Our History

On the way back from the 1974 American Psychological Association Convention in New Orleans, two Asheville psychologists, Dr. Ted Seitz and Dr. John Fellerath, decided to invite area psychologists to meet. In their first meeting, 20 psychologists gathered in a now long forgotten restaurant, the Bavarian Cellar in Innsbrook Mall. In that era, very few psychologists worked in a private practice. The participants were largely associated with hospitals or schools – the Asheville VA Center, the Blue Ridge Mental Health Center, Highland Hospital, Appalachian Hall, UNC-A and WCU. More than four decades later, most of the original psychologists have moved on in one way or the other. However, they have left a legacy for the number of psychologists in western North Carolina that has increased exponentially.

WNCPA was somewhat of a leader in the development of local psychological groups and organizations. In 1974, there were only two other such groups in North Carolina -- Charlotte and Eastern North Carolina. The Asheville Area Psychologists remained an informal group until 1982, when the Western North Carolina Psychological Association was officially formed. Over the years, the organization has grown considerably, and we look forward to our continued growth and development. If you are not a member, we welcome your participation.

With the exception of a summer hiatus, we usually have monthly meetings that feature a mix of social and educational events including our annual Holiday party in December and our summertime picnic.

We have developed a number of traditions. An annual Holiday party ushers in new officers and board members. We often have a fund raising or service event for a worthy cause. In years past, we have generated substantial monetary gifts for Habitat, the All Souls Counseling Center, Child Advocacy Center and Helpmate. Additionally, we enjoy contributing to community service projects such as donating our labor to a Habitat for Humanity house.

The William Bruce Award

For twenty years, we sponsored a physician-psychologist dinner featuring the presentation of the William Bruce Awards to a physician and a psychologist for outstanding contributions to the collaboration between the fields of medicine and psychology. The William Bruce Award given by the Western North Carolina Psychological Association (WNCPA) began in 1994 when WNCPA hosted a dinner for local physicians and psychologists. The concept was well received and realizing how interdependent we (psychologists and physicians) are in caring for our patients, WNCPA decided to make the dinner an annual event. Now we understand that the best mental health care is the product of collaboration among the physicians, psychologists and patient. In 1996, WNCPA decided to honor a psychologist and a physician who were intimately engaged in the art of collaboration.  William Bruce, Ph.D. and Richard Walton, M.D. were chosen as the recipients because of their cooperative efforts of the Family Practice Residency Program in the areas of psychology, mental health, and behavioral medicine. The awards became an integral part of our Physician-Psychologist Dinner. In 1999, we decided to name the annual award in honor of the first psychologist recipient of the award. In 2016, we decided to take a hiatus. Yet, there are many deserving psychologists and physicians that merit recognition, and we may yet again revive this tradition.

William Bruce Award Recipients

1996: Richard Walton, M.D. & William Bruce, Ph.D.

1997: Olson Huff, M.D. & Bernie Harris, Ph.D.

1998: Kim Masters, M.D. & Ted Seitz, Ph.D.

1999: Karen Dedman, M.D. & John R. Clement, M.A.

2000: Iverson Riddle, M.D. & Karen Marcus, Psy.D.

2001: Harold R. Gollberg, M.D. & Stephanie Citron, Ph.D.

2002: Paul Martin, M.D. & Anne Burns Harris, Ph.D.

2003: Robert Jolley, M.D. & Walter J. Lawless, Ph.D.

Media Award: Susan Reinhardt

2004: Martha Salyers, MD & William Barley, Ph.D.

Media Award: David Horan

2005: Steve Baker, M.D. & Ed Hamlin, Ph.D.

2006: Polly Ross, M.D. & James Harrison, Ph.D.

2007: Wes Garbee, M.D. & Jerry Coffey, Ph.D.

Special Service Award: Laurie Hamilton, Ph.D.

2008: Steve Buie, M.D., & Bill Matthews, Ph.D.

2009: Adrian Sandler, M.D. & Laurie Hamilton, Ph.D.

2010: Robert Kline, M.D. & Pamela Laughon, Ph.D.

2011: Ralph Jones, M.D. & Barbara Gerber, Ph.D.

2013: Cindy Brown, M.D. & Dominique Huneycutt, J.D., Ph.D.

2014: Alan Baumgarten, M.D., M.P.H. & Gordon Schneider, Ph.D.

2015: Duff Rardin, M.D., & Mark Hill, Ph.D. & Peggy Noel, M.D.

2016: Celebration of previous award recipients