Rate My Professor Tania Israel

Tania Israel is a Professor in the Department of Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara's Gevirtz Graduate School of Education, with expertise in Psychology. She earned her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Arizona State University, a Master's degree in Human Sexuality Education, and a B.A. in Psychology and Women’s Studies from the University of Pennsylvania. Joining UCSB in 1998 as an Assistant Professor, she progressed to full Professor and held key administrative roles, including Department Chair in 2016, Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in 2022, Chair of the Graduate Council from 2014 to 2015, and Chair of the Undergraduate Council from 2010 to 2012. Affiliated with the Department of Feminist Studies, she directs Project RISE, a research team developing and studying interventions to support the psychological health of LGBTQ individuals and communities. Israel served as Past-President of the Society of Counseling Psychology from 2010 to 2011 and as a member of the American Psychological Association's Committee for Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity.

Her scholarship focuses on interventions to promote mental health and well-being among LGBTQ individuals and communities, privilege and oppression, intersections of gender, ethnicity, and sexual orientation, and social justice in counseling psychology. Notable publications include the co-edited Handbook for Social Justice in Counseling Psychology: Leadership, Vision, and Action (2005), "Psychological interventions promoting resilience among transgender individuals: Transgender Resilience Intervention Model (TRIM)" (2018, The Counseling Psychologist), "Attitudes toward bisexual women and men: Current research, future directions" (2004, Journal of Bisexuality), and books Beyond Your Bubble: How to Connect Across the Political Divide (2020) and Facing the Fracture: How to Navigate the Challenges of Living in a Divided Nation (2024). Israel teaches undergraduate courses such as Helping Relationships: Theory and Practice and graduate courses including Counseling LGBT Clients and a seminar on social justice. Her contributions have earned her the 2025 American Psychological Association Award for Distinguished Senior Career Contributions to Psychology in the Public Interest, APA Fellowship, 2019 Congressional Woman of the Year for California's 24th District, and the Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Award for Excellence in Mental Health from the California Legislative Caucus. She has delivered a TED Talk titled "Bisexuality and Beyond," participated in White House and Congressional briefings, and influenced policy and practice through advocacy.