01 · Who Karen works with

Karen works with stress, Anxiety, grief and self esteem

Karen lists 12 specialisms and 31 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Karen chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In Karen's own words

What Karen says about the work

Reproduced in full and unedited - not summarised, not tightened, not rewritten in a house voice.

Do you feel like you "don't fit in?" Perhaps it feels awkward because you always feel at a loss for what to say, or maybe everyone else seems enamored by topics to discuss that you don't find interesting. Maybe you do great with most people but still have that one relative that triggers you into dysregulation every time you talk to them? Even the guru Ram Dass said, "If you think you're enlightened, go spend a week with your family." Families can be tough!!

Maybe you aren't sure what you would say in therapy because you don't really have words for your experiences, or feel some shame about your circumstances.

If this sounds like you, try not to be discouraged! Look at any map and note that there are often multiple roads leading to the same place. Just because you are not on "their" road does not necessarily mean you are on the "wrong" road. Albert Einstein said, "I have not failed. I have just found 10,000 ways that do not work. We could explore new ways that hopefully DO work better for you!

I have thirty-five years experience using a very eclectic approach that draws from multiple modalities. I have a background in traditional psychotherapy, but prefer to come from a "whole person" strength-based approach rather than the traditional illness-based approach. I was an LPN years ago and have taken additional graduate level courses in natural and alternative healing as well as a health coaching course because I am passionate about the food/mood/lifestyle connection between physical and mental health and in natural health and healing.

I work with adult clients and incorporate techniques such as use of visual imagery, music, art, guided meditations, movement, rituals, aromatherapy, spirituality, "energy," food, sleep, etc., alongside evidence-based practices like DBT, CBT, polyvagal theory, epigenetics, attachment theory, compassionate inquiry, motivational interviewing, a hybrid of a combination of IFS/Brainspotting/EMDR/FLASH incorporated into a strength-based perspective to provide a more holistic approach to healing mind/body/spirit. I frequently give good educational resource links to provide additional opportunities to follow up on issues brought into the sessions. This combination of techniques can help you access your creative expression and intuition to assist you in your ability to identify limiting beliefs and behaviors in your life and move toward your own natural ability to heal in a safe environment with a therapist that will honor your unique contribution to this life's journey.

I am LGBTQIA2S+, neurodivergent, polyamory, KINK, and other expansive identity friendly, and can seek to connect people who have lost faith in church religion to consider and find their own unique sense of spirituality, however they might define that.

I myself am a spiritual animist, a reiki master, lover of animals, plants, books, music, and gardening. I enjoy making my own personal care products using herbs and essential oils, and in tweaking delicious recipes into a "healthier" version of delicious. My soul is most at home in the mountains and around clear water. I am an INFJ/Guardian, genderfluid, pansexual, and choose not to embrace any particular pronouns. I continue to learn new things almost every day. Ram Dass also said, "We are all just walking each other home. " Kindness, compassion, and respect for one another can go such a long way. I have no desire to compete with you because I want you to win, too. I believe a win/win beats a win/lose every time!

Thank you for looking at my information. If you think we might work well together, please get in touch. If you don't feel a connection to me, there are many other very qualified persons on this site. Don't give up! Keep looking till you find someone that you think you would work well with! Someone is out there in the other profiles that would be a good match for you! I wish you the best, and applaud your courage in being willing to take a look at other options for your life if you are feeling troubled.

Karen Murphree, on the BetterHelp listing · read 9 Oct 2026

03 · How Karen works

The 7 approaches Karen lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Karen lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Karen's - a general explanation of what each method is, so the list means something before you have spoken to anybody. They are not a claim about how Karen runs a session.

Attachment-Based Therapy

Reads present-day relationship difficulty through the lens of how safety and closeness were learned early on. The therapeutic relationship itself is treated as part of the work, because it is where the pattern tends to show up first.

Client-Centred TherapyPerson-centred · Rogerian

The therapist does not steer toward a technique or a diagnosis. They offer sustained, non-judgemental attention and reflect back what they hear, on the premise that people find their own direction when they are genuinely listened to. Often what people mean by “someone who just gets it”.

