ATLANTA – Dr. W. David Lane, professor of counseling in Mercer University’s Penfield College, received both the Linda Painter Service Award and the Dr. John C. Burns III Lifetime Achievement Award during the Licensed Professional Counselors Association (LPCA) of Georgia’s 30th Annual Convention and Regional Conference held May 9-12 in Atlanta.
Dr. Lane is the first member to receive the organization’s top two awards in a single year.
The Linda Painter Service Award is annually presented to an individual who has demonstrated leadership qualities of an exceptional nature; effective integrated experience with education in an outstanding effort to help people; willingness to take risks for improved clinical supervision; the ability to enlist public support for improved mental health services; representation of the professional ethics of counselors; and repeated outstanding achievements and contributions with a lasting impact and outstanding creativity and courage.
The Dr. John C. Burns III Lifetime Achievement Award is annually presented to an individual who has demonstrated leadership within the counseling profession during his or her career; promotion of the profession of counseling and the LPCA organization and mission to key constituencies and decision-makers; education of the counseling community, general public and legislative community on the importance of mental health care and the use of licensed professional counselors (LPCs); and dedication to the responsible growth of the counseling profession and the LPCA.
“I have known and worked with both Dr. Linda Painter and Dr. John Burns. They are the exemplars for exemplars. I am overwhelmed to think that people see me in any way as comparable to these two incredible people. It is, frankly, beyond my comprehension,” said Dr. Lane.
Dr. Lane, who recently completed his 23rd year on the University’s faculty, is founder of Penfield College’s counseling program. He has more than 41 years of experience as a counselor, counselor educator and supervisor.
He is a license professional counselor, licensed marriage and family therapist, nationally board certified counselor, certified professional counselor supervisor and clinical member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapists.
Prior to coming to Mercer, he was the founder and coordinator of the community counseling and marriage and family counseling programs at Columbus College (now Columbus State University). While in Columbus, he worked with Ft. Benning and the U.S. Army to create a program to train chaplains in marriage and family counseling.
Dr. Lane worked extensively for more than a year in Haiti, following an earthquake in 2010, to lead teams of professionals to train pastors, teachers and mental health providers in trauma assessment and care. The trauma program he developed as a result of this work is being used by missionaries all over the world, most recently in Rwanda.
Additionally, in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings in Newtown, Connecticut, in 2012, he led teams to train pastors and community workers to assist with trauma.
“I am delighted and not at all surprised that the LPCA has chosen to recognize Dr. Lane in this way,” said Dr. Priscilla Danheiser, dean of Penfield College. “Through his teaching, scholarship, service and collegiality, David has played a major role in shaping the profession of counseling in our state. I cannot imagine how many lives he has touched through his effective and passionate work with counseling graduate students and with clients. The impact of his dedication to distinguishing Mercer’s counseling programs and our graduates through the addition of powerful service components is tremendous and felt not just in Georgia but in Haiti, in Newtown, Connecticut, and – through scholarly dissemination of his work – in many other locations throughout the world.”
Dr. Lane served for 10 years as a member of the board of directors of the Licensed Professional Counselors Association of Georgia, chaired the Ethics and Supervision Credentialing Committee and was editor of the Georgia Journal of Professional Counseling for six years.
Currently, he volunteers with Warrior 2 Citizen, a group that works to help veterans transition back home post-deployment, and serves veterans suffering with PTSD. He has written a child resilience program for children of these veterans who often suffer vicarious effects of the veterans’ difficult circumstances.
He has published numerous articles, book chapters and manuscript reviews in the field of counseling and marriage and family therapy and is co-author of Ready to Learn: Teaching Children How to Succeed in School, a nationally award-winning program for pre-school and early childhood classrooms. Additionally, he has authored or co-authored six other books on counseling and Christian counseling.
His most recent book, co-authored with his wife, Dr. Donna Lane, adjunct professor in Penfield College, is titled Strength in Adversity. He is a regular presenter at local, regional, national and international workshops in the field of counseling.
LPCA is an organization that unites LPCs and future LPCs in the state of Georgia and represents the interests of professional counselors to both state and national legislators and to the Georgia Composite Licensing Board. For more information, visit www.lpcaga.org.
About Penfield College
Mercer University’s Penfield College, established as the College of Continuing and Professional Studies in 2003, is committed to serving post-traditional learners. Undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs are offered to adult learners seeking professional advancement into leadership roles in and beyond their communities. Penfield’s programs provide students with distinctive, multidisciplinary experiences that integrate theory and practice. In addition to providing general education and elective courses for various colleges and schools at Mercer, Penfield offers degree programs in areas including technology, public safety, public and human services, leadership and administration, healthcare and liberal arts. Programs are offered on Mercer’s campuses in Atlanta and Macon, as well as Regional Academic Centers in Douglas County and Henry County, and online. To learn more, visit penfield.mercer.edu.
