Richard E. Cleveland is an associate professor at Georgia Southern University where he serves as Program Director of the Counselor Education MEd program and Lead Mental Health/Resilience Researcher for the university’s Tactical & Occupational Performance (TOP) research institute. As program director, Richard oversees three graduate programs: (1) in-person clinical mental health counseling; (2) in-person professional school counseling; and (3) online school guidance counseling.

His scholarship incorporates three main strands of (1) mindfulness-based tactical instruction (MBTI) for tactical athletes navigating high-stress/trauma; (2) using solitude, mindfulness & spirituality as therapeutic interventions with clients; and (3) exploring the role of professional school counselors in public school settings.

Richard has written for practitioner-focused books, theoretical scholarship, and research journals. His presentations span counselor in-service trainings, agency/shift trainings, workshop sessions at state, national and international levels, as well as invited television, radio, and podcast appearances. He served as the initial speaker for Georgia Southern University’s inaugural TEDx event; supervised grant-funded research between the United States Pentagon and Georgia law enforcement agencies; and has delivered invited presentations at York St. John University (UK), Oxford University (UK), the International Congress on Soldiers’ Physical Performance (ICSPP) in London, and University of Szczecin (Poland). Recent invited presentations include a return to Brasenose College, Oxford University presenting research on Tactical Mindfulness with military (MIL), Fire, and Law Enforcement (LE) populations. Additionally, Richard was recently invited as a highlighted speaker for the National Strength and Conditioning Association Tactical (TSAC) conference, delivering a live-stream session on how to incorporate mindfulness-based tactical instruction into workouts for MIL, Fire, and LE populations.

Richard is a nationally board-certified professional clinical mental health counselor licensed in Georgia with national clinical supervision credentials. He holds Resilience Instructor credentials through Georgia POST, instructor certification through Mental Health First Aid, and is a mental health & resilience subject matter expert for the US Department of Justice CRI-TAC program.