Lawrence H. Gerstein earned a B.B.A. in public administration and a Ph.D. in counseling and social psychology. He is a Ball State University George and Frances Ball Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Director of the Center for Peace and Conflict Studies, Fulbright Scholar, and a Fellow of the American Psychological Association. Professor Gerstein is a Co-Editor of the Journal for Social Action in Counseling and Psychology and an Editorial Board Member for the Journal of Counseling Psychology. He has published 100+ scholarly articles and three books including the International Handbook of Cross-Cultural Counseling and the Handbook for Social Justice in Counseling Psychology. He is known for his research on cross-cultural methodology, nonviolence, social justice, emotions, and sports for youth development. Professor Gerstein has received 2+ million dollars in funding including four U.S. State Department grants and one U.S. Institute of Peace grant. He has performed conflict prevention and resolution work and/or research with adults, children, and youth in the U.S.A, Jordan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, China, Hong Kong, Korea, Indonesia, Israel, Taiwan, and Burma. He also has trained Iraqi young leaders in social entrepreneurship.
Essentials of International Cross-Cultural Counseling will be a brief, supplemental book (a derivative of the International Handbook of Cross-Cultural Counseling). The focus of this supplement is the first section of the handbook, which touches on issues, challenges, and opportunities for the counseling profession worldwide. It will be comprised of nine articles that discuss topics such as cross-cultural counseling, the counseling profession in- and outside of the United States, the theoretical and methodological issues when studying culture, and the future of cross-cultural counseling.á Each article will include discussion questions and related web links to further student comprehension of the material.