Dr. Van Acker began his career as a child care worker at Covenant Children's Home and Family Services in Princeton, IL, where he focused on working with children with emotional and behavioral disorders (Van Acker, 2010). As a result of his interest in working with troubled youth, Dr. Van Acker obtained his teaching certification in special education (R.M. Van Acker, personal communication, October 15, 2010). From this, Dr. Van Acker began working as an educator at Covenant Children's Home and Family Services, as well as at Princeton High School working with students in both special education and general population systems. To learn more about the life and work of Dr. Richard Van Acker, click here.