Karen Kelly, LCSW

Karen Kelly is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) practicing in Alaska with 13 years of experience. She helps people who are facing depression, anxiety, trauma, addiction, and stress find steadier ground. Her style is direct and compassionate, with an emphasis on practical steps clients can use between sessions.

Her background includes time as a law enforcement officer and a 911 dispatcher, which shapes how she understands high-pressure jobs. That experience informs her work with people who face first responder issues, workplace stress, isolation, and guilt. She speaks English and French.

Karen uses several evidence-based methods in sessions, including acceptance and commitment strategies, cognitive behavioral tools, and mindfulness skills. She also draws on dialectical behavior ideas and EMDR for clients processing traumatic memories. Sessions focus on skills practice, emotional processing, and clear goals agreed on together.

People come to her for a wide range of concerns such as grief, relationship and intimacy-related issues, anger, self-esteem, career shifts, ADHD, substance concerns, and coping after disaster. She helps people sort tangled emotions and build routines that support daily functioning. The work is collaborative and paced to each person’s needs.

To begin, prospective clients use the platform Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule based on the therapist's availability. Fees vary with location and therapist availability and use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.

Therapeutic approaches and online care explained

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice painful thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them, and then choose actions that match their values. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at patterns of thinking and behavior that keep problems going and builds simple, doable skills to change those patterns. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a method used to process distressing memories and reduce their emotional intensity for people struggling with trauma.

Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will listen to your goals and try methods that fit your needs and preferences. Over time the plan can be adjusted so the work feels more useful and manageable.

For online work, confirm the session options before booking since formats are not specified here. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy schedule, reduce travel time, and allow for shorter check-ins when needed. It also makes it possible to continue consistent work during life transitions or when face-to-face meetings are difficult. Licensed professionals can recommend which approaches and session rhythms will likely work best for your situation.