Dr. Carlos Zalaquett

Carlos P. Zalaquett is a professor in the Department of Department of Educational Psychology, Counseling, and Special Education at The Pennsylvania State University. He serves as co-coordinator of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program.

Dr. Zalaquett is the immediate past president and current member of the board of the Sociedad Interamericana de Psicología - Interamerican Society of Psychology and the Pennsylvania Mental Health Counselors Association. He is the author or coauthor of more than 70 scholarly publications and the books “Essentials Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy: Everyday Practice in Our Diverse World (Cognella);” “Intentional Interviewing and Counseling: Facilitating Client Development in a Multicultural Society” (Cengage); “Essentials of Intentional Interviewing” (Cengage); “Las Habilidades Atencionales Básicas: Pilares Fundamentales de la Comunicación Efectiva” (Alexander Street Press) with Allen Ivey and Mary Bradford Ivey; “Moments of Excellence, Volume I”; “Moments of Excellence, Volumes II and III” with Dogukan Ulupinar, Elin Balif and Mary Edwin; “Evaluating Stress: A Book of Resources, Volumes I and II” (Scarecrow Press) with Richard Wood; and “Becoming an Ericksonian, Becoming Yourself” (P. Catholic University of Chile). He is also a producer of myriad training videos on basic counseling skills, evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions and specific competencies to increase the strength of the therapeutic alliance.

Dr. Zalaquett also coordinates a team of counseling outcome researchers from around the country and manages his brain-based research laboratory following the motto “You must lift as you climb,” adopted several years ago. He works closely with master’s and doctoral students in his research and publications. Recently, he worked with 31 students to create the Moments of Excellence teaching role-plays, a program that helped Mindscape Commons, the publishing company, gain a national and international award for innovations in the teaching of counseling.  He also served as president of three international conferences advancing mental health interventions to respond to the stress, anxiety and depression reactions created by the COVID-19 pandemic. In an effort to advance contributions to social justice and advocacy internationally, he established a website to honor the psychology of liberation’s contribution of Ignacio Martin Baró.

Before coming to Penn State, Dr. Zalaquett was a professor in the Department of Education at the University of South Florida, counseling center assistant director and director at Sam Houston State University, and faculty and assistant director of research at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. He has received many awards, including the USF Latinos Association’s Faculty of the Year, the Tampa Hispanic Heritage’s Man of Education Award and the SMHCA Emeritus Award.

Dr. Zalaquett is an internationally recognized expert on therapeutic outcomes assessment, mental health, counseling, psychotherapy, diversity, social justice, education, biofeedback and neurofeedback; and has conducted workshops and lectures in countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Japan, México, Perú and Singapore.