August 1998


I received my doctoral degree in August 1998, a quarter of a century ago! I’ve been reflecting on the past 25 years of my career and appreciating the opportunities I’ve had to contribute to my field and beyond. Here are some of the highlights…

Dr. Tania Israel Quarter Century Reflections


@drtaniaisrael

Reflections on a quarter century of my career as an LGBTQ psychology researcher and professor. #LGBTQ #psychology #professorsoftiktok #researcher #25years #grateful #academictiktok #bisexual @UCSB

♬ original sound – drtaniaisrael

25 presentations I gave over the past 25 years:


  • Dancing around the discourse: Female strippers and feminist theory 
  • Bisexual women in feminist psychology: The personal is political and professional
  • Strategies for training counselors to work with LGB clients
  • And sometimes T: Transgender issues and LGBT counselor competencies
  • Improving psychotherapy services for LGBT clients: Perspectives of clients, therapists, and administrators
  • Bisexuality and mental health: Research gaps and opportunities
  • Exploring privilege in counseling psychology: Shifting the lens
  • All I need to know about being Woman of the Year, I learned from Buffy, the Vampire Slayer
  • “That’s so straight:” Anti-LGBT hostility, heterosexual privilege, and allies
  • They’ve got our back: Preparing law enforcement to respond to anti-LGBTQ hate crimes
  • Counseling kinky clients: Informed and affirming therapeutic practice with people who participate in BDSM
  • From community to Congress: My journey as a social justice advocate
  • I love counseling psychology
  • Bisexuality: From margin to center
  • Reducing LGBTQ stigma through online interventions
  • Power speaking truth to power: Navigating social justice leadership
  • Disparity, divisiveness, and democracy: Teaching social justice in contentious political times
  • How to win a political argument
  • Beyond your bubble: How to connect across the political divide
  • The power of psychology to heal the political divide
  • Praxis Makes Perfect: A Quarter Century of LGBTQ Psychology Research
  • Myths and realities about bisexuality
  • If you’re not listening, you’re not paying attention: Dialogue as a tool for social justice advocacy
  • Bridging the political divide: Optimism for moving beyond polarization
  • What halibut fajitas taught me about bridging the political divide

The Children of Israel
(advisees)


25 (actually, 28) doctoral students I’ve mentored over the past 25 years
Colleagues & Mentors
Awards and Honors

25 publications from the past 25 years:


  1. Israel, T., Ketz, K., Detrie, P. M., Burke, M. C., & Shulman, J. L. (2003). Identifying counselor competencies for working with lesbian, gay, and bisexual clients. Journal of Gay and Lesbian Psychotherapy, 7 (4), 3-22. doi: 10.1300/J236v07n04_02
  2. Israel, T., & Mohr, J. J. (2004). Attitudes toward bisexual women and men – current research, future directions. Journal of Bisexuality, 4, 117-134. doi: 10.1300/J159v04n01_09
  3. Israel, T.  (2004). Conversations, not categories: The intersection of biracial and bisexual identities. Women and Therapy, 27, 173-84. doi: 10.1300/J015v27n01_12
  4. Israel, T., & Hackett, G. (2004). Counselor education on lesbian, gay, and bisexual issues: Comparing information and attitude-exploration. Counselor Education and Supervision, 43, 179-191. doi: 10.1002/j.1556-6978.2004.tb01841.x
  5. Toporek, R., Gerstein, L., Roysicar, G., Fouad, N., & Israel, T. (Eds.) (2006). Handbook for social justice in counseling psychology: Leadership, vision, and action. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
  6. Israel, T. (2007). Training counselors to work ethically and effectively with bisexual clients. In B. A. Firestein (Ed.), Becoming visible: Counseling bisexuals across the lifespan (pp. 381-394). New York: Columbia University Press.
  7. Israel, T., Gorcheva, R., Burnes, T. R., & Walther, W. A. (2008). Helpful and unhelpful therapy experiences of LGBT clients. Psychotherapy Research, 18 (3), 294-305. doi: 10.1080/10503300701506920
  8. Israel, T., Gorcheva, R., Walther, W. A., Sulzner, J. M., & Cohen, J. (2008). Therapists’ helpful and unhelpful experiences with LGBT clients: An exploratory study. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 39, 361-368. doi: 2048/10.1037/0735-7028.39.3.361
  9. Israel, T., Walther, W. A., Gortcheva, R., & Perry, J. S. (2011). Policies and practices for LGBT clients: Perspectives of mental health services administrators. Journal of Gay and Lesbian Mental Health, 15 152-168. doi: 10.1080/19359705.2010.539090
  10. Israel, T. (2012). Exploring privilege in counseling psychology: Shifting the lens. The Counseling Psychologist, 40, 158-180. doi: 10.1177/0011000011426297
  11. Israel, T., Harkness, A., Delucio, K., Ledbetter, J. N., & Avellar, T. R. (2014). Evaluation of police training on LGBTQ issues: Knowledge, interpersonal apprehension, and self-efficacy. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 29(2), 57-67. doi: 10.1007/s11896-013-9132-z
  12. Israel, T., Harkness, A., Avellar, T. R., Delucio, K., Bettergarcia, J. N., & Goodman, J. A. (2016). LGBTQ-affirming policing: Tactics generated by law enforcement personnel. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 31, 173-181. doi: 10.1007/s11896-015-9169-2  
  13. Israel, T., Bettergarcia, J. N., Delucio, K., Avellar, T. R., Harkness, A., & Goodman, J. A. (2017). Reactions of law enforcement to LGBTQ diversity training. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 28 (2), 197-226. doi: 10.1002/hrdq.21281
  14. Israel, T., Willging, C. E., & Ley, D. (2016). Development and evaluation of training for rural LGBTQ mental health peer advocates. Journal of Rural Mental Health, 40 (1), 40-62. doi: 10.1037/rmh0000046
  15. Israel, T., & Bettergarcia, J. N. (2017). Evidence-based teaching of LGBTQ issues in psychology. In T. Burnes & J. L. Stanley (Eds.) Teaching LGBTQ Psychology: Queering Innovative Pedagogy and Practice (pp. 181-200). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
  16. Israel, T. (2018). Envisioning bisexuality as inclusive, celebratory, and liberatory. In J. Swan & S. Habibi (Eds.) Bisexuality: Theories, Research, and Recommendations for the Invisible Sexuality (pp. 189-193). New York: Springer.
  17. Israel, T. (2018). Bisexuality: From margin to center. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 5 (2), 233-242. doi: 10.1037/sgd0000294
  18. Israel, T., Choi, A. Y., Goodman, J. A., Matsuno, E., Lin, Y. J., Kary, K. G., & Merrill, C. R. S. (2019). Reducing internalized binegativity: Development and efficacy of an online intervention. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 6 (2), 149-159. doi: 10.1037/sgd0000314
  19. Israel, T., Goodman, J. A., Kary, K. G., Matsuno, E., Choi, A. Y., Lin, Y.-J., & Merrill, C. R. S. (2021). Development and efficacy of an online intervention targeting lesbian internalized homonegativity. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 52(4), 333–342. doi: 10.1037/pro0000396
  20. Israel, T., Goodman, J. A., Kary, K. G., Lin, Y. J., Matsuno, E., Choi, A. Y., & Merrill, C. (2021). Reducing internalized homonegativity: Refinement and replication of an online intervention for gay men. Journal of Homosexuality, 68(14), 2393-2409. doi: 10.1080/00918369.2020.1804262
  21. Israel, T., Matsuno, E., Choi, A. Y., Goodman, J. A., Lin, Y., Kary, K. G., & Merrill, C. R. S. (2021). Reducing internalized transnegativity: Randomized controlled trial of an online intervention. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 8(4), 429–439. doi: 10.1037/sgd0000447
  22. Oaks, L., Israel, T., Conover, K. J., Cogger, A., & Avellar, T. R. (2019). CBPR within invisible, geographically-dispersed communities: Partnering with LGBTQ communities on the California Central Coast. Journal for Social Action in Counseling and Psychology, 11 (1), 14-32.
  23. Varghese, F. P., Israel, T., Seymour, G., Becker Herbst, R., Suarez, L. G., & Hargons, C. (2019). Injustice in the Justice System: Reforming Inequities for True “Justice for All.” The Counseling Psychologist, 47(5), 682–740. doi: 10.1177/0011000019892329
  24. Israel, T. (2020). Navigating autonomy: A mid-career reflection on life in academia. Women and Therapy, 43, 1-2, 170-181. doi: 10.1080/02703149.2019.1684673
  25. Israel, T. (2020). Beyond Your Bubble: How to Connect Across the Political Divide, Skills and Strategies for Conversations that Work. American Psychological Association.

25 leadership positions I’ve held over the past 25 years


Leadership & Advocacy
OrganizationPositionYear
Society of Council Psychology Section
for the Advancement of Women
Newsletter Editor1998-2001
SCP More Pie InitiativeCoordinator2001-2009
SCP Section for LGB AwarenessDiversity Chair2005-2007
SCP Section for the
Advancement of Women
Membership Chair2005-2007
LGBT Community Collaborative
of the Central Coast
Co-founder and
Executive Committee Member
2006-2010
Santa Barbara Obama CampaignLeadership Team Coordinator2007-2008
Democratic National ConventionDelegate2008
National Multicultural
Conference and Summit
Lead Coordinator2009
Santa Barbara County
Democratic Central Committee
Elected Member2009-2012
UCSB Academic Senate
Undergraduate Council
Chair2010-2011
Society of Counseling PsychologyPresident2010-2011
CA State Democratic ConventionDelegate2010-2012
The Fund for Santa BarbaraBoard President2013
Santa Barbara County
Commission for Women
Member
(2nd District Representative)
2013-2014
UCSB Department of Counseling,
Clinical, & School Psychology
Graduate Advisor2013-2016
UCSB Academic Senate
Graduate Council
Chair2014-2015
SCP Investment CommitteeChair2014-2016
APA Committee on Sexual
Orientation and Gender Diversity
Member2014-2016
Bialogue Santa BarbaraCo-founder2015-2022
UCSB Department of Counseling,
Clinical, & School Psychology
Chair2016-2020
Santa Barbara Progressive CoalitionPlanning Committee2017
SCP Strategic Planning Special Task GroupCo-chair2017-2018
APA Sexual Orientation Change
Efforts Policy Writing Group
Member2017-2021
NIH Sexual and Gender Minority
Research Working Group
Member2020-2023
UCSB The Gevirtz School of EducationAssociate Dean for DEI2022-2025

A conversation with Drs. Tania Israel and Sharon Horne