Kara Kaelber, Ph.D.
Dean of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Social & Behavioral Sciences
Professor of Counseling and Human Development
About Kara Kaelber
Kara Kaelber is dean of the Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences, professor of graduate counseling programs, and a supervising licensed professional clinical counselor. She has been a counselor educator since 2004. Along with her talented team of faculty members, Kaelber launched the first fully online clinical mental health counseling program in Ohio in the summer of 2017. She has a passion for preparing graduate counseling students to become professional, ethical, and culturally sensitive counselors.
Education
- Ph.D., The University of Akron
- M.A.Ed., Malone University
- B.A., The University of Akron
AWARDS
- 2023 Distinguished Faculty Award for Service
Classes I Teach
- Diagnosis of Mental Disorders
- Trauma Counseling and Crisis Intervention
- Social Justice Counseling
- Clinical Mental Health Counseling Practicum
- Clinical Mental Health Counseling Internship I
- Clinical Mental Health Counseling Internship II
Signature Experiences
- 2024-present, Dean, Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Malone University
- 2020-2024, Chair, Department of Psychology and Counseling, Malone University
- 2018-2019, Chair, Psychology Department, Malone University
- 2018-2019, Developer and Supervisor of H², Holistic Health Program, Malone University
- 2017-present, Clinical Site Supervisor for Practicum and Internship Students, Malone University
- 2015-present, Director, Counseling and Human Development Department, Malone University
- 2015-2016, President of the Ohio Counseling Association, Columbus, OH
- 2013-present, Associate Professor, Counseling and Human Development Department, Malone University
- 2008-2013, Assistant Professor, Counseling and Human Development Department, Malone University
- 2003-2008, Supervising Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, Kaleidoscope Counseling Services
- 2003-2004, Consultant for School Counselor Program Development, Lighthouse Academy East and West
- 2001-2005, Outpatient Therapist/Community Service Provider, Child Guidance and Family Solutions
Recent Scholarly Work & Publications
Recent Presentations
Kaelber, K. & Thornberry, N. (October 2024). Spiritually Charged Ethical Dilemmas in Clinical Supervision. Homecoming presentation on campus and virtually for Malone University Practicum and Internship Site Supervisors and mental health professionals within the community.
Kaelber, K. (March 2024). Episode 18: Understanding Trauma. Invited podcast by the Ohio Department of Higher Education. https://highered.ohio.gov/initiatives/campus-initiatives/changing-campus-culture/podcast/ccc-podcast
Kaelber, K. (February 18, 2023). Youth Mental Health Symposium: “Can We Talk.” Invited presentation by Evangelist Dania King, LPC, A Door of Hope Ministries and The Sanctuary of Praise International Ministries, First Apostolic Faith Church, Akron, OH.
Kaelber, K. (January 28, 2023). Mental Health Among Teens and Young Adults. Invited presentation by Pastor Brett Faris, Chapel of Green, Green, OH.
Kaelber, K. (March 2022). Languishing, Workplace Demands, and Pandemic Fatigue. Invited presentation by the Chair of the Faculty Development Committee, Malone University, Canton, OH.
Kaelber, K. & Scott, M. (November 2020). Survivors of Sexual Assault: Trauma-Informed Care for College Students. Title IX training for staff and students. Invited presentation by the Dean of Students and Chief Student Development Officer at Malone University, Canton, OH.
Kaelber, K., Feisthamel, K., & Lessick, A. (November 2017). Cultivating Resiliency in Clinical Supervision. Refereed presentation at the 2017 All Ohio Counselors Conference, Columbus, OH.
Kaelber, K. (September 2017). The Integration of Positive Psychology into Counseling Practice. Invited Keynote Speaker for the North Central Ohio Counseling Association’s Conference on Practical Applications for Effective Counseling, Cleveland, OH.
Feisthamel, K., Kaelber, K., & Lessick, A. (November 2016). Positive Psychology Meets Clinical Supervision: A Strengths-Based Focus on Supervision. Refereed presentation at the 2016 All Ohio Counselors Conference, Columbus, OH.
Kaelber, K., Stevens, H., & Erdman, T. (October 2016). Motivating Volunteers across the Generations. Invited Guest Speaker at the American Counseling Association’s Midwest Region Institute for Leadership Training, Minneapolis, MN.
Kaelber, K. (2015). The Structure of the Ohio Counseling Association and Ways to Become Involved. Invited Guest Speaker at the Leadership Development Institute at the 2015 All Ohio Counselors Conference, Columbus, OH.
Kaelber, K. (2014). Ethical Dilemmas in Clinical Supervision. Refereed presentation at the 2014 All Ohio Counselors Conference, Columbus, OH. Refereed presentation at the 2014 All Ohio Counselors Conference, Columbus, OH.
Kaelber, K. (2014). Professional Development Strategies. Invited Guest Speaker at the Leadership Development Institute at the 2014 All Ohio Counselors Conference, Columbus, OH.
Kaelber, K. (2014). The 2014 ACA Code of Ethics: Updates on Ethical Issues Associated with Counseling Minors. Invited Guest Speaker for the Pre-Conference Session at the 2014 All Ohio Counselors Conference, Columbus, OH.
Kaelber, K., Schnyders, C., & King-White, D. (October 2014). Spiritually-Charged Ethical Dilemmas in Counseling. Professional Development Session sponsored by the Ohio Counseling Association at Malone University, Canton, OH.
Recent Publications
Seifert, L.S., Ray, A., & Kaelber, K., Nguyen, A.T., McWhirter, K. Chronic pain online: Use of the Internet to support healing among those with pain-related conditions. Applied Psychology Readings: Selected Papers from the Singapore Conference in Applied Psychology – 2024. [In press.]
Kaelber, K., Seifert, L. S., Nguyen, A. T. H., & McWhirter, K. (2024). Anxiety on the internet: Describing person, provider, and organization online posts. The Journal of General Psychology, 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221309.2024.2349765
Baucke, C., Seifert, L.S., Kaelber, K. (2021). Health Co-Inquiry in migraine: Online participation and stakeholder experiences before and during the COVID pandemic. PLoS ONE. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0260376
Gamby, K., Schnyders, C., McGrath, P., Kaelber, K. (2020). Telebehavioral Health Guidelines, State of Ohio Taskforce. https://www.ohiocounseling.org/resources/Documents/TBH%20Guidelines%20April%202020.pdf
Seifert, L.S., Kaelber, K., Flaherty, K., & Bowman, T. (2020). Experiences in Alzheimer’s disease: What do stakeholders post on the Internet? Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace: Cyberpsychology, 14(3). https://doi.org/10.5817/CP2020-3-7
Seifert, L.S., Kaelber, K., Flaherty, K., & Kromer-Edwards, C. (2019). Using online resources in health co-inquiry: A bifurcated method for analyzing stakeholder narratives. Current Psychology, 38(26), 1172-1778. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-019-00474-9
Kaelber, K. & Schwartz, R. C. (2014). Empathy and emotional intelligence among Eastern and Western counsellor trainees: A preliminary study. International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling, 36(3), 274-286. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10447-013-9206-8
Seifert, L. & Kaelber, K. (2013). Photos in Therapeutic Contexts: Are They All Flash? A review of the book: Phototherapy and Therapeutic Photography in a Digital Age, Edited by Del Loewenthal. London, UK: Routledge. ISBN: 978-0-415-66736-4.
Kaelber, K. & Schwartz, R. C. (2014). Empathy and Emotional Intelligence among Eastern and Western Counselor Trainees: A Preliminary Study. International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling, v36 n3 p274-286.
Seifert, L.S., Flaherty, K., Kaelber, K., & Kromer-Edwards, C. (in press). Using Online Resources in Health Co-Inquiry: A Bifurcated Method for Analyzing Stakeholder Narratives. Current Psychology.
Seifert, L.S., Flaherty, K., Kaelber, K., Bowman, T. (in progress). Experiences in Alzheimer’s Disease: What Do Stakeholders Post on the Internet?
Recent Research
2017-present The Health Co-Inquiry Project. This research project is funded through a National Science Foundation institutional grant sub-award for technological innovation and development. The research team consists of Dr. Lauren Seifert, Dr. Kathleen Flaherty, Dr. Kara Kaelber, Cory Edwards, and various graduate and undergraduate research assistants. A webcrawling program has been developed, which yields several types of data associated with URLs from websites that address chronic health conditions.
2017 Dave Brooks Award for Innovation in Counseling, Ohio Counseling Association, Columbus, OH
2006-2007 Outstanding International Practitioner Award Recipient, Chi Sigma Iota, awarded at the International American Counseling Association Conference, Montreal, Canada
2005 Certificate of Recognition Award Recipient, for outstanding productivity and counseling services at Child Guidance Centers, Akron, OH