Caldwell’s specialty is expressive arts therapy. Photo by Marie Freeman ’85
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 Department of Human Development and Psychological Counseling
The Department of Human Development and Psychological Counseling in Appalachian State University’s Reich College of Education is responsible for organizing and providing instructional programs in counseling and other human development functions for public schools, colleges and universities and various agencies. The department offers Master of Arts degrees in clinical mental health counseling, professional school counseling, student affairs administration and marriage and family therapy. Learn more at https://hpc.appstate.edu.
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 so many teacher education graduates working in the state, there is at least one RCOE graduate teaching in every county in North Carolina. Learn more at https://rcoe.appstate.edu.
About Appalachian State University
As the premier public undergraduate institution in the Southeast, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The Appalachian Experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and to embrace diversity and difference. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Appalachian is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System. Appalachian enrolls nearly 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.
