Works with
- Anger
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Grief
- Anger management
- Depression
How Karen works
Practical facts
- Credentials
- LMHC
- Licensed in
- New York
- Years in practice
- 22
- Languages
- English
- Session format
- Online, through our partner platform
About Karen
Karen Pelligra is a licensed mental health counselor who helps people facing strong emotions and life shifts. She brings 22 years of experience in outpatient clinics, inpatient psychiatric settings, and home-based family services. Karen focuses on creating a calm space where clients feel listened to and respected.
She uses straightforward, practical ways to address problems like anger, anxiety, depression, grief, and stress. Sessions often center on small, doable steps that reduce overwhelm and build coping skills.
Background and approach
Karen also supports people dealing with addictions, trauma, eating concerns, and mood disorders. Her approach blends client-centered care with skill-based methods. That means she listens first, then offers tools from cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy when they fit.
Mindfulness and motivational interviewing are also part of her toolkit to help clients notice patterns and find motivation for change. Karen has worked in a range of settings across New York, so she’s familiar with both short-term and longer-term needs. She helps people manage family problems, parenting strain, chronic illness, and the stresses that come with major life transitions.
Her style is collaborative and steady, aimed at helping people move forward. People who choose Karen can expect clear conversation, practical strategies, and a focus on what matters most to them. She offers multiple ways to meet, including video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging, to fit different schedules and preferences.
What Karen works with
Everything Karen lists, in the therapist's own terms. Anger is the reason this directory exists; the rest tells you what usually sits alongside it in Karen's practice.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Grief
- Anger management
- Depression
- Addictions
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
- Eating disorders
- Parenting issues
- Self esteem
- Bipolar disorder
- Coping with life changes
- Compassion fatigue
- Adoption and foster care
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Communication problems
- Divorce and separation
- Emptiness
- Family problems
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Isolation / loneliness
- Mood disorders
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Postpartum depression
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trichotillomania
- Women's issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches Karen lists
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Solution-Focused Therapy
Listing an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist names and does not check training records.
Approaches that guide online sessions
Karen blends client-centered therapy with cognitive behavioral techniques to help people make clear, manageable changes. Client-centered therapy focuses on listening and building a trusting relationship so clients feel understood. Cognitive behavioral therapy looks at the link between thoughts, feelings, and actions, and teaches practical skills to reduce symptoms like anxiety or anger.She also draws on dialectical behavior therapy when emotion regulation and interpersonal skills are needed. DBT includes concrete skills for tolerating distress, managing intense emotions, and improving communication during conflict. Together these approaches aim to give both understanding and usable tools in a collaborative way.
The therapist works with each person to find the right mix of approaches based on their goals, needs, and preferences. Finding the best fit is a shared process: she listens to what matters, suggests options, and adjusts strategies as progress is made.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to match different schedules and needs. Video is useful for full conversation and visual cues, phone calls work well when bandwidth is limited, live chat allows quick check-ins, and messaging supports ongoing brief contact between sessions. These options make it easier to fit sessions into busy lives and to get consistent support without always traveling to an office.
Questions people ask about Karen
What concerns does Karen address?
She helps with stress, anxiety, anger, depression, grief, addictions, trauma, eating concerns, and many mood-related issues.
How would you describe Karen’s therapy style?
Her style is client-centered and collaborative, focusing on listening first and then offering practical tools and skills.
What is her professional background?
She has 22 years of counseling experience in outpatient clinics, inpatient psychiatric hospitals, and home-based family services.
Where is she licensed and based?
She is a licensed mental health counselor - LMHC - in New York and practices from that state.
Which languages are supported for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
What formats are available for sessions?
Sessions can be done via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging.
How is cost and billing handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions are provided through a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with Karen?
Click the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions based on the therapist’s availability.