Lawrence Gerstein, professor of counseling psychology at Ball State University, has been selected to receive the 2006 Lifetime Achievement Award from the College of Education at the University of Georgia May 5.

The award will be presented to Gerstein at his alma mater, where he earned a doctorate in counseling and social psychology in 1983 and a master's degree in rehabilitation counseling in 1976. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in public administration from Bernard Baruch College in New York City in 1974.

Gerstein said he was surprised to be named the recipient of this year's award in light of the size of the College of Education at the University of Georgia and the prestige of its graduates.

Gerstein is an active scholar who has published numerous journal articles, presented at national and international conferences, and coedited a ground-breaking textbook, "Handbook for Social Justice in Counseling Psychology: Leadership, Vision, and Action."

As a doctoral student he became involved in the effort to license master's-level counselors. The work was instrumental in helping pass more than 30 licensing laws that Gerstein feels are crucial for securing better mental health care for consumers.

"Our citizens need access to more competent mental health professionals, and to set a minimum of competence we need regulation," he said.

Gerstein continues to work in the area of social justice, and one of his most active and visible roles is as the cofounder of the International Tibet Independence Movement along with Thubten Jigme Norbu, the oldest brother of the Dalai Lama. Through this group, Gerstein has helped raise awareness about Tibet and create interest in human rights campaigns. While he began this work in 1989, it is only recently that this interest became a part of his professional life.

"This aspect of my life didn't get intertwined with my professional career until about eight years ago," Gerstein said. "They didn't really intersect until counseling psychology as a field became more interested in social justice."

Gerstein explained that the field of counseling psychology started out targeting social justice issues, but throughout much of the century focused on providing services to individuals. It is only recently that Gerstein has seen the field shift back to its roots in the wider arena of systems and structures.

"I've always had a strong interest in ethnopolitical conflict, human rights abuses and the effects of violence on culture," he said. "Now the field has begun to embrace the importance of changing structures so you can not only enhance the quality of life for the individual but prevent problems from occurring."

When asked to consider how his work might have influenced his selection for the achievement award, Gerstein said that it may be because of the shift in the field away from a focus solely on individual care to a focus on changing the environment in which the individual lives.

"We need to focus on those systems and structures and their interactions with the individual," he said. "We can work with the individual and fix their problems, but eventually we have to send them back out into the world."

Gerstein has been researching outside the boundaries of his profession for most of his career. Now that the field seems to be catching up to him, he's not sure where he fits in any more. Winning the Lifetime Achievement Award has brought two issues to mind.

"Lately, I don't know what to do now that I'm mainstream," he said with a laugh. "Maybe I've lost my edge."

And the second concern?

"I actually think I'm too young to win a 'lifetime' achievement award," said the 54-year-old professor. "If I do deserve it, it's only because I had excellent training, phenomenal professors who inspired me and pushed me and helped me develop as a young scientist. I'm truly humbled."

(Note to editors: For more information, contact Gerstein at (765) 285-8059 or lgerstein@bsu.edu.)