Karen Gano, MD, LCSW-C, LCSW, CSW

"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." ~ Anais Nin

Karen Gano is a licensed independent clinical social worker with 33 years of clinical experience who brings a goal-oriented, holistic approach to counseling. She earned a Master of Social Work from the University of Pittsburgh and holds professional credentials including MD, LCSW-C, LCSW, and CSW - indicating medical and social work qualifications along with clinical social work certification. Karen is licensed to practice as an independent clinical social worker in New Mexico, Colorado, Maine, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia, and Australia.

Her practice centers on what she calls Empowerment Counseling, guided by a motivational interviewing style and informed by compassion-focused, client-centered, solution-focused brief, mindfulness, and strength-based therapies. She specializes in working with women navigating life transitions such as separation, divorce, career shifts, relocation, empty nest, and illness, and also provides support for healthcare workers drawing on a background in medical social work.

Karen has worked in settings that include trauma care, emergency medicine, critical care, oncology, palliative care, and domestic abuse services. Her aim is to help people expand their support, find their voice, increase self-awareness and self-esteem, and make meaningful changes. Her professional mantra is Self-Care + Time = Healing, and she offers practical coping strategies and tools to support movement from surviving to thriving.

Therapeutic approaches and how online therapy supports them

Karen draws on client-centered therapy to create an accepting, nonjudgmental space where the person?s own goals and values guide the work. This approach helps with issues like self-esteem, life purpose, relationship challenges, and coping with major transitions.

Mindfulness therapy is used to help clients build present-moment awareness and practical coping skills for stress, anxiety, and emotional regulation. Simple mindfulness practices can reduce reactivity and support calmer decision making in daily life.

Motivational interviewing complements these approaches by helping people explore ambivalence and strengthen their own motivation for change. It is particularly useful for goals related to addiction, behavior change, and navigating difficult life decisions.

Finding the right approach is part of the process, and Karen works collaboratively with each person to identify methods that fit their needs, goals, and preferences. She tailors interventions over time so that therapy stays practical and focused on measurable steps forward.

Online therapy offers flexibility and access to care through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. These options make it easier to maintain continuity of care around work, family, and health demands, and they allow licensed professionals to deliver the same therapeutic techniques in ways that fit a client?s schedule and comfort level.