Cognitive Behavioural TherapyCBT

Structured, present-focused work on the loop between what you think, how you feel and what you then do. Usually means noticing a thought pattern in the room, testing it against evidence, and practising something different between sessions. Among the most heavily researched talking therapies for depression and anxiety.

Dialectical Behaviour TherapyDBT

A structured skills-led adaptation of CBT built around holding two things at once: accepting yourself as you are and working to change. Teaches concrete skills for distress tolerance, emotion regulation and relationships. Developed for people whose feelings arrive at overwhelming intensity, and strongest-evidenced there.

Eye Movement Desensitisation and ReprocessingEMDR

A structured trauma protocol in which you hold a distressing memory in mind while following a repeated side-to-side cue. The mechanism is still debated; the outcome data in post-traumatic stress is strong enough that it appears in national treatment guidelines.

Mindfulness-Based TherapyMBCT

Trains attention on what is happening right now - body, breath, the thought as it arrives - so distress can be observed rather than automatically acted on. Strongest evidence is in preventing depression from recurring, and it is usually taught as a practice you keep doing outside the session.

Internal Family SystemsIFS

Treats the mind as made up of parts - the critic, the one who withdraws, the one that keeps everything running - each of which is trying to protect you. The work is getting to know them rather than overruling them.

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

Karen practises through BetterHelp, so the route in is BetterHelp's. This is that sequence, written by Maker Therapy from the platform's published process - not a description of Karen's own practice, and not a promise about how quickly anything happens.

1. A questionnaire, not a booking form

   BetterHelp opens with a set of questions about what you are dealing with, what you want from therapy, and any preferences on the therapist. You are not booking Karen at this point.

2. Naming Karen specifically

   BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Karen is a step you have to take. There is a field for requesting a specific therapist during sign-up, and you can switch afterwards from your account. Starting from a link on this page does not by itself assign you to Karen.

3. If the caseload is full

   You will be offered somebody else rather than put on a waitlist. Worth knowing, because it is easy to assume a match is the person you asked for.

4. The first conversation

   A first session is typically history and orientation: what brought you, what has been tried, what you want to be different. It is also where the questions in the next section belong.

5. If the fit is wrong

   Changing therapist on BetterHelp does not need a reason. A first session that does not click is common and is not a verdict on therapy. That option existing is the main practical difference between a platform and a private practice.

05 · Before you commit

4 questions worth asking Karen

Built from what Karen actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not Karen's - Karen has not seen them and is under no obligation to answer any of them.

• “You list both Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Attachment-Based Therapy. Which do you lean on with someone like me?”

  Those two point in different directions - one structured and led by the therapist, the other led by you. The answer tells you what the sessions will actually feel like.

• “How do you decide when someone is ready to work on a traumatic memory itself?”

  Pacing is the biggest safety question in trauma work. A clear, unhurried answer here matters more than any credential.

• “With 30 years in, what has changed most in how you work?”

  Long experience is only an advantage if it has been examined. This tends to surface whether it has.

• “How do you handle the gap between sessions if something comes up?”

  On BetterHelp this varies a great deal by therapist. Better to know the rhythm now than to discover it on a bad week.

06 · Practical details

Credentials and licensing

Credential

LSCSW

Licensed in

Montana

Licence

KS LSCSW LSCSW 1496, ID LCSW LCSW-44088

Licence number

LSCSW 1496

Licence expires

30 Sep 2028

NPI

1568921658

Years in practice

30

Gender

Female

Languages

English

International clients

Not accepted

Listed since

15 May 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Karen's name, credential, state, subjects, approaches and biography are read from BetterHelp's therapist roster, which Maker Therapy re-reads once a day; this page reflects the reading taken on 9 Oct 2026. The licence number and NPI are cross-checked against public registers.

The plain-English method descriptions, the first-session walkthrough and the questions are written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such wherever they appear.

Maker Therapy is not BetterHelp, does not take bookings, and has not met Karen. There are no reviews or ratings on this page because we have no way to verify one. If you start therapy through a link here, we may be paid a commission - it does not change your price and it does not affect who appears here or in what order.

Something on this page wrong or out of date? Report it and it will be checked against the source.