Paula Swindle

Paula Swindle serves as Associate Professor of Counseling and Hickory campus program coordinator at Lenoir-Rhyne University, where she leverages 24+ years of clinical expertise as a licensed clinical mental health counselor/supervisor.

Education

• Ph.D. in Counseling and Educational Development, University of North Carolina, Greensboro
• M.A. in Mental Health Counseling, Appalachian State University
• B.A. in English/Language Arts Teacher Education, Wake Forest University

Her research pioneers the integration of mental health services within medical contexts including cardiac rehabilitation, pulmonary rehabilitation, and oncology, while critically examining spirituality-counseling intersections with specialized focus on religious trauma and spiritual abuse. This work manifests through clinical practice, the 'Sacred Intersections' podcast, and advocacy for interdisciplinary medical collaboration.

Dr. Swindle provides clinical supervision for provisionally licensed counselors across North Carolina and shapes professional development as Vice President of the Catawba Valley Association of Counselors and Therapists, while directing the Hickory campus counseling program's academic and clinical training framework.

She founded the Center for Healing Religious Harm to address systemic religious trauma, and co-hosts the 'Sacred Intersections' podcast with Reverend Jill Isola to bridge theological understanding with clinical mental health approaches in religious abuse recovery.