Working with college students and their distinct issues can be exciting and challenging, said Gene Edwards, a licensed psychologist with the University’s Counseling Center.
“Many of our students are managing more than attending classes and getting good grades. They are trying to manage an academic course load, and for some, they are working and going to school or raising families and going to school. All these environmental factors can play a role in creating stressful situations beyond adjustment issues,” said Edwards. “We are dealing with more complex issues and providing quality mental health services to those who need it.”
Another rewarding aspect of his role with the Counseling Center is in supervising aspiring psychologists. The center is accredited by the American Psychological Association as a training site. “I relish the opportunity to help train up-and-coming pre-doctoral interns who will eventually go on to practice.”
Beyond working with individual clients and interns, Edwards is coordinator of the center’s multicultural programs. In doing so, he works collaboratively with other units and departments on campus to develop and provide consultation and outreach around multicultural issues. For example, he offers workshops and programs related to black males and empowerment, intra-cultural differences in the black community and black masculinity.
While he’s been able to build relationships with faculty and staff members around campus, Edwards said the challenge is to reach the students who could benefit from the multicultural programs. He noted that recently he’s worked with the center’s pre-doctoral interns to create a “community in-reach project.” They actually go out across campus to identify and cultivate relationships with students who might be considered hard to reach.
A native of New York City, Edwards came to UNC Charlotte about five years ago. He completed bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Penn State University. Initially, he worked as a residence life professional there and at La Salle University. He also worked as an assistant director of student services for the Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars in Washington, D.C. Later, he was director of multicultural programs and initiatives at Olivet College, located about 30 miles south of Lansing, Mich.
“Then, I decided I wanted to be a psychologist when I grew up,” he said jokingly. He earned his doctorate in counseling psychology from New Mexico State University. He did his pre-doctoral internship at the University of Delaware and a post-doctoral residency at Cornell University.
Away from the Counseling Center, Edwards enjoys spending time with his family. He and his wife Lisa have been married for 10 years, and they have two children – daughter Jordyn, 5, and son Mason, 2. A practitioner of martial arts for nearly 30 years, he considers himself an athlete for life. He holds rank in Karate, Olympic Tae Kwon Do and Korean Tang Soo Do and has a background in Japanese weapons. Most recently, he’s been training and competing in sprint triathlons and other long-distance running events.