Joseph Paul Pete, PhD, NCC, MAC, CAC
Faculty
Dr. Joseph Pete is a native Louisianan. He was born in Lafayette, LA, and reared in a small town 14 miles west of Lafayette by the name of Rayne, LA. He is a two-time alum of Southern University in Baton Rouge, LA, where he earned an undergraduate degree in Social Work and a Master's degree in Rehabilitation Counseling and Disability Studies. Upon graduation with his Master's degree, Dr. Pete was offered and accepted a full fellowship to earn his Ph.D. in Rehabilitation Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison) in Madison, Wisconsin. UW-Madison Rehabilitation Psychology program has a national reputation for clinical training and preparing rehabilitation counselor educators and researchers. Additionally, he was the first AA male to graduate from the program.
During his tenure at UW Madison, Dr. Pete received comprehensive training in research methodology and designs, statistical analysis, outcome measurements, therapeutic program implementation, and program evaluation. Additionally, he has multiple years of training and experience as a counseling practitioner, assistant professor, a nationally renowned lecturer on social justice, and researcher. Since his appointment in his current position as program director at Capital Area Recovery Program (CARP), he has been very involved in the recovery community in the State of Louisiana. He was selected and served as an expert on addiction and recovery support services for the State Plan to address the Opioid Epidemic in the State of Louisiana Collaborative in 2018 sponsored by Capital Area Human Services.
Dr. Pete's research interest includes, but is not limited to, matters of social justice, vocational rehabilitation, workforce development, employment, substance abuse, mental health, and treatment outcomes. Dr. Pete's work has earned him the American Rehabilitation Counseling Research Award in 2015, and has secured access to more than four million dollars ($4,000,000) as a Research Fellow from the following grantors (e.g., Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Substance Abuse and Mental Health (SAMHSA), University of Wisconsin Targeted Communities, Langston University Rehabilitation Research and Training Center, and Maternal and Child Health Division of Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to provide educational service and training to underserved, underrepresented, marginalized, and oppressed populations.
In closing, Dr. Joseph Pete maintains a professional identity as an educator, researcher, and professional counselor. He has a record of scholarships designed to improve the quality of life for persons with disabilities (specifically, substance use disorder and mental health) chronic illness and disease. He has worked collaboratively with the community, the community of practice, key disability and rehabilitation professionals and stakeholders to ensure active involvement in processes to improve capacity, infrastructure, culture, and environment(s) relative to improving service provision (e.g., program evaluation, education, in-service training, best practices, etc.) and quality of life for individuals with disabilities (specifically, SUD and MI).
