Karen D. Schaefer, Ph.D., is a licensed Psychologist who has been living and practicing in Las Cruces since 1990 when she started employment at New Mexico State University (NMSU). She received her Ph.D. in counseling psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. She was the Director of Counseling & Student Development at NMSU from 2009 until May 1, 2017 when she retired. Prior to this position, she was the Training Director at the NMSU Counseling Center for 17 years. Karen is currently in private practice, providing individual, couples, and group therapy services. Her areas of professional interest and research include training and supervision; adult survivors of childhood abuse (physical, emotional, sexual, neglect); adult trauma survivors, including combat veterans; LGBTQ clients; individuals struggling with depression or grief and loss issues; offenders of abuse toward humans or animals; survivors who have witnessed animal abuse; the healing aspects of human-animal interactions; and the provision of animal-assisted therapy as an adjunct to psychotherapy. She has presented on multiple occasions about the link between animal abuse and human violence, as well as the integration of animal-assisted interventions in therapy.