Geneva College Professor Takes on National Role in Serving and Protecting the Public

BEAVER FALLS, Pa., February 6, 2017 – Dr. James Matta, Associate Professor of Counseling at Geneva College, was recently elected to be President of the American Association of the State of Counseling Boards (AASCB). 

AASCB is the national association of bodies solely responsible for the registration, licensure and certification of counselors throughout the United States. Holding this responsibility, the organization strives to include proficient counselors rather than excluding them based on arbitrary or unreasonable criteria.  The new position requires a three-year commitment, which consists of consecutive one-year terms as President-Elect, President and Past President.

Dr. Matta attended his first AASCB conference in 2014, and now, he anticipates the challenge ahead. He states, “I believe that my years of service in the counseling profession as a clinician and researcher as well as my academic breadth of knowledge, diverse background and broad expertise can be used to help steer a course that will continue to strengthen our professional identity as licensed professional counselors.”

In addition to his nine years of service on the Pennsylvania State Board of Social Workers, Marriage & Family Therapists and Professional Counselors, he was elected in the past year to serve as the Chairman of this state licensing board.  Dr. Matta currently holds the position of Coordinator of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling tracks at Geneva College and is training the next generation of professional counselors. As a tenured faculty member, he played an instrumental role in the program’s CACREP accreditation. In addition to these qualifications, Dr. Matta was also one of the first to be licensed as a Professional Counselor in Pennsylvania.  He has been a professor in Geneva’s Counseling Program since 2008.

Dr. Matta desires to further strengthen AASCB as an organization by increasing its revenue streams through new, more efficient methods. With a heart to serve and protect the public, he also aims to continue to identify various ways to support the licensing boards throughout the U.S. Dr. Matta hopes to lend his expertise to impact and influence national policy for professional counselors.

Geneva College is a Christ-centered academic community that provides a comprehensive education to equip students for faithful and fruitful service to God and neighbor. Offering over 40 traditional undergraduate majors and programs, Adult Degree Programs with fully online and classroom options, and high-demand graduate degrees, Geneva's programs are recognized for their high quality. U.S. News & World Report ranks Geneva as a Top Three Best Value Regional University with one of the Top 100 engineering programs in the nation. Adhering to the truth of Scripture, a Geneva education is grounded in God’s Word as well as in a core curriculum designed to prepare students vocationally to think, write and communicate well in today’s world.