Rate My Professor Gerra Perkins

Dr. Gerra Perkins serves as Professor and Program Coordinator for Counselor Education in the School of Education within the Gallaspy College of Education and Human Development at Northwestern State University of Louisiana. As the designated contact person for the Master of Arts in Counseling program, she oversees concentrations in school counseling and clinical mental health counseling, both accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). Perkins has played a key role in program development, including the expansion of the Master's in Counseling to the Cenla campus announced in 2026 and serving as counseling content expert for a grant from The Rapides Foundation aimed at addressing the shortage of licensed mental health professionals in central Louisiana. In 2023, NSU's counseling programs under her coordination earned reaccreditation, underscoring her commitment to high educational standards. She actively teaches topics such as play therapy to counseling students and contributes to institutional assessments ensuring alignment with CACREP standards.

Before entering academia, Dr. Perkins worked as a full-time school counselor in Louisiana public schools. She holds a Ph.D., a Master of Education in School Counseling earned in 2002, and maintains active certifications as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Louisiana, National Certified Counselor (NCC), and National Certified School Counselor (NCSC). Her research interests are reflected in publications such as "The Evolving Identity of School Counselors as Defined by the Stakeholders" (Journal of School Counseling, 2010), co-authored with Jeffrey Oescher and Mary B. Ballard, which revealed stakeholders' strong perception of elementary school counselors as mental health professionals. Additional works include "Educational Leadership: The Relationship Between Spirituality and Leadership Practices" co-authored with Nelda Wellman and Wendell Wellman, "The Impact of Student Age on Online Learning," and contributions to service learning in counselor education. Perkins has presented extensively at local, state, national, and international conferences on school counseling, play therapy, supervision, and counselor educator training. Her dissertation, "Stakeholders' Perceptions of the Value of Elementary School Counselor Roles" (2006), further highlights her focus on counselor roles.