About Karen
Karen Gano, MD, LCSW-C, LCSW, CSW, helps people who are feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or uncertain about change. She is direct and compassionate, and she focuses on practical steps people can take right away. Many come because of anxiety, stress, relationship strain, grief, or big life transitions.
Karen blends straightforward conversation with goal-focused methods. Sessions often begin by identifying one or two small, doable goals. She uses client-centered listening to understand what matters most, then adds tools from motivational interviewing and solution-focused work to encourage action.
Background and approach
Her background includes over 33 years of clinical experience and long work in medical social work. That history includes trauma, emergency medicine, oncology, palliative care, and domestic violence settings. This experience shapes a practical, steady approach to crises and slow change alike.
Clients who are caregivers, facing illness, or navigating separation and divorce will find concrete coping strategies and attention to self-care. Karen also addresses issues such as addiction, career stress, intimacy concerns, and feelings of isolation or low self-esteem. Therapy with her is collaborative.
She helps people name their values, set realistic steps, and practice mindfulness and compassion-based skills. The aim is to move from surviving day-to-day toward clearer choices and a stronger sense of direction.
Approaches that guide online sessions
Client-centered therapy focuses on understanding each person's priorities and values. The therapist listens without judgment and helps clients clarify what they want to change and why, which works well for anxiety and stress when people feel unsure which step to take next.Motivational interviewing is a conversational style that helps people find their own reasons to change. It suits situations where someone feels stuck or ambivalent about steps like ending a relationship, cutting back on substance use, or starting a new career path.
Solution-focused therapy centers on small, practical steps and quick wins. Sessions aim to identify achievable goals and build momentum, which can be helpful for coping with life transitions and managing daily stress.
Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk with clients about their goals and preferences, try methods that fit, and adjust over time based on what helps most. This keeps work focused and responsive to real needs.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video is useful for face-to-face conversation and visual cues. Phone sessions work well when bandwidth is limited or when a shorter check-in fits a busy day. Live chat and messaging offer brief, flexible support between calls and can help maintain momentum on stressful days. These options make it easier to fit therapy into work, caregiving, or medical schedules while using the approaches described above.
Questions people ask
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What this therapist works with
Most often
- Relationship issues
- Trauma and abuse
- Grief
Also listed
- Abandonment
- Addictions
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- Bipolar disorder
- Blended family issues
- Cancer
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Coaching
- Codependency
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Family conflicts
- Family of origin issues
- Fertility issues
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Infidelity
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Self esteem
- Stress, Anxiety
- Women's issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 33 years
- Licensed
- New Mexico, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, Maine
- Languages
- English
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