Karen Lakritz, LCSW

Karen Lakritz is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with more than 30 years of experience as a psychotherapist. She has worked with people facing depression, anxiety, grief, and substance use linked to loneliness. Karen also has experience supporting clients living with severe bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. She speaks English and divides time between Florida and Canada, so she understands some cross-border systems and issues.

Her work style is warm and supportive. She brings respect, sensitivity, and compassion to sessions while also encouraging accountability. Karen says real change takes work and commitment, and she partners with people who are ready to put in that effort.

In practice she uses a mix of approaches including cognitive-behavioral methods, client-centered techniques, and acceptance-oriented strategies. Sessions emphasize practical tools for managing mood, coping with loss, and reducing problematic patterns such as substance use that are tied to loneliness.

Karen notes personal experience with a mild stutter and some dyslexia and says this gives her a particular understanding of challenges faced by people who are non-neurotypical. She aims to create a space where those differences are recognized and respected while helping clients move toward their goals.

She invites people to work together to find what best meets their needs. The focus is on clear goals, steady progress, and methods that fit each person’s life and preferences.

How therapeutic approaches guide online work

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy focuses on helping people notice difficult thoughts and feelings without letting those experiences control behavior. It pairs mindful noticing with values-based actions to help with anxiety, depression, and addictive patterns. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and actions and teaches concrete skills to change unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns; it is often used for anxiety, mood, and sleep problems.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk with the client about goals and preferences, then try approaches that fit those needs. Adjustments are made over time based on what helps the person make steady progress.

Confirm the available session formats before booking since the biography does not list specific options. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy life, reduce travel time, and allow for shorter check-ins when needed. It can also help people keep continuity of care when they split time between regions. Licensed professionals and therapists adapt tools and exercises to work well in remote sessions and focus on practical skills you can use between meetings.