Therapist profile
Karen Gano, LCSW-C, LCSW, CSW
Licensed Clinical Social Worker - Relationships and Life Changes
Continue with KarenAbout
- Client-centered methods
- Motivational interviewing
- Mindfulness practices
About Karen
Karen Gano is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker-Clinical (LCSW-C) licensed in Maryland and holds LCSW and CSW credentials across several states. She has 33 years of clinical counseling experience and lists relationship, trauma and abuse, grief, stress, anxiety, addictions, family concerns, and life changes among the issues she addresses.
Karen practices a straightforward, goal-oriented style. She draws on client-centered methods and motivational interviewing to help people set and reach practical goals. Mindfulness and solution-focused techniques are used to build coping skills and to identify small changes that make daily life easier.
Her background includes long experience as a medical social worker in settings such as oncology, palliative care, emergency medicine, and critical care. That work informs how she approaches grief, caregiver stress, serious illness, and end-of-life issues. She also notes experience with domestic abuse and trauma work.
Sessions focus on clear tools and action steps. Conversations often center on improving self-esteem, handling separation or divorce, navigating career shifts, and managing caregiving responsibilities. She also addresses concerns such as abandonment, blended family issues, fertility and intimacy-related topics.
Clients can expect practical strategies such as structured problem solving, motivational interviewing techniques to support change, and mindfulness practices to reduce stress. Karen encourages building supports, increasing self-awareness, and developing concrete coping routines. She asks people to consider a short matching questionnaire before scheduling a first session.
How sessions work
How her approaches are used in online sessions
Karen uses client-centered therapy to build practical collaboration. This approach focuses on listening, clarifying what matters to the person, and shaping goals together. It helps when someone wants straightforward support to sort priorities and make decisions.She also uses motivational interviewing to help people move toward change. That method concentrates on the person’s own reasons for change and on small steps that feel doable. Mindfulness practices are offered as short exercises to reduce stress and to steady attention during difficult moments.
Finding the right approach is part of the work. She will discuss which methods fit a person’s needs and goals and adjust the plan as sessions progress. That collaboration helps identify which tools - whether goal-setting, brief solution-focused tasks, or mindfulness habits - are most useful.
Session formats are not specified in the biography, so confirm current options before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into busy days, allow shorter check-ins when schedules are tight, and remove travel time for appointments. Licensed professionals can adapt exercises for a remote setting so people can practice skills between meetings.
Areas of focus
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
33+ years
Listed in
New Mexico, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, Maine
Languages
English
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of relationship concerns does she address?
She lists relationship issues, intimacy-related problems, infidelity, and divorce or separation among her areas of focus.
What is her therapy style like?
Her approach is goal-oriented and practical, using client-centered work, motivational interviewing, solution-focused techniques, and mindfulness.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has 33 years of clinical counseling experience, with a long history in medical social work and trauma-related settings.
What credentials and location are listed?
Credentials include LCSW-C and LCSW and CSW. She is based in New Mexico and holds LCSW licenses in multiple states and LCSW-C in Maryland.
Which languages are supported for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can international clients work with her?
She does not accept international clients at this time.
How much do sessions cost?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
What do I do to begin working with her?
Use the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. A license can be checked with the state board.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If anyone is in danger, use the crisis numbers.