James Devlin, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

As a counselor educator, James Devlin, Ph.D., believes his responsibility is to be a gatekeeper for the counseling profession. Devlin values the opportunity to create meaningful relationships with future colleagues in the field and feels privileged to mentor these future colleagues toward achieving their goals and walking across the commencement stage.

A Conversation with Dr. Devlin

What would you tell a student who is thinking about attending A&M Commerce?

A&M-Commerce and the Department of Counseling have a long history of producing leaders in the field. The program, faculty and students all contribute to a thriving environment, which will guide, support and see you become your best self.

What makes you passionate about counseling?

Counseling is a medium to reach people at their stages of life. We all have stories and counseling provides the opportunity to hear these narratives and to build relationships. In our contemporary society, it is vital that these relationships are formed, and the discourse continues.

What do you like most about your career?

I very much appreciate the opportunity to meet individuals and share my knowledge. In this same vein, I in turn learn from students, who are my future colleagues. The field of counseling is evolving at a rapid pace, and it is exciting to be at the ground level during these opportunities.

Educational Background

• Ph.D., Counselor Education and Supervision, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, 2008
• Psy.D., Clinical Psychology, Pacific University, 2005-2006
• M.S., Clinical Psychology, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, 2005
• B.S., Psychology, University of Washington, 2002

Honors and Awards

• Adjunct of the Year nominee, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, 2019, 2020, 2021
• Invited Presenter, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 2018
• Keynote Speaker, Association for Counselor Education and Supervision Pre-conference Institute, 2009

Research Interests

• Counselor research preparation
• Crisis counseling
• International counseling
• Societal impact and counseling

Professional Organizations

• American Counseling Association
• International Association of Psychology and Counseling
• International Association of Marriage and Family Counselors
• Association for Counselor Education and Supervision

Selected Publications

• Devlin, J.M., Toof, J., Jain, S., Mack, R., & Stewart, K. (2021). Social existence theory. The Journal of Humanistic Counseling, 60 (1), pp. 26-36.
• Toof, J., Wong, J., & Devlin, J.M. (2020). Childhood trauma and attachment styles. The Family Journal: Counseling and Therapy for Couples and Families, 28(2), pp. 194-198.
• Devlin, J.M., Hill, L., Berry, J., Wilson, C., & Felder, K. (2020). Therapeutic practices working with sexually abused adolescents: Implications for marriage and family counseling. The Family Journal: Counseling and Therapy for Couples and Families, 27(4), pp. 359-365.
• Devlin, J.M., Toof, J., West, L., Andrews, N., & Cole, J. (2020). Integrated family counseling. The Family Journal: Counseling and Therapy for Couples and Families, 27(3), pp. 319-324.