Dr. Keith E. Fender is the President and Clinical Director of Radford Counseling and Blue Ridge Counseling. Dr. Fender received a BSW in 1993, an MSW in 1996 and a PhD in 2000. He is currently a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, a Certified Sex Offender Treatment Provider, Clinically Certified Domestic Violence Counselor, and a Diplomate of the Board of the National Association of Forensic Counselors. He is a clinical member of the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers (ATSA).
He has qualified as an expert witness in the state of Virginia and North Carolina in forensic mental health cases involving violent offenders, sexual offenders, and issues regarding parental capacity. He has served as an expert witness on behalf of the Office of the Attorney General for Virginia, the Virginia Department of Corrections, and Federal Probation in the Western District of Virginia, as well as numerous private attorneys throughout the state of Virginia in Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, Circuit Court, and Federal Court. He has served as a consultant and provided professional services for attorney's, clients, and individuals in Virginia, California, North Carolina, Maryland, Utah, Texas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.
Dr. Fender has consulted with law enforcement at the local, state, and federal levels on criminal investigations involving violent offenses, sexual offenses, and managing violent offenders and sexual offenders in the community post incarceration. He has provided law enforcement training in various capacities including the Sex Crimes School at the Cardinal Police Academy.
Dr. Fender opened Blue Ridge Counseling in 1996 and has treated a wide range of psychiatric disorders including mood disorders, anxiety disorders, psychotic disorders, cognitive disorders, personality disorders, and sexual disorders. He has operated batterer intervention programs in southwest Virginia since 1996 and the programs have been certified since 2000. He served as the Chair of the Virginia Batterer Intervention Certification Board for approximately ten years and is currently the Executive Secretary.
His other specialty areas include: forensic mental health, geriatric mental health, violence risk assessment, sex offender evaluations/treatment, and batterer intervention treatment programs. He has completed over 3000 domestic violence risk assessments since 1996. He is currently responsible for the operation of certified batterer intervention programs throughout Central and Southwest Virginia.
He has served his local community as a member of numerous domestic violence fatality review teams as well as domestic violence task forces throughout southwest Virginia. He has served at the state level on various boards to advance victim safety as well as appropriate treatment responses for domestic violence offenders including work with the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia and frequent speaking engagements such as the Annual Judicial Conference in Virginia. He has served at the national level as a speaker and consultant to other states in their efforts to develop and implement treatment programs.
Dr. Fender taught at both the undergraduate and graduate levels at Radford University from 1998-2008 and he continues to serve as a guest lecturer in Criminal Justice and Social Work. He is currently assisting in several research initiatives aimed at improving intervention for violent offenders and sexual offenders. He has served on the Ferrum College Social Work Board for approximately ten years.
Dr. Fender started The Radford Counseling Group in 2000 as a specialty forensic mental health practice. The practice has locations in Radford, Virginia and Roanoke, Virginia, and serves central and southwest Virginia via satellite office locations throughout the commonwealth by way of public/private partnerships. Radford Counseling is currently contracted with the Virginia Department of Corrections, the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice, and Federal Probation and Parole Districts throughout the state to provide substance abuse counseling services, psychosexual evaluations/risk assessments, individual sex offender treatment, and group sex offender treatment programs. He currently oversees the treatment of approximately 250 individuals in outpatient treatment.
