LCSW, 14 years of experience
Hello, I am Karen. Welcome, and thank you for taking the first step. Whether you're dealing with being overwhelmed, experiencing cycles of anxiety and depression, I'm here to help. Making the decision to start therapy is your first and usually biggest hurdle toward feeling better or making a change in your life. I tailor my approach to best fit each person's needs and also draw from the following therapeutic modalities: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Mindfulness practices, Solution-Focused Therapy, and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). My background is in working with children, teens and families. I have extensive experience treating depression, anxiety, trauma, relationship and family issues, parenting challenges, life transitions, and personal growth work. I am committed to working with you to see the results you wish to achieve in therapy.
Clients can expect a compassionate and non-judgemental environment. In our first session together, we'll start with a brief introduction and then dive into the specific challenges you are facing. This will help me to create a individualized plan for us to work through follow-up sessions.
I have extensive experience working with children, teens and adults with complex trauma. My goal is to create an environment where my clients feel heard and appreciated. Building a strong relationship with my clients is crucial to me because a strong trusting relationship between client and therapist leads to better treatment results.
My clients are eager to improve, but may not yet have the tools needed to make their goal a reality. They may feel stuck, overwhelmed or anxious. I work as hard as my clients. My clients and I work in collaboration.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a talk therapy approach that I use in my practice to help clients focus their thoughts to better manage stressful life situations. I work with clients to identify and reframe distressing thoughts that drive unwanted emotions and guide the client in implementing new coping skills such as relaxation and mindfulness techniques.
I am EMDR trained. EMDR is an evidence based therapeutic approach that targets and treats distressing memories resulting from complex traumatic experience. I utilize the structured eight phase protocol to guide clients from the negative emotions surrounding past trauma to installing a positive belief about themselves.
I use Motivational interviewing with clients who experience challenges with making positive changes in their lives by enhancing their desire to change through listening techniques, empathy and helping the client identify their own motivators.