Brian J. Mistler is a consultant with ExcllenceTree, LLC and a psychologist and the coordinator of research at the Center for Counseling and Student Wellness, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, a private liberal-arts college in upstate New York.

     Mistler received his Ph.D. in counseling psychology from the University of Florida (U.F.) and trained for five years as a Gestalt Therapist at the Gestalt Center of Gainesville. He has a master’s degree in international conflict resolution from the University of Bradford in the United Kingdom and completed a full-time APA approved pre-doctoral internship in inner-city Richmond at Virginia Commonwealth University. He also attended Stetson University, a private liberal arts college in Florida, where he received a B.S. in computer science and philosophy, a B.A. in humanities, and served as both student body president and as a student member of the Board of Trustees. Honored by Florida Leader magazine and the recipient of numerous distinctions worldwide, Mistler was named in 2001 by Rotary International as an Academic Ambassadorial Scholar.

     He is a member of the Association for the Advancement of Gestalt Therapy with advanced training in group psychotherapy, men's issues, and LGBTQIQ identity development. Mistler is also a recipient of the Delta Gamma Recognition for Excelling in Teaching and the Mutter Award for Advanced Study of Hypnosis. He has spent time working, studying, and volunteering in a broad spectrum of multicultural environments around the globe, including post-war rural Guatemala, Israel & Palestine, across Western and Eastern Europe, and interned at The British Parliament.

     Mistler recently received a United States Dept. of Education & U.F. European Studies Center Teaching Grant to develop and teach a course applying his expertise in conflict resolution to both the historical and current issues of religious/cultural minority populations, especially Muslims. Mistler is a member of Psychologists for Social Responsibility and has been a strong advocate for issues of interfaith cooperation and social justice for many years. He trained in The University of Bradford Peace Studies Department where he worked with Muslim youth, volunteered as a chaplain at SHANDS Hospital, and has served on interfaith councils around the world.  Brian has designed and taught a number of courses, and was an Adjunct Faculty member and The University of Central Florida. In addition to his expertise in conflict resolution, Brian has a strong background in humor. His doctoral dissertation research was focused on understanding the relationship between Tolerance for Ambiguity (TFA) and humor, and in 2009 Brian trained with Dr. Patch Adams. He developed U.F.’s first Psychology of Humor course.    

      Mistler has published dozens of scholarly and popular articles for journals including The British Journal of Counseling and Guidance, Counseling Today, The Journal of Muslim Mental Health, and newspapers like The Sarasota Herold Tribune and the Gainesville Sun. Brian is currently working on a practical handbook for organizational and individual change with fellow researchers and business consultants Dr. Brian Higley and Dr. Martin Heesacker, as well as finishing a book on conflict resolution and forgiveness.