01 · Who Karlene works with

Karlene works with stress, Anxiety, relationship issues and grief

Karlene lists 13 specialisms and 3 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Karlene chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In Karlene's own words

What Karlene says about the work

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

I am a fully licensed clinical social worker with a Masters Degree in Social Work from Michigan State University. I have over 15 years clinical experience in a wide range of settings and with diverse clientele. I work with adults from all backgrounds. Common presenting problems include depression, anxiety, guilt, grief, relationship conflict, and communication barriers. I have extensive experience working with clients facing loss, grief, and life transitions (including clients who are dealing with family members with dementia and aging issues).

Finding a therapist and forming a meaningful connection is the first step in your journey toward improving your situation. I provide a safe, non-judgmental environment where we can discuss any of life's problems - an environment in which we can work together to assist you in building insight, developing coping strategies, and expressing feelings.

My counseling style is relaxed and collaborative. I use a variety of trusted, research based therapy techniques to help you identify problem areas, set expectations, and work toward positive change. Learning to re-frame or perceive problems in a different way can change distorted thoughts and build skills to help you learn how to process problems in healthier ways. I also believe that sometimes people just need to talk for a while - I am a patient listener and my approach allows you, the client, to start wherever you need to start. I am here to help you navigate through the challenges you are facing.

I encourage you to be open to the various ways of connecting on this platform and learn which method is most beneficial for you. I look forward to working with you and helping guide you in a positive direction.

Karlene Harrison, on the BetterHelp listing · read 9 Oct 2026

03 · How Karlene works

The 5 approaches Karlene lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Karlene lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Karlene'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 Karlene runs a session.

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.

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.

Motivational InterviewingMI

A way of talking about change with somebody who is genuinely in two minds about it. The therapist does not argue for the change; they help you say your own reasons out loud, which is the part that predicts whether it happens. Common around substance use and health behaviour.

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

Karlene 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 Karlene'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 Karlene at this point.

2. Naming Karlene specifically

   BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Karlene 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 Karlene.

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 Karlene

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

• “You list both Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Client-Centred 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 15 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

LMSW

Licensed in

Michigan

Licence

MI LMSW 6801090289

Licence number

6801090289

Licence expires

19 Aug 2027

NPI

1326280751

Years in practice

15

Gender

Female

Languages

English

International clients

Not accepted

Listed since

15 May 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Karlene'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 Karlene. 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.