BUCKHANNON, West Virginia – West Virginia Wesleyan College has named Dr. Jen Randall Reyes as director of the new Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program.

The program, announced in February, is made possible through a collaborative $1.2 million investment from Aetna Better Health of West Virginia and Community Care of West Virginia. Graduates of the program will receive employment opportunities through Community Care of West Virginia to better meet the needs of the state. On average, the United States has at least one mental and behavioral health care provider for every 400 people, whereas West Virginia only has one for every 770 people.

Dr. Lynn M. Linder, Vice President of Academic Affairs, said, “We are delighted to welcome Dr. Randall Reyes to the Wesleyan community. She brings the knowledge, experience, and leadership in counselor education that will ensure our new master’s program graduates exemplary mental health counselors.”

Randall Reyes grew up in Buckhannon and has worked in the field of mental health counseling for 20 years. As a licensed counselor in the state of West Virginia, her focus has been on advanced training and practice as a trauma counselor. Her career has spanned the foster care system, juvenile justice, community mental health agencies, supervision, private practice, consultation and local, state and federal advocacy.

Working in experiential education and adventure therapy settings early in her career eventually led to a new goal of supporting other counselors in training on the journey to find their therapeutic niche. Randall Reyes said she loves teaching, supervision, research and counseling equally but is reminded through social justice and advocacy why counseling matters.

Randall Reyes holds a Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision from Regent University, a Master of Arts in Community Counseling from West Virginia University and a Master of Arts in Mediation and Conflict Resolution from The George Washington University. She also earned a Bachelor of Arts from West Virginia University in International Studies and German.

Randall Reyes said, “I am honored and excited to be on this adventure with the Wesleyan team toward our goal of building an exceptional training program for mental health counselors in service to this community and state I love.”