Karen Contardo , LMHC

Karen Contardo is a licensed mental health counselor in Washington with 15 years of experience. She focuses on common concerns like stress, anxiety, depression, and self-esteem. She also helps people facing life changes, relationship and intimacy questions, parenting challenges, and women's issues.

Her style is straightforward and person-centered. She listens first, then offers practical steps people can try between sessions. Sessions aim to make everyday life easier, with tools for sleep, eating, career decisions, and coping with chronic pain or illness.

Karen uses approaches that match each person's needs. She draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to help people notice what matters and take small action. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is used to identify unhelpful thinking and try new behaviors. Client-centered methods keep the conversation focused on the person's goals and values.

Clients commonly work on grief, isolation or loneliness, impulsivity, and money or control issues. She also supports young adults and people wrestling with midlife questions or a sense of emptiness and life purpose. Her practice includes coaching-style work for career and practical decision making.

Sessions are offered by video, phone, live chat, or text messaging to fit busy lives. Karen meets people where they are and helps them build habits that hold up outside the therapy hour.

Approaches that guide online care

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy helps people notice painful thoughts and feelings without getting stuck, then take small steps toward what matters. It can help with anxiety, depression, and life transitions by focusing on values and action. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy looks at how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors interact and teaches straightforward strategies to change unhelpful patterns. It is often useful for anxiety, sleep and eating concerns, and mood management.

Finding the right approach happens together. The therapist will ask about goals, daily routines, and what has or hasn't helped before. Then she will suggest methods to try and adjust them based on how they fit the client's needs and preferences. This is a collaborative process where the client's feedback shapes the plan.

Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video sessions approximate an in-person conversation and work well for deeper therapy. Phone calls can be easier when bandwidth is limited or a shorter check-in is needed. Live chat and text messaging allow quick reflections, brief coaching, or ongoing support between longer sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy schedules and to maintain continuity when travel or life changes interrupt routine.