- Stress and anxiety
- Life changes
- CBT and DBT
About Karen
Karen Garraputa is an NC LCMHC - Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor with 25 years of professional experience. She works with adults facing stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, LGBT concerns, and people coping with major life changes. Karen also focuses on issues like guilt and shame, forgiveness, self-love, mood concerns, women's issues, and questions about life purpose.
Karen keeps language clear and practical during sessions. She helps people notice how thoughts, actions, and feelings connect. Then she works with them to try new responses that fit daily life. Conversations are straightforward and grounded in real situations.
Her approach draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, with attention to skills from Dialectical Behavior Therapy and mindfulness. That mix is used to spot patterns that keep problems going and to try small experiments that make routines easier to manage. Sessions often focus on what to try between meetings and how to notice change.
Karen describes decision points as a series of small choices rather than one big leap. She encourages clients to treat the process like driving with headlights in fog - it may feel limited, but it still moves forward. The therapist offers listening and practical help for people thinking through what comes next after work, relationships, health changes, or other life shifts.
She is based in North Carolina and works in English. To begin, clients complete a short matching questionnaire and schedule a first session through the site.
How CBT and DBT shape online sessions
CBT focuses on the link between thoughts, behaviors, and emotions. In practice this means identifying unhelpful thinking patterns, testing them with real-life experiments, and building small habits that change how someone responds to stress and mood problems. This approach is useful for anxiety, depression, and day-to-day coping.DBT contributes specific skills for managing strong emotions and improving moment-to-moment regulation. It emphasizes skills like distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and mindful awareness to reduce reactive behavior and improve steadier functioning in stressful situations.
Finding the right approach is part of the work. Karen will collaborate with each person to decide whether CBT, DBT skills, mindfulness, or a mix fits best based on goals and what feels doable. That decision evolves as sessions progress, and adjustments are made when something isn't working.
Confirm current session options before booking since formats are not specified in the biography. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a weeknight or a work break, allow shorter check-ins when needed, or avoid travel time. Many people find it helpful to practice skills in everyday settings and then discuss how they went during the next meeting.
Areas of expertise
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
25+ years
Listed in
North Carolina
Languages
English
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does she address?
She works with stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, LGBT issues, and coping with life changes. Additional focus areas include guilt and shame, forgiveness, self-love, mood concerns, women's issues, and life purpose.
How would she approach feeling stuck or directionless?
She uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and mindfulness to link thoughts, actions, and emotions. Then she helps people try small, practical changes to daily routines and notice what shifts.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has 25 years of professional experience working with adults on stress, mood concerns, trauma, and life transitions.
Is she licensed and where does she practice?
She is an NC LCMHC - Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor and is based in North Carolina.
What languages are supported?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can she work with clients outside the United States?
She is not currently accepting international clients.
How are sessions arranged and what do they cost?
Cost varies by location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I get started with her?
Select the See online therapy options button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If you are in danger, use the crisis numbers.