Karen Reiss, LCSW - Therapist at Grow Therapy

Karen Reiss

Karen Reiss

(she/her)

LCSW
21 years of experience
Virtual

Hi, I am honored you are taking time out of your busy day to consider me as your therapist. I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Pennsylvania and Kentucky. I received my Masters in Social Work from Marywood University and have been practicing for 20+ years. I assist individuals like you — thoughtful, resilient, and ready to face the hard things, even when they feel confusing or uncertain - through empathy, compassion, and challenge.

Get to know me

In our first session together, here's what you can expect

Our first session is about slowing down and creating a safe space for you. You don’t need to have the right words or a clear view of the past, present, and future — just come as you are. You can expect a space that honors your story without rushing you through it — where your grief, anxiety, or pain is met with curiosity, not judgment. We'll start by exploring what brings you in, what’s been feeling heavy or stuck, and what you’re hoping for in therapy. I will ask some gentle questions to better understand your history, emotional world, and current challenges, but there’s no pressure to share everything at once. This first visit is also a time for you to get an idea of me — how I work, how I listen, and whether it feels like a comfortable fit. My approach is warm, collaborative, while at times challenging you all within a frame work of grounded compassion and clinical care. I believe that the relationship itself is a big part of the healing process, so building trust and safety from the beginning matters.

The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions

With over 20 years of experience in the field, I bring more than clinical training — I bring perspective, depth, and a deep respect for the human experience. I’ve sat with people through every kind of storm — grief, trauma, identity shifts, and the quiet pain that doesn't always have a name. My years of practice have taught me that healing isn’t linear and that real change often comes from being deeply seen, not quickly fixed. I integrate evidence-based approaches like Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, mindfulness, solution focused therapy and compassion-focused work, but I tailor them with variation— meeting each client where they are, with flexibility, humor, and honesty. What makes me unique is my ability to hold complexity — to sit with what’s tender, messy, or unresolved — and to help you move toward a life that feels more aligned, meaningful, and genuinely yours alone.

The clients I'm best positioned to serve

A good fit when working with me is someone who may be carrying grief that others expect them to be “over” by now — whether it's the loss of a person, a relationship, or a former version of yourself while feeling unsure how to move forward. You might be living with depression that feels more like numbness, exhaustion, or a quiet kind of sadness. You may often be the strong one for others, yet find it difficult to create space for your own emotions. Anxiety may be a familiar companion — not always loud, but showing up as inner pressure, constant worry, or emotionally overwhelmed. Maybe you’ve been to therapy before, but still feel stuck, unseen, or disconnected from your core self. Perhaps you grew up without consistent emotional safety and now find it hard to trust, attach, or feel truly secure in relationships. If you're looking for therapy that goes beyond symptom management — therapy that is about healing in a way that’s real, compassionate, and sustainable — and you value depth, honesty, and being seen as a whole person, not just a diagnosis, we may be a good fit.

About Karen Reiss

Appointments

Virtual

My treatment methods

Acceptance and commitment (ACT)

When I work with a client who is experiencing anxiety or depression for example, from a breakup. We can use different techniques which are grounding based, such as; a 5 minute body scan while accepting our emotions with out judgement or resistance. Rather than trying to eliminate difficult thoughts or feelings, we focuses on changing our relationship with them.

Attachment-based

When working with a client who has childhood trauma, for example, one of the ways we are able to see how past experience impacts and influences your present is through Attachment style(s).

Compassion Focused

With the use of Compassion Focused Therapy we will help you understand your emotions, triggers, responses and your compassionate supportive actions.

Humanistic

If you are struggling to understand your situation in life, we can use the humanistic approach by increasing self-awareness, prompting self-acceptance, as well as reconnecting with your emotions and fostering an environment of personal autonomy and agency.

Mindfulness-Based Therapy

Through practices of meditation, body scans, and breath work to name a few, we can begin to understand the physical, mental, and somatic responses to your life circumstances.