- Direct and down-to-earth
- Values-focused approach
- Skill building emphasis
About Karissa
Karissa Thomas, LMSW, helps people facing a wide range of concerns. She aims to make clients feel heard and understood. Her style is straightforward and down-to-earth, with a warm, nonjudgmental presence.
Karissa approaches sessions with curiosity and practical focus. She treats the person in front of her as the expert on their life. Therapy includes talking through stressors, working on coping skills, and setting steps that feel doable between meetings.
Her work addresses issues such as anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, addictions, grief, and relationship and intimacy-related concerns. She also supports people dealing with chronic illness, caregiving stress, body image and eating issues, ADHD, bipolar challenges, career strain, and compassion fatigue. Karissa lists LGBT concerns and parenting among her specialty areas as well.
Karissa uses evidence-informed approaches including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Attachment-Based Therapy, Client-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). In sessions she blends practical skill-building with exploration of values and relationships to help people manage symptoms and make meaningful changes.
Clients can expect a genuine, relatable therapist who values honesty and vulnerability. Karissa is direct when needed and keeps things practical. She offers supportive, goal-oriented work for people navigating life changes, stress, and ongoing health or mood challenges.
Karissa approaches sessions with curiosity and practical focus. She treats the person in front of her as the expert on their life. Therapy includes talking through stressors, working on coping skills, and setting steps that feel doable between meetings.
Her work addresses issues such as anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, addictions, grief, and relationship and intimacy-related concerns. She also supports people dealing with chronic illness, caregiving stress, body image and eating issues, ADHD, bipolar challenges, career strain, and compassion fatigue. Karissa lists LGBT concerns and parenting among her specialty areas as well.
Karissa uses evidence-informed approaches including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Attachment-Based Therapy, Client-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). In sessions she blends practical skill-building with exploration of values and relationships to help people manage symptoms and make meaningful changes.
Clients can expect a genuine, relatable therapist who values honesty and vulnerability. Karissa is direct when needed and keeps things practical. She offers supportive, goal-oriented work for people navigating life changes, stress, and ongoing health or mood challenges.
Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Stress, AnxietyAddictionsFamily conflictsGriefIntimacy-related issuesSleeping disordersParenting issuesAnger managementSelf esteemCareer difficultiesBipolar disorderDepressionCoachingCompassion fatigueADHD
Additional focus areas
AbandonmentAdoption and foster careAging and geriatric issuesAntisocial personalityAttachment issuesAutism and Asperger SyndromeBlended family issuesBody imageCancerCaregiver issues and stressChronic pain, illness, and disabilityCodependencyCommitment issuesCommunication problemsCoping with natural or human-caused disasterDependent personalityDissociationDivorce and separationDomestic violenceDrug and alcohol addictionEating and food-related issuesEmptinessFamily of origin issuesFamily problemsFatherhood issuesFertility issuesFirst responder issuesForgivenessGender dysphoriaGuilt and shameHearing impairedHoardingHospice and end-of-life counselingImmigration issuesInfidelityIntellectual disabilityIsolation / lonelinessJealousyLife purposeMen's issuesMidlife crisisVeteran and Armed Forces IssuesMoney and financial issuesMulticultural concernsNarcissismObsessions, compulsions, and OCDPