Alan Forrest

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.