Dr. Gail Olson

Gail Olson has served as an adjunct faculty member at Concordia University, Nebraska since 2020. She brings more than 30 years of professional experience in counseling, mental health and addiction recovery. She began her career as a licensed drug and alcohol abuse counselor (LADC) in inpatient and outpatient treatment settings in Omaha, working with individuals affected by trauma and addiction. Her work later expanded into outpatient counseling with families, couples and extended recovery care.

Over the course of her career, she has earned credentials as a Licensed Mental Health Practitioner (LMHP), Certified Professional Counselor (CPC), Licensed Independent Mental Health Practitioner (LIMHP) and Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC). She continues to serve in private practice, specializing in mood disorders, PTSD, trauma and recovery, and addiction counseling. She is the author of Scars and Stripes: Healing the Wounds of War, published by HSI/McGraw Hill, and has written and designed undergraduate and graduate counseling courses with a strong emphasis on applied practice and field-based learning.

Dr. Olson holds a Master of Human Relations (Counseling) from the University of Oklahoma, a Ph.D. in Psychology with a counseling emphasis from Century University, a Bachelor of General Studies in Human Services, Psychology and Sociology from the University of Nebraska, and an Associate of Applied Science in Chemical Dependency Counseling from Metropolitan Community College.

Her work is rooted in faith and service, and she finds deep purpose in helping others heal and grow. She is grateful to play a role in God’s work of restoring those who are hurting. Gail has two grown children who attended Christian schools, and she has long admired Concordia’s mission. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, exploring new places each summer and taking “mini-adventures” with her daughters, visiting museums, parks, lakes, small towns and discovering new experiences, believing that no adventure is too small.