J. Eric Gentry, Ph.D., LMHC, D.A.A.E.T.S. is the founder of the Forward-Facing® Institute.  Dr. Gentry is a board-certified and internationally recognized leader in the study and treatment of traumatic stress and compassion fatigue. His doctorate is from Florida State University where he studied with Professor Charles Figley—a pioneer of these two fields. In 1997, he co-developed the Accelerated Recovery Program (ARP) for Compassion Fatigue—the world’s only evidence-based treatment protocol for compassion fatigue. Dr. Gentry was original faculty, curriculum designer and Associate Director of the Traumatology Institute at Florida State University. In 2001, he became the co-director and moved this institute to the University of South Florida where it became the International Traumatology Institute. In 2010, he began the International Association of Trauma Professionals. He has trained tens of thousands of professionals to more effectively treat traumatic stress. In 2005, Hogrefe and Huber published Trauma Practice: Tools for Stabilization and Recovery—a critically acclaimed text on the treatment of traumatic stress for which Dr. Gentry is a co-author. The third edition of this text was released in 2015. In 2016 He released his revolutionary Forward-Facing Trauma Therapy book. He is the author of numerous chapters, papers, and peer-reviewed journal articles in the areas of traumatic stress and compassion fatigue. Dr. Gentry is a licensed psychotherapist with over 33 years of clinical practice. He is the CEO and owner of Compassion Unlimited-- a private psychotherapy, training, and consulting practice.

What is Forward-Facing®? Forward-Facing® is a unique process for resolving our painful past while living a principle-based life here in the present. It is the marriage of science-based self-regulatory skills paired with resilient intentional living. Engaging these skills lowers stress symptoms while simultaneously enhancing quality of life and well-being. The skills are deceptively simple and easy to implement. Anyone can learn them in a short period of time…and then work the rest of our lives to master them. While Forward-Facing® is a bona fide protocol for addressing and resolving traumatic stress, it is equally effective for developing stress-management, resilience and optimization skill for professionals, parents, couples, athletes and performers.