Dr. Karen Bluth received her PhD in Child and Family Studies in 2012 from The University of Tennessee, and holds a faculty position in the Department of Psychiatry at the UNC School of Medicine and is a Fellow at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute where she is founder of the Frank Porter Graham Mindfulness and Self-Compassion Program for Families ( https://selfcompassion.web.unc.edu  ). Dr. Bluth’s research focuses on the roles that self-compassion and mindfulness play in promoting well-being in youth. In 2021, she was funded by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention to implement MSC-T for transgender and gender-expansive teens, and investigate factors associated with suicidal thoughts.

Dr. Bluth is also co-creator of the curriculum "Mindful Self-Compassion for Teens," the teen adaptation of Mindful Self-Compassion for adults, and “Embracing Your Life” the young adult adaptation for young adults. She is also author of the book “The Self-Compassion Workbook for Teens: Mindfulness and Compassion Skills to Overcome Self-Criticism and Embrace Who You Are” (New Harbinger Publishers), “The Self-Compassionate Teen: Mindfulness and Compassion Skills to Conquer Your Critical Inner Voice” (New Harbinger Publishers), co-author of “Mindfulness and Self-Compassion for Teen ADHD: Build Executive Functioning Skills, Increase Motivation, and Improve Self-Confidence”, and the Audible Original "Self-Compassion for Girls: A Guide for Parents, Teachers, and Coaches" to be released Winter, 2021-22.

As a mindfulness practitioner for over 40 years, a mindfulness teacher, and an educator with 18 years of classroom teaching experience, Dr. Bluth frequently gives talks, conducts workshops, and teaches classes in self-compassion and mindfulness in educational and community settings. In addition, she trains teachers in MSC-T internationally.