Rate My Professor J. Richelle Joe

J. Richelle Joe, Ph.D., NCC, is an Associate Professor of Counselor Education with an emphasis in school counseling in the Department of Counselor Education and School Psychology, College of Community Innovation and Education, University of Central Florida. She earned a Ph.D. in Counselor Education from the College of William & Mary in 2015, M.S.Ed. in School Counseling from Old Dominion University in 2006, M.A.T. in Social Studies Education, and B.A. in Psychology from the University of Virginia in 1998. Prior to her faculty appointment at UCF in 2015, she served as a social studies teacher at Hickory High School and Crestwood Middle School, professional school counselor and director of counseling at Crestwood Middle School in Chesapeake, Virginia, child and family behavior specialist at the Center for Counseling and Community Affairs in Richmond, Virginia, and various roles at the College of William & Mary including doctoral student director and family counseling intern at New Horizons Family Counseling Center. Promoted to tenured Associate Professor in 2021, she teaches graduate courses in multicultural counseling, career development, counseling techniques, human sexuality, legal and ethical issues in school counseling, and advanced counseling theories.

Dr. Joe's research and service emphasize cultural responsiveness to holistic health needs of historically underserved populations, including social determinants of health, health equity, HIV prevention and AIDS, sexual wellness, and school counselor preparation for ethical practice with diverse families. She leads UCF's H.E.A.R.T., the HIV Education, Awareness, and Research Team, collaborating on projects addressing HIV/AIDS mental health effects. Key funded initiatives include the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Interdisciplinary Research Leaders project "Removing Obstacles to HIV Prevention for Black Women in Orange County, FL" (2021-2024). Her publications include "Navigating Challenges in Community-based Research Aimed at Ending the HIV Epidemic Among Black Women" (Journal of Participatory Research Methods, 2024), "“Wellness is wholeness”: Explorations of wellness among Black gay men" (Journal of Counseling & Development, 2023), "The ASCA model and a multi-tiered system of supports: A framework to support students of color with problem behavior" (Professional School Counseling, 2016, cited 112 times), and contributions to counseling handbooks on PTSD, human sexuality, and HBCUs. Awards include CCIE Faculty Research Fellow (2024-25), Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Interdisciplinary Research Leaders Fellow (2021-2024), ACES Outstanding Teaching Award (2021), CCIE Teaching Incentive Program Award (2023), and UCF Women’s History Month Faculty Excellence Honoree (2021). Dr. Joe edits The Professional Counselor for the National Board for Certified Counselors and serves on committees for the Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development.