School of Education

Education

• Ph.D. in Counselor Education, University of Central Florida, 2014
• M.A. in Mental Health Counseling, University of Central Florida, 2009
• B.A. in Psychology, University of Central Florida, 2005
  
  

Research interests

Mental health and addiction counseling, individual and community thriving, contemplative practices, and Positive Psychology.

Career highlights

• Associate Editor for Quantitative Research, Journal of Counseling & Development
• President for Association for Spiritual Ethical Religious Values in Counseling (2021-2022)
• Three-time Recipient of Bigg-Pines Award for Outstanding Scholarly Contribution (2010, 2015, 2019)
• Recipient of outstanding research award by Association for Play Therapy (2022)
  
  

Recent publications/projects

• Gutierrez, D., Dorais, S., & Niles, J. (2025). Spiritual competency training in mental health and multicultural orientation and contemplative awareness: An evaluation of two training approaches with psychotherapists. Psychotherapy.
• Gutierrez, D., Principal Investigator. Co-Principal Investigator, Dorais, S. (2022 – 2024). Spirituality and Client Outcomes: Investigating the Mechanisms of Religious and Spiritual Competence Training in Mental Health. Templeton Religious/Spiritual Competencies Grant. $120,000.
• Gutierrez, D., Principal Investigator. Co-Principal Investigator, Dorais, S. (2022 – 2024). An intensive longitudinal study on a Centering Meditation: Exploring the temporal dynamics of nondual awareness and prosociality. Mind & Life Institute PEACE Grant. $100,000.
• Gutierrez, D., Co-Principal Investigator. (Corona, R., Moreno, O. Múltiple Principal Investigators), Co-Investigator, Christine Kaestle. (2018 – 2021) Culturally enhancing a motivational interviewing intervention for Latinx adolescents. Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth. $449,912.
• Gutierrez, D., Goshorn, J., & Dorais, S. (2022). Thriving in recovery: An exploration of thriving over a course of time in recovery. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 132, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsat.2021.108612
• Ray, D.C., Burgin, E.E., Ceballos, P.L., Lindo, N., Gutierrez, D. (2021). Child-centered play therapy and Adverse Childhood Experiences: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Counseling and Development. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcad.12412
• Dorais, S., and Gutierrez, D. (2021). The effectiveness of a centering meditation intervention on college stress and mindfulness: A randomized controlled trial. Frontiers in Psychology 12:720824. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.720824
• Revens, K.E., Gutierrez, D., Paul, R., Reynolds, A.D., Price, R., & DeHaven, M.J. (2021). Social support and religiosity as contributing factors to resilience and mental wellbeing in latino immigrants: A community-based participatory research study. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 23(5), 904 – 916. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-021-01179-7
  
  

Bio

Daniel Gutierrez, Ph.D., LPC, CSAC, is a professor whose research focuses on mental health strategies that support resilience, well-being, and human flourishing in the face of chronic stress and life challenges. His scholarship spans two primary areas: the development of evidence-informed interventions to promote individual and community thriving, and the exploration of contemplative practices and spirituality as pathways for personal transformation and social renewal.

Dr. Gutierrez serves as the Director of the Socially Transformative Applied Research (STAR) Lab and is a member of the Convergence Labs at Virginia Commonwealth University, where he engages in interdisciplinary research that connects science, practice, and community impact. A licensed professional counselor and certified substance abuse counselor, he brings over a decade of clinical experience into his teaching, research, and mentorship.

He was named a Fellow of the American Counseling Association (ACA) and received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Central Florida. A former president of the Association for Spiritual, Ethical, and Religious Values in Counseling (ASERVIC), Dr. Gutierrez currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of Counseling and Values, the leading journal for research on spirituality and ethics in the counseling profession.

Curriculum Vitae