(she/her)
New to Grow
I'm Karina, a licensed clinical social worker and therapist based in Denver, CO. I specialize in ADHD, OCD, trauma, sex addiction, relationships, and the deeper work of healing — helping individuals understand themselves, connect to their highest self, and build the lives and relationships they actually want. I bring warmth, honesty, and a bit of humor into the room, because I believe the therapeutic relationship itself is where healing begins.
Our first session is a chance to get to know each other. I'll ask about what's bringing you in, what you've tried before, and what you're hoping for. I want to understand not just your story, but how you experience yourself and the world. It's also a chance for you to get a feel for me and whether this feels like the right fit.
I meet people where they are and tailor the work to what each client actually needs. I'm trained in a range of modalities — including EMDR, PACT, and somatic approaches — and I draw on all of them fluidly. Clients often tell me they feel seen, challenged, and supported in equal measure. I don't shy away from the hard stuff, and I don't let people stay stuck.
My ideal client is someone who is ready to do deep, meaningful work — not just manage symptoms, but genuinely understand themselves and transform the patterns that keep them stuck. I work best with adults who are curious about themselves, open to exploring the connection between their past and present, and willing to engage in a process that goes beneath the surface.
Other specialties
I identify as
Eclectic
I work from an eclectic, integrative framework because I believe the therapy should fit the client — not the other way around. Drawing from a range of modalities allows me to tailor the work to each person's unique needs, history, and goals, and to pivot as they grow and evolve rather than fitting them into a single methodology. In practice, I weave together approaches including CBT, DBT, EMDR, somatic and nervous system-informed methods, solution-focused therapy, and attachment-based frameworks — all grounded in a deep orientation toward the mind-body-soul connection and the belief that lasting change happens when we work with the whole person.
EMDR
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a powerful, evidence-based approach for processing traumatic memories and experiences that continue to impact a person's present-day functioning. I use EMDR to help clients reprocess painful or stuck experiences — whether a single traumatic event or a lifetime of smaller wounds — so they can move forward without being held back by the past.
Exposure Response Prevention (ERP)
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is the gold-standard, evidence-based treatment for OCD and anxiety disorders. I use ERP to help clients gradually and systematically face the thoughts, situations, and triggers that cause distress — while resisting the urge to engage in compulsive or avoidant responses — allowing the brain to learn that the feared outcome is tolerable and that anxiety naturally subsides on its own.
Gestalt
Gestalt therapy is a humanistic, experiential approach that emphasizes present-moment awareness and the connection between mind, body, and emotion. I use Gestalt to help clients explore how early experiences and relationships — both conscious and unconscious — are showing up in their lives today. Gestalt's experiential focus does a particularly good job of incorporating neuroscience and body memory, making it a powerful tool for helping people not just understand the past intellectually, but actually shed it.
Mind-body approach
The mind-body approach recognizes that our emotional and psychological experiences are inseparable from our physical ones — that the body holds what the mind sometimes cannot access. I use mind-body oriented methods to help clients develop a deeper connection to themselves, tune into the wisdom of their nervous system, and access their highest self as a resource for healing and growth. This approach creates a bridge between intellectual insight and embodied transformation — where real, lasting change lives.