Karen "Ivy" Hylton, LICSW

Karen "Ivy" Hylton is a licensed clinician in the District of Columbia with 40 years of professional experience supporting people through stress, anxiety, sleep difficulties, depression, and professional coaching needs. She combines extensive clinical practice with specialized approaches such as sound healing, holistic methodologies, meditation, and Yoga Nidra to create individualized care that honors each person’s strengths and story.

As a LICSW - Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker - she brings both clinical training and practical experience to work with individuals facing caregiver stress, chronic pain or illness, life transitions including divorce, isolation or loneliness, and challenges related to work and life purpose. Her practice also addresses mood disorders, post-traumatic stress, compassion fatigue, and a range of women’s issues.

Karen believes that people are the experts on their own stories and that therapeutic work builds on existing resilience and strengths. She understands that taking the first step toward therapy requires courage and affirms those who begin the process. Karen accepts international clients and offers sessions that adapt to each person’s needs and goals.

Therapeutic approaches and online care that fit your life

Karen integrates evidence-based therapeutic techniques with contemplative practices to address stress, sleep problems, anxiety, depression, and issues that arise from caregiving or chronic illness. Evidence-based therapeutic techniques involve structured methods that target thoughts, behaviors, and emotional patterns to reduce symptoms and build coping skills. These approaches are useful for mood disorders, anxiety, and work-related stress.

She also uses meditation and Yoga Nidra, practices that focus on breath, body awareness, and guided relaxation to support sleep, lessen tension, and help restore emotional balance. Meditation and Yoga Nidra can be especially helpful for people coping with insomnia, rumination, and chronic stress.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. Karen works with each person to identify goals, preferences, and what feels most effective, adapting methods as therapy progresses to ensure the best fit.

Online sessions - including video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging - make it easier to access care from different locations and schedules. These options provide flexibility for those balancing work, caregiving, or travel, and allow licensed professionals to offer consistent, ongoing support that fits into everyday life.