Gerard Lawson

Dr. Gerard Lawson is the Interim Director of the School of Eduation at Virginia Tech as well as a Professor in the Counselor Education and Supervision program, and was the 66^th President of the American Counseling Association, having served in that office from July 2017-June 2018.  Gerard is also past-president of the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES) and past-president of the Virginia Counselors Association. In July of 2021, he was named to Governor Northram's administration, serving on the Board of Counseling in the Office of the Secretariat of the Commonwealth.

Since joining the faculty at Virginia Tech, Dr. Lawson has published his research in prestigious journals including the Journal of Counseling and Development, Counselor Education and Supervision, and The Clinical Supervisor. He has presented at national and international conferences on a range of topics including counselor wellness, crisis response and resilience, and clinical supervision. Gerard is the Principle Investigator on $1.6 million in grants from the National Institute of Justice, to explore influences on the School to Prison Pipeline. He has been involved in training and consulting across the country to help keep kids in the classroom, and out of the courtroom.

Gerard has been a disaster mental health volunteer with the American Red Cross since 2001, and has supported numerous national, state, and local disasters. He was instrumental in helping to coordinate the counseling response to the tragic shootings at Virginia Tech in 2007, and he is the author of Virginia Tech’s Disaster Behavioral Health Plan. He has helped many institutions prepare for crisis response, and works frequently with counselors who have responded, providing debriefing and supportive services. His focus is on building resilience in the individuals (including counselors) and communities that are affected by disasters. His published work includes articles exploring the experiences of professional counselors and clinicians in the aftermath of natural disasters such as the Gulf Coast hurricanes Katrina and Rita and traumatic events such as the shootings at Virginia Tech. He was the chair of the ACA Taskforce on Crisis Response Planning and has authored several articles on counselor wellness and resilience, particularly when working in disaster mental health.

He is a Licensed Professional Counselor, a Licensed Substance Abuse Treatment Practitioner, a National Certified Counselor, and an Approved Clinical Supervisor.