, relationships, eating disorders, clinical practice, social networking and psychotherapy. This year will include a special session focusing on the 10th anniversary of 9/11.

While in the nation’s capital, Tracey will receive a certification in counseling psychology from the American Board of Professional Psychology. He’ll also collect a Lifetime Distinguished Achievement Award in Vocational Psychology from the Society for Vocational Psychology and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of Promotion of Psychotherapy.

“Professor Tracy is a gifted scholar, teacher, mentor and colleague. His research has a nationwide impact that we put to use right here at ASU,” said Frederick C. Corey, vice provost and dean of University College. “We know firsthand how important his research is through our programs in major and career exploration.”

Tracey is an academic nomad having received his Bachelor of Arts at Cornell University in 1974; his master's at University of Kansas in 1977, and his Ph.D. from the Counseling and Personnel Services Department at the University of Maryland in 1981.  He was employed as a counseling psychologist at the University Counseling Service at the State University of New York at Buffalo from 1981-1983. He later joined the faculty of the Counseling Psychology Program in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he also served as division chair and department associate chair. He moved to become a program leader of the Counseling and Counseling Psychology programs at Arizona State University in 1999.

He is a fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA), the Association for Psychological Science (APS), and the American Educational Research Association (AERA). He is currently serving as editor of the Journal of Counseling Psychology. Tracey is also certified by the American Board of Psychological Practice (ABPP). His scholarship has focused on the topics of client-therapist interaction in psychotherapy and its relation to outcome, interpersonal models of personality and psychotherapy, the structure and development of vocational interests, and minority student academic success. He has published over 150 empirical studies and book chapters in these areas.