Dr. Alan Forrest
Alan Forrest, Ed.D., LPC, LMFT (Chair), is Professor Emeritus from the Department of Counselor Education at Radford University. Over the past 45 years he has held a variety of positions in both inpatient and outpatient mental health and substance abuse settings. Alan is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist who has extensive clinical experience in the areas of individual, group, couples, and family counseling. Over the years Alan has worked at a state psychiatric facility, two different Community Services Boards, a residential alcohol and drug program, full-time and part-time private practices, and teaching counseling at the graduate level. He has facilitated training seminars, workshops, and retreats in the areas of loss, grief, and bereavement; substance use disorders; couples communication skill training; men's issues in counseling; and mindfulness/meditation practices in counseling.
Alan has been a consultant for various mental health centers, school districts, hospices, businesses, and other organizations. In addition to his personal mindfulness meditation practice, Alan leads, and co-leads, mindfulness retreats/workshops for college and graduate students, medical and nursing students, human service and mental health professionals, educators, young adults, and others. He has served as a conference committee member for various mindfulness-based conferences in Southwest Virginia and at the national level. Alan is a founding Board Member of the nonprofit organization InStill Mindfulness of Southwest Virginia. He is affiliated with the private practice, Life in Balance: Counseling & Wellness Center in Christiansburg, Virginia.