Posted on September 11, 2024 by Texas Association of School Psychologists
Victor Villarreal, Ph.D.
The following message was sent via email from Camika Lewis, M.A., LSSP, Membership Chair of the Texas Association of School Psychologists (TASP) to TASP Members.
Please join us in congratulating our September Shining School Psychology Trainer, Dr. Victor Villarreal! Dr. Villarreal is a notable member of our TASP community and is devoted to the field. See below for more information about Dr. Villarreal.
Dr. Villarreal completed his school psychology training at Texas A&M University, including an internship at Dallas Independent School District and a postdoctoral position at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Dr. Villarreal has been an LSSP and LP for 11 years, with experience in public schools and mental health clinics, as well as a trainer of school psychology graduate students and a supervising psychologist. Currently, Dr. Villarreal serves as a professor in the MA and PhD in School Psychology programs at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), where he is also the director of the PhD program and of the UTSA Psychological Assessment and Consultation Center. Dr. Villarreal’s current research includes the evaluation of methods for identifying students with the greatest need for behavioral and emotional support, as well as meta-science in school psychology. Dr. Villarreal is motivated by the belief that public schools have a great potential to promote and support the mental health and well-being of all children and adolescents. He encourages his students to always consider immediate and long-term consequences of the psychological services they provide and to make decisions based on the best data available to them.
Here is what Dr. Villarreal’s colleague shared about what makes him shine:
“Dr. Villarreal’s service to the community of School Psychology is broad and meaningful. First, Dr. Villarreal’s supervision work is multifaceted in its service to the community. Through his work as the director of the Psychological Assessment and Consultation Center (PACC) at UTSA and his additional work in San Antonio ISD, he is able to ensure high quality assessment and intervention services for children that may have difficulties with access to high quality services. Second, his work and service activities build relationships with local districts that are essential for our program.”
Dr. Villarreal has been a cornerstone of the UTSA school psychology program, dedicating countless hours to both his students and the broader community. His unwavering commitment to education and his passion for service have made a profound impact on everyone around him. Dr. Villarreal is described as compassionate, warm and present.
In the spirit of recognition and highlighting faculty that train and shape our future change makers in the field, our quote to match the member of the month is “"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has" - Margaret Mead
We celebrate Dr. Villarreal’s dedication to being the one that goes above and beyond not just for his students but for assisting in ensuring access to valuable psychological services to underserved populations and advocating for mental health awareness.
— Texas Association of School Psychologists
