Karen Bennett
I am a Licensed Professional Counselor with over 21 years of experience supporting individuals across the lifespan. I have worked in diverse settings, including schools, universities, and community mental health. I specialize in anxiety, depression, ADHD, grief, trauma, and relationship challenges. I am passionate about helping others heal, grow, and achieve emotional wellness through empathy, collaboration, and evidence-based care. I earned my Master’s in Counseling from Oakland University and integrate cognitive behavior therapy, mindfulness, and trauma-informed approaches into my work. I believe in meeting clients where they are and helping them build resilience, manage symptoms, and develop healthy coping strategies to navigate life’s challenges with greater confidence. I create a supportive, client-centered space where individuals feel heard and empowered. My work helps clients gain insight, improve communication, and build healthier relationships. With a focus on self-awareness and compassion, I support clients in fostering personal growth, emotional balance, and meaningful change.
First session
I believe building rapport during the first session is one of the most important parts of establishing a strong therapeutic relationship. Clients need to feel comfortable, safe, and accepted before they can truly begin to open up and share vulnerable parts of their lives. During the first session, I want to focus on getting to know the client as a person rather than immediately focusing on everything that brought them into therapy. Creating a warm, welcoming, and nonjudgmental environment can help clients feel that they can be honest without fear of being criticized or misunderstood. I recognize that opening up to a therapist can feel intimidating, especially when discussing personal experiences, relationships, or struggles. By listening with empathy, showing genuine curiosity, and meeting the client where they are, I hope to establish trust and communicate that they are not being judged. Building that initial connection creates a foundation for the therapeutic relationship. Once clients feel safe and understood, they may become more comfortable exploring difficult topics, challenging themselves, and engaging more fully in the therapeutic process.
Strengths
My approach to therapy is grounded in client-centered therapy, where I strive to create a safe, supportive, and nonjudgmental environment in which clients feel heard, respected, and understood. I believe clients are the experts on their own experiences, and my role is to walk alongside them rather than tell them who they should be or what they should do. At the same time, I believe being client-centered does not mean simply agreeing with everything a client says or avoiding difficult conversations. When necessary, I want to respectfully challenge clients to look at their thoughts, behaviors, patterns, or beliefs from a different perspective. Sometimes growth requires us to sit with discomfort and consider possibilities we may not have wanted to see before. I aim to balance empathy with honest reflection. I want my clients to know that I am in their corner while also being willing to gently challenge them when I believe it could support their growth. My goal is not to judge or push clients toward my own expectations, but to help them develop greater self-awareness, recognize their strengths, and make choices that align with the life they want to create.
Ideal clients
My approach to therapy is grounded in client-centered therapy, where I strive to create a safe, supportive, and nonjudgmental environment in which clients feel heard, respected, and understood. I believe clients are the experts on their own experiences, and my role is to walk alongside them rather than tell them who they should be or what they should do. At the same time, I believe being client-centered does not mean simply agreeing with everything a client says or avoiding difficult conversations. When necessary, I want to respectfully challenge clients to look at their thoughts, behaviors, patterns, or beliefs from a different perspective. Sometimes growth requires us to sit with discomfort and consider possibilities we may not have wanted to see before. I aim to balance empathy with honest reflection. I want my clients to know that I am in their corner while also being willing to gently challenge them when I believe it could support their growth. My goal is not to judge or push clients toward my own expectations, but to help them develop greater self-awareness, recognize their strengths, and make choices that align with the life they want to create.
Treatment methods
Faith-based therapy
Faith can be an important part of a client's identity, values, and understanding of the world. In my practice, I want to incorporate faith-based therapy when it is meaningful and appropriate for the client. I believe spirituality can be a source of strength, hope, guidance, and comfort, especially when clients are navigating difficult seasons of their lives. My approach is client-centered, so I would never impose my own beliefs or expectations on a client. Instead, I would invite clients to share how their faith or spirituality influences their experiences, relationships, decisions, and healing process. For clients who want faith to be part of therapy, I may incorporate their spiritual beliefs, values, prayer, scripture, or other faith-based practices into treatment in ways that align with their goals and comfort level. I also recognize that faith can sometimes be connected to difficult experiences, questions, guilt, doubt, or conflict. I want to provide a safe, nonjudgmental space for clients to explore those experiences honestly. My role is not to tell clients what they should believe, but to support them in understanding themselves and their faith while working toward their therapeutic goals. Ultimately, I want faith-based therapy in my practice to be a resource that supports healing while respecting each client's individual beliefs, autonomy, and journey.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I plan to incorporate Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) into my practice because I believe our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors are closely connected. CBT can help clients recognize negative or unhelpful thought patterns, understand how those thoughts influence their emotions and behaviors, and develop healthier ways of responding. With my focus on young adults, CBT can be especially helpful when clients are navigating relationships, school, careers, self-esteem, and major life decisions. I want to help clients identify thoughts that may be creating unnecessary anxiety, self-doubt, or limiting beliefs and work with them to challenge those thoughts. I would use CBT collaboratively rather than simply telling clients what they should think or do. I want clients to develop the skills to recognize their own patterns and make changes that feel meaningful to them. This also fits well with my client-centered approach because I can provide support and guidance while allowing the client to remain an active participant in their own treatment. Ultimately, my goal is to help clients become more aware of how their thoughts affect their feelings and behaviors, while giving them practical tools they can use both inside and outside of therapy.
Location
Virtual sessions