category: Faculty Emeriti - In Honor Of

Frieda Brown

Professor Emerita of Psychology

Frieda Brown

Dr. Frieda Brown (1948-) graduated from high school in Morganton, N.C., before earning bachelor’s (1970) and master’s (1972) degrees at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She went on to earn her Ph.D. in clinical psychology at the University of Louisville, Ky., in 1979.

Prior to coming to Gardner-Webb, her career included numerous
 positions in psychology and child development. She served as
 owner and psychotherapist at Family Psychological Services, as founder and director of Rainbow Connection at Shelby (N.C.) Presbyterian Church, as psychotherapist and consultant at Shelby Pediatric Center, and as director of the Child and Youth Division at the Cleveland County (N.C.) Community Mental Health Center.

Brown taught numerous undergraduate and graduate classes as an adjunct professor of psychology at Gardner-Webb before joining the University faculty full time to teach psychology in 1983.

During her tenure, Brown also served as professor on the faculty of the School of Psychology and Counseling as well as the School of Divinity. In addition, she served as coordinator of the Mental Health Counseling Program. After completing her career at Gardner-Webb in 2013, she shared that she takes pride in the role she played in helping the University develop a top-quality program for school and mental health counselors.

Brown said she wanted to be remembered “as someone who cared deeply about relationships, seeing them as the avenue for growth, creativity and connection.” She described herself as “a lifelong learner who was committed to personal growth and development that allowed her to continue to be a positive resource for students, the psychology department and the University” throughout her tenure.

Throughout her career, Brown has continued to be a leading contributor to the field of psychology and counseling, and her innovative model for crisis counseling has been utilized throughout many clinical practices, crisis events, and natural disaster situations. Her efforts with victims of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 gained her national recognition, and she continues to be a resource in times of crisis situations. She has contributed to numerous articles, conferences, editorials, and co-authored the book, “Crisis Counseling and Therapy,” with Dr. Jackson Rainer.

She is married to Dr. Thomas Brown, a longtime orthodontist in Shelby, N.C. They have two children, Christopher Thomas Brown and Amanda Leigh Brown Kotis.

Professor Brown now lives in Cornelius, N.C.

Source: Personal Interview—Matthew Tessnear, Gardner-Webb University archives (August 2014-February 2015)

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