How James Russell, MSCP ’14 Found Psychology Despite Himself
James Russell is the family therapy lead at the Child and Family Counseling Center at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. (Photo via James Russell)
This article was also published in the Winter 2023-2024 issue of the Chatham Recorder Alumni Magazine. To view more digital Recorder stories, click here.
James Russell had no desire to get anywhere close to therapy. When a high school history teacher suggested he take a psychology class, he balked. When he took another such class as a pre-med undergraduate, he did so begrudgingly. And when his pre-med program led to a psychology and philosophy degree, he was told to consider a career as a counselor. Russell didn’t think it was the right fit, but he tried it anyways.
“People have been yelling at me for years to get into this industry, and I’ve turned them down every single time,” Russell said. “It turns out, they were right.”
Learning from mentors
Russell, who graduated from Chatham University in 2014 with a Master of Science in Counseling Psychology, is now a licensed therapist at UPMC, where he is the family therapy lead at the Child and Family Counseling Center at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.
He was initially wary of mental health when he was growing up in Pittsburgh. Stigmas about therapy, which stemmed from the historic mistreatment of Black people by American medicine, ran deep in his family.
“The language in my household was, we don’t talk about mental health. We don’t talk about trauma. We don’t talk about those sorts of things,” he recalled.
Things changed over the years. Mentors, like that high school history teacher, stepped in to steer Russell towards the right career path. He also learned from being a mentor himself; while in high school, his first job involved helping young Black people in the Beltzhoover, Knoxville, and Mount Oliver neighborhoods.
“I was working there as a high schooler, and I was being mentored by these amazing Black men,” Russell said. “I also had the responsibility of mentoring young Black men. It was a unique experience. That helped me begin that process of working with kids, working with young folks, working with families.”
After learning that Russell had been spending time mentoring youth, a high school history teacher suggested that he take a psychology course.
“I was like, ‘No, I’m not going to take that psychology course,’” Russell said. “But I did.”
By the time Russell finished his undergrad at the University of Pittsburgh several years later, things were falling into place. He began working at Pressley Ridge and, later, at UPMC, where he helped clients find employment.
Even as he gained experience in the mental health field, it wasn’t until graduate school that he began to see himself developing a lifelong career working with families.
“They won me over”
Before he’d even started to seriously consider going to graduate school, his wife, Dana Nowlin-Russell, MAF ’12, convinced him to join her in applying to Chatham University in 2009.
She wanted to obtain a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. Russell wanted to support her, so he figured he would look at the counseling psychology program, which seemed interesting.
He ended up applying before she did.
“They won me over,” he said of Chatham. “They sold me.”
What piqued his interest was hearing professors and former students tell him, yes, it is possible to balance classes, work, and home life while at Chatham. As a part-time student, he took classes in the evenings and obtained his degree in 2014, five years after he started.
Russell and Dana Nowlin-Russell, his wife, pose for a photo after his 2014 graduation ceremony. (Photo via James Russell)
“It would have been horrible to suffer by myself in graduate school,” he said. “But I would meet my wife for dinner in the cafeterias at Chatham. We would go to coffee shops. I would go to MFA program readings.”
Having a partner who was attending Chatham at the same time allowed Russell to immerse himself both in his own program and in the community of writers that his then-fiancé was developing during her studies.
“It was a way to belong and be significant. It became a part of my identity, just being on that campus. I loved that experience,” he said.
It was in a class with Professor Lenny Wood at Chatham that Russell began to think about working with families. The two ended up working with each other at UPMC until Wood retired two years ago, when the former professor asked Russell to take over his post as family therapy lead.
“Mentors have this amazing, unique job, where they notice your potential,” Russell said. “Even though you don’t think you have that potential, they notice it. And they know how to set up the industry so, when they retire one day, the industry is in good hands.”
Working with families
Being the family therapy lead Russell trains mental health professionals to work with families. In some cases, he helps doctors, many of whom already have training in cognitive behavioral therapy and other techniques, navigate conversations with families who are wary of receiving treatment.
“I often tell these [doctors], ‘Hey, I am here to indoctrinate you,’” he said. “‘I am here to get you to think systemically, so when you connect with these families, you will do the right thing. They will want to come back.’”
The role comes with a variety of other responsibilities. Some days he’s helping aspiring psychologists learn about family therapy, and he stands behind a mirror during sessions to monitor their progress and suggest avenues for conversation during treatment. Then Russell and his collages debrief the trainees on their performance.
Other times, he might be working directly with his own clients. He may speak to a treatment team to consult them about family therapy in different communities or schools. Occasionally he’ll do external outreach, working with people outside of UPMC.
“It’s all over the board,” he said. And he’s uniquely qualified when compared to others in similar positions in his field; many of his colleagues have doctorate degrees.
“I’m one of the few people who doesn’t have to have that,” he said. “It’s a nice thing. Maybe one day I’ll go and get that, but right now, it’s time for me to do my job.”
That job hasn’t just earned him attention from his mentors and colleagues; a longform article published in May by the New York Times Magazine featured him and several other UPMC mental health professionals discussing how the ongoing mental health crises among teens has impacted their industry.
With so many instances in which he almost took a different path, Russell acknowledged that it was a field he fell in love with almost in spite of himself.
“I think my journey is unique in the sense that, I didn’t start off wanting to do this at all,” said Russell. “But it’s fun. This industry has given so much to me, but it allows me to give so much back.”
If you’re looking to develop the knowledge and skills required of a counseling professional, apply to Chatham University’s Master of Counseling Psychology program. Students learn to integrate theory, experience, and research with practice in an environment committed to diversity and social justice.
Correction on Nov. 13, 2023: A previous version of this story misstated the name of the counseling psychology program.
Mick Stinelli is a Writer and Digital Content Specialist at Chatham University. His writing has previously appeared in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and 90.5 WESA, and he has a BA in Broadcast Production and Media Management from Point Park University.