Karen Gano , MD, LCSW-C, LCSW, CSW

Karen Gano is a licensed clinician with more than three decades of practice who focuses on helping people navigate difficult life shifts. She works with women facing transitions like separation, divorce, career moves, illness, or the empty nest. Karen combines practical skills with a compassionate style to help clients find clearer direction and stronger self-worth.

She trained in social work at the University of Pittsburgh and holds MD, LCSW-C, LCSW, and CSW credentials. Over 33 years she has worked in medical social work settings including trauma, emergency medicine, critical care, oncology, palliative care, and domestic abuse. That background informs her understanding of illness, caregiving, and end-of-life concerns.

Her approach is goal-focused and strengths-based. Sessions often include motivational interviewing to draw out a person's own reasons for change, client-centered listening to clarify values, and solution-focused techniques to set short-term steps. Mindfulness practices are used to reduce stress and manage strong emotions.

Karen places practical tools and self-care at the center of therapy. She helps people build coping strategies, increase self-awareness, and expand their support network. She also offers guidance to healthcare workers coping with compassion fatigue and workplace stress.

Clients can expect straightforward conversation, collaborative planning, and techniques they can use between sessions. Her aim is to help people move from surviving to thriving by naming goals, practicing new skills, and tracking progress over time.

Approaches That Translate Well to Online Care

Karen often uses client-centered therapy to listen closely to a person's needs and priorities, then follows their lead in setting goals and shaping the work. This approach helps people feel heard and respected while deciding what to change.

She also uses motivational interviewing to help people clarify their reasons for change and build internal motivation. That method is useful for issues like addictions, career shifts, or any goal that needs steady commitment. Solution-focused techniques provide brief, practical steps clients can try between sessions to move things forward quickly.

Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the process. Karen collaborates with each person to choose methods that match their goals, preferences, and the specific problems they want to solve. The plan can change as progress is made and needs evolve.

Online therapy offers practical benefits for this work. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation and guided exercises, phone sessions can fit a short break from work, and live chat or text messaging make it easier to check in between appointments. These formats help maintain momentum and make it simpler to practice skills in real life without long commutes.