Karen Contardo

Karen Contardo is a licensed mental health counselor (LMHC) practicing in Washington with 15 years of experience. She focuses on helping people manage stress, anxiety, depression, relationship and intimacy concerns, and challenges with self-esteem. She also addresses practical life issues like parenting, career decisions, eating and sleeping problems, and coping with grief or major life changes.

Her style is straightforward and compassionate. Sessions tend to center on clear goals, skill building, and honest conversation. She uses approaches that encourage present-moment awareness, flexible action, and practical tools to shift unhelpful thoughts and behaviors.

In session, she draws from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to help clients clarify values and take meaningful steps. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is used to identify thinking patterns and develop new coping strategies. Client-Centered Therapy guides the working relationship, with an emphasis on listening and collaboration.

Many people seek her support for issues related to chronic pain, illness, or disability, and for struggles with isolation, emptiness, or midlife questions. She also lists women's issues and young adult concerns among areas she addresses.

Sessions are conducted in English and reflect an approach that adapts to each person's needs. To begin, prospective clients complete an online matching questionnaire and schedule according to availability.

How therapeutic approaches guide online work

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, helps people get clear about what matters to them and take small steps toward those values even when emotions are hard. It can be useful for anxiety, depression, and life transitions. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, focuses on spotting unhelpful thoughts and testing them with practical experiments and behavior changes to reduce symptoms and improve daily functioning. Client-Centered Therapy centers the listening and the relationship, giving clients space to name their own goals while the therapist follows and reflects what matters to them.

Finding the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will talk with each person about goals, preferences, and what feels most useful, then shape sessions as a collaboration rather than a fixed program. Adjustments are made over time based on what is helping.

Confirm current session options before booking since specific formats are not listed here. Many people find online sessions helpful because they fit into busy schedules, reduce travel time, and make it easier to attend brief check-ins during a workday. Others appreciate switching between skills practice and conversation without a long commute. Licensed professionals can adapt ACT and CBT tools to an online setting so sessions focus on what helps you reach practical goals.