Jay Manalo PhD, LCP, NCC

Jay is an amateur whitewater kayaker, a dog dad, and a gardener with an occasional green thumb, as well as a career-changer, a husband, a son of immigrant parents from the Philippines, and a brother.

Dr. Jay Manalo is a licensed clinical psychologist in VA. He holds a B.S. degree in Computer Science from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He previously worked in IT consulting, then changed careers by obtaining both his M.Ed. in School Counseling and his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from The University of Georgia. He spent his doctoral internship at Western Carolina University Counseling & Psychological Services (WCU CAPS) from 2010 – 2011.  Jay then continued his postdoctoral training and subsequent work experiences with children, adolescents, and adults in private practice settings in Georgia.  He then returned to college counseling work at WCU CAPS from 2013 - 2025 where he served as a staff psychologist, Associate Director of Training, and Safe Zone trainer.

His counseling interests include depression, anxiety, stress, life transitions, ADHD, LGBTQ identity, multicultural psychology, social skills concerns, and developmental disabilities. His approach to counseling is primarily Person-Centered integrated with aspects of Interpersonal, Cognitive Behavioral, and solution-focused/strengths based approaches. He also enjoys providing clinical supervision and training for emerging mental health professionals.

Jay grew up in Northern Virginia.  Outside of work, Jay enjoys whitewater kayaking and is a Wilderness First Responder. He also enjoys spending time with his family, his husband, his dog, and other loved ones.