Dr. Karen Caldwell is interested in the interrelationship between the mind and the body. A professor in the Department of Human Development and Psychological Counseling, she teaches graduate students counseling and family therapy. Her specialty is expressive arts therapy.

Caldwell views expressive arts therapy as a way of supporting health and human development. “I do this by using an interdisciplinary, integrative, arts-based approach to counseling,” noted Caldwell.

Graduates of her department’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program and Marriage and Family Therapy Program provide mental health services in a variety of settings, including college counseling centers, community agencies and private practices. “I also teach an undergraduate Tai chi class,” Caldwell added, “which is quite a bit of fun for me and also a way to introduce students to mind-body exercise modality.”

This modality is evident in the classes Caldwell teaches: “We use a combination of imagery, symbols, storytelling, ritual music, dance, drama, poetry, visual arts and movement during class.” And, as if her passion for the tools of expressive arts and their therapeutic value weren’t evident, she added, “I feel very alive when I’m engaged with students in those classes.”

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About the Reich College of Education

Appalachian State University offers one of the largest undergraduate teacher preparation programs in North Carolina, graduating about 500 teachers a year. The Reich College of Education enrolls more than 2,000 students in its bachelor’s, master’s, education specialist and doctoral degree programs, with offerings that span multiple fields — from teacher preparation, counseling, and therapy, to higher education, school and student affairs administration, library science, educational leadership and more. With over 10,000 alumni employed in North Carolina public schools, there is at least one Reich College graduate in every county in the state. Learn more at https://rcoe.appstate.edu.

About Appalachian State University

As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, affordable education for all. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.