Alexandra Lawless
“Leading from the Front!”
Dr. Alexandra Lawless is a native of Miami, Florida, but she resides in Baton Rouge, LA, with her husband and stepdaughter. Her hobbies include spending time with her husband and stepdaughter- they love to cook new recipes together. She enjoys traveling, going to the movies, eating at new restaurants, watching leisurely television, shopping, and reading peer-reviewed journal articles.
Dr. Lawless is an active Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor (LPC-S) in the state of Louisiana, a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in Florida, and a Nationally Board-Certified Counselor (NCC) and Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor (CCMHC). Her educational training consists of a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Counselor Education and Supervision with a specialization in Marriage, Family, and Couples Counseling from Barry University, a CACREP accredited program; a Master of Arts in Counselor Education and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Southern University.
As a licensed counselor, she has worked with individuals and their families using the following counseling modalities: individual, family, couples (including married couples), and group therapy. She has worked for Florida’s Department of Juvenile Justice, a local charter school in Louisiana, and served as a Clinical Director and Consultant for several local community mental health agencies over the past few years.
Her teaching philosophy in counselor education and supervision begins with setting a standard of excellent clinical practice and creating an environment where students can learn and develop essential counseling competencies and skills, practice high-quality professionalism, and establish a professional identity as a counselor. She believes the most useful tool in effective teaching in counselor education is the parallel process of the client/counselor and student/educator relationships.
Dr. Lawless’ role as a Counselor Educator is to prepare counselors-in-training for clinical practice as an active change agent. To do so, she focuses on providing learning opportunities and experiences that generate high levels of self-awareness, critical thinking, professional and personal reflection, and one that cultivates and strengthens her students’ identity as a Professional Counselor.
To conclude, searching for relevance, meaning, and practical experiences is a task for educators and students alike. This is her priority and commitment to her students in every course she teaches. She hopes her classes become a meaningful experience that intensely affects students’ future careers as Professional Counselors.