Natalie Carlton, PhD, ATR-BC, LPCC

Natalie Carlton, PhD, ATR-BC, LPCC, has multi-systemic art therapy and counseling experiences from urban addiction & recovery and psychiatric inpatient settings to community-based, studio art therapy services for rural youth, adults, and families. As a board-certified art therapist and licensed counselor in New Mexico for 20 years, she worked with children, youth, and family systems, people with developmental disabilities and persistent psychiatric illnesses, and within trauma and addiction recovery models. Her clinical work and scholarship have focused on the therapeutic use of diverse materials, including fabric crafts, clay and sculpture, drawing and painting, digital photography and video, sound recording, and printmaking.

Justice, systems, feminism, and queer theories have been grounding orientations for the therapy support and access Carlton has provided and are her base for her current graduate teaching and leadership. Her academic appointments include visiting professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, program director, and associate professor at Drexel University. She also taught in the Art Therapy/Counseling graduate program at Southwestern College from 2008-2014.

Dr. Carlton received an MA in Art Therapy from Hahnemann University (now Drexel University) in 1996 and a PhD in Expressive Therapies from Lesley University in 2014. Her educational philosophy includes a commitment to learning as an experiential and dynamic space that encourages active participation and collaboration. This includes recognizing and celebrating the unique perspectives and experiences that each student and teacher brings and embodies.

Dr. Carlton has authored and co-authored articles and book chapters regarding digital media use in art therapy and recently completed Illustrating Stories, an edited book regarding the therapeutic use of comics, zines, and graphic novels. Other publications include co-authored book chapters such as Queering multiple relationships in small communities, The immersive and therapeutic worlds of virtual reality and scanography, and a peer-reviewed journal article titled Digital culture and art therapy. 

Natalie has served on a Southwestern College Wisdom Council 2024-25 and on the VPRL IRB. She will begin as a new Faculty Mentor in Fall 2025.