Behavioral Sciences professor Dr. Timothy Barclay appointed to Virginia Board of Psychology

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin recently appointed Liberty University School of Behavioral Sciences professor Dr. Timothy Barclay to the Virginia Board of Psychology, a role through which he will be able to impact the field of psychology in the commonwealth through his decades of experience in clinical practice.

Barclay is entering his 20th year of teaching at Liberty and currently serves as assistant director and co-founder of Liberty’s Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (Psy.D.) program. He is a licensed clinical psychologist and the clinical director of Advanced Psychotherapeutics in Forest, Va.

“It has long been the goal for the School of Behavioral Sciences to influence the mental health fields for Christ, and with Dr. Barclay’s appointment to the Virginia Psychology state licensure board, we look forward to the ways he can be a Champion for Christ in that role,” said Dr. Kenyon Knapp, dean of Liberty’s School of Behavioral Sciences.

Barclay has maintained a clinical practice for many years and developed treatment programs for juvenile offenders for the Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas. He specializes in the treatment of adolescent behavior disorders, PTSD, depression, anxiety, and obesity. Barclay is a published author and researcher in resilience, the clinical use of positive psychology, and the use of non-invasive brain stimulation in clinical practice.

As a member of the board, Barclay said he’ll be able to join other professionals in regulating and promoting proper practice of psychology in the commonwealth, adding that the experience will inform his work at Liberty.

“The board really sets the tone for what we do as a practicing psychologist — creating and monitoring all the laws for licensure, setting the standards of clinical practice, and investigating complaints,” he said. “By having a seat at the table to help impact where psychology is and where it’s going in the future, it not only helps Liberty graduates and the programs that we have but also makes an impact on what direction the profession is going in Virginia. It will be exciting to have that level of impact. With the other people on the board, and being exposed to the laws and regulations, I’ll be able to then bring that into the classroom to better prepare students and help in developing our programs.”

Prior to entering the field of psychology, Barclay spent 20 years as a police officer in the Pittsburgh area and served in the United States Army. He said his experience in law enforcement inspired him to study psychology, and his background now informs his work as a clinical psychologist and educator to future psychologists.

“When you’re a cop, you often see people at their worst — the decisions that they make and the consequences as a result of those decisions — and that’s how my interest in psychology grew,” he said. “Because I got onto the police department so young, I knew that I’d be retiring from law enforcement at a young age and that I needed to have something else to do in prep for my retirement. Having the interest in psychology, I went to school (in that area), and it was an easy transition to Liberty and practicing psychology.”

Barclay earned an interdisciplinary bachelor’s degree with focuses in criminal justice, psychology, and theology from Liberty, and he went on to earn his Master of Arts in Professional Counseling from Liberty and his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Walden University.