Kara Anderson, LPCC, LMHC

Kara Anderson is a Florida-based licensed counselor with 29 years of clinical experience working across residential, outpatient, and community settings. She began her counseling career in 1994 as a residential therapist in a psychiatric hospital and later served as an outpatient therapist, clinical supervisor, and program director at a substance abuse treatment agency. In 2001 she moved to Ohio and spent 13 years there as a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor - Supervisor, program manager, and program administrator for a mental and behavioral health nonprofit. In 2014 she returned to Florida and launched an online practice, encouraging others to try remote counseling based on positive feedback from clients during her online work.

Kara holds the credentials LPCC and LMHC, denoting Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor and Licensed Mental Health Counselor, and she earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Miami and a master’s degree in mental health counseling from Nova Southeastern University. She also completed post-graduate coursework in career counseling and the diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of mental disorders at the University of Dayton.

Her clinical approach is rooted in a humanistic, client-centered philosophy that prioritizes the therapeutic relationship as the foundation for change. She combines warmth, attentiveness, and empathy with a readiness to be direct and structured when helpful, often assigning tasks between sessions to support continuity and progress. Kara adapts pace and technique to each individual, emphasizes balance across life domains, and addresses a wide range of concerns including stress, anxiety, addiction, trauma, grief, relationship and family issues, LGBT concerns, parenting, anger, self-esteem, career challenges, and compassion fatigue. She is known for professionalism, ethical practice, organization, and a practical focus on real-world application of therapeutic strategies.

Integrating Therapeutic Approaches for Online Care

Kara Anderson employs client-centered therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) to guide her online practice. Client-centered therapy emphasizes a warm, nonjudgmental relationship and supports clients in exploring their values and goals, which is helpful for issues like self-esteem, life transitions, and relationship concerns. CBT focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thoughts and behaviors, offering practical tools for anxiety, depression, and stress management. DBT teaches skills in emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness, which can be especially useful for intense emotions, relationship conflicts, and patterns of impulsive behavior.

Finding the right approach is part of therapy itself. Kara collaborates with each person to determine which methods align with their needs, goals, and preferences, adjusting techniques and pace as progress unfolds. This collaborative process helps ensure treatment fits the individual rather than forcing a single model.

Online therapy with Kara is offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging, providing flexibility for varied schedules and life circumstances. These options make it possible to engage in consistent therapeutic work from different locations and to use the communication modality that feels most comfortable for the client, while still benefiting from the guidance of licensed professionals and experienced therapists.