Karen has over 20 years of experience working with children, adolescents, adults, and families to navigate emotional, behavioural, and mental health challenges. She has extensive experience supporting individuals with anxiety, depression, trauma, emotional regulation difficulties, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), and other cognitive, learning, developmental, and intellectual differences.

Karen has a particular interest in supporting adopted children and their families, children and youth involved in the child welfare system, and individuals and families navigating complex developmental, behavioural, and attachment-related needs.

Karen takes a warm, trauma-informed, and relational approach to therapy, integrating evidence-based treatments including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), along with play-based and experiential approaches when appropriate. She tailors therapy to each individual’s age, needs, strengths, and goals and believes healing begins with a strong therapeutic relationship.

When working with children and adolescents, Karen partners closely with parents and caregivers to better understand the “why” behind their child’s behaviour and develop practical strategies that strengthen connection, emotional regulation, and resilience. With adults, she provides a supportive, collaborative space to understand patterns of thoughts, emotions, behaviours, and relationships while developing strategies for meaningful change.

Karen earned a Master of Education in Educational Psychology from Mount Saint Vincent University and a Master of Arts and PhD in Clinical Psychology from Fielding Graduate University. She completed her doctoral residency at Dr. Angela Fountain and Associates and has held clinical positions at Brookside Psychology, the Family Psychology Centre, and the Frederick W. Thompson Anxiety Disorders Centre at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, where she received specialized training in CBT and ERP for OCD and related disorders.

Karen has also taught in the Behavioural Sciences program at Seneca Polytechnic as an Adjunct Professor and is the author of a published a psychology textbook. She is a parent and former foster parent to twelve children, many with FASD and other complex needs. This lived experience informs her compassionate, practical, and family-centred approach to therapy.