Skip to main content

PVM Family Welcomes Part-time Therapist Catherine Lawhorne

A woman is smiling while holding a small dog against a softly lit background.

The Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine is pleased to welcome Catherine Lawhorne, MA, LMHC as a part-time therapist.  She began scheduling appointments with students this week.  Catherine is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) for the State of Indiana. She received her undergraduate degree in health science from Ball State University. However, once she realized many of her patients were having problems making healthy lifestyle changes because they were also struggling with mental health issues, Catherine made the decision to get her master’s degree in community counseling from Ball State’s counseling program accredited by the CACREP (Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs).

Catherine completed her internship at Ball State’s Counseling and Psychological Services, working primarily with students. Since then, Catherine has worked in various settings including college counseling at Franklin College, health coaching for WebMD, and correctional counseling at the Tippecanoe County Jail, as well as working in a psychiatric hospital setting and in private practice. Catherine considers herself a generalist, specializing in a variety of issues including depression, anxiety, trauma issues, and general life stress. In addition to her role at Purdue, Catherine continues to work at Sycamore Springs psychiatric hospital in Lafayette leading group therapy in the outpatient department. Catherine also works at a private practice in Rochester, Ind., where she provides individual and couples counseling.

In her spare time, Catherine enjoys practicing yoga, listening to music, and spending time with friends and family. She considers her fur babies as family, too, including three cats, three dogs, six barn cats, and a horse named Shadow.

Students can contact Catherine at pvmwellbeing@purdue.edu to schedule an appointment. Her office is located in Lynn G158E, which is across the hall from G167.  Please help extend a warm PVM welcome to Catherine!

Catherine is one of two therapists hired by the College.  The other, Dr. Colleen Maguire Jackson, will serve as a full-time therapist, starting January 27. 

Writer(s): Kevin Doerr | pvmnews@purdue.edu

Recent Stories

Take a jog with a dog for a good cause!

Building on the growing success of a long-running community event and Purdue Veterinary Conference tradition, organizers of the 2026 Dr. Skip Jackson Dog Jog are excited about prospects for a great turnout at this year’s run/walk coming up the morning of Saturday, September 26. And there’s still time to register and participants are welcome whether they are jogging with or without a dog or want to run with an adoptable shelter dog.

PVM well-represented by students, faculty and staff at annual AABP meeting

The American Association of Bovine Practitioners’ (AABP) 59th Annual Conference last month in Minneapolis, Minnesota, included significant representation from the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine. A total of 17 students from the 2nd- and 3rd-year classes attended along with faculty and staff and Purdue Veterinary Medicine alumni. Two Purdue veterinary students received special recognition.

In Memory: Dr. Kevin Thomas Schultz (PU DVM ’76)

The Purdue Veterinary Medicine community is saddened to learn of the passing of an alumnus, Dr. Kevin T. Schultz of Dawsonville, Georgia, on August 15, 2026.  He was 74.

In Memory: Mair Lewis – former Purdue Veterinary Medicine First Lady

Mair Lewis (née Harris-Hughes), the widow of the late Dr. Hugh Bilson Lewis – the fourth dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine – is remembered with appreciation and admiration by the Purdue Veterinary Medicine community after her passing September 7, 2026, in Vancouver, Washington. She was 83.

“Paws Up” for Dr. Kenitra Hendrix and Dr. Craig Bowen – brought to you by the the PVM Wellness Committee

This week we share appreciation for Dr. Kenitra Hendrix, Associate Dean for the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratories, and Dr. Craig Bowen, Associate Director of the Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory and Department Head of Accessioning.