Kathryn C Thiel

Kathryn joined the School of Social Work as a Lecturer in the Fall of 2021. She was awarded her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Appalachian State University in 1991. She completed her Master's of Social Work education at Howard University in 1996 with a focus in mental health through the lens of social and racial justice. After obtaining her LCSW in the state of Virginia, she practiced medical social work, concentrating in the gerontological field. In 2003 she relocated to Colorado where her focus became medical social work with a concentration in grief and loss, death and dying and crisis intervention/trauma care. For the next eighteen years her focus centered around rural social work which included work with hospitals, Hospice, home health, community-based health center settings and the school systems. During this time she developed a public health program for students aged pre-school through college utilizing Trauma-Informed Practices to counter the affects of ACES in their lives. This program was taught and implemented by Kathryn in four different school districts. It's aim was to help youth learn about and develop skills of resilience through creative expression lessons. Throughout this time, Kathryn was a sought after speaker on the affects of trauma on the lives of children. Kathryn has worked with a diverse population including people of various racial backgrounds, immigrants, the aged, youth/students, the LGBTQIA+ community, people experiencing homelessness, the terminally ill, and the rural population.

Education

BA in Political Science, Appalachian State University.

Master of Social Work, Howard University

Professional Service

Kathryn spent many years in professional service to include; Board Member for the Mental Health Advisory Board - Routt County Colo., Reaching Everyone Preventing Suicide (Board Member)- Routt County, Colo. RX Task Force (Team Member), Rise Above Colorado - Science Advisory Committee, Routt County volunteer advisor for The Child Protection Team and the Adult Protection Team, Routt County Youth Coalition (Board Member), Communities that Care ( Board Member), Steamboat Springs School District Wellness Committee, Critical Incident Response Team (Member) Routt County Colo., Critical Incident Response Team, (Member) UNCW School of Social Work, College of Health and Human Services Mentor Advisory Board, UNCW, College of Health and Human Services College Curriculum Committee, UNCW, Faculty Search Committee for School of Social Work and College of Health and Human Services, UNCW; Social Work Coalition on North Carolina Workforce Development, (Member), Bachelor of Social Work Program Coordinator, UNCW.

Community Engagement

Kathryn is a current team member of the Wrightsville Beach Sea Turtle Project and has served as the Safe Sprot Coordinator for the Steamboat Springs Youth Hockey Association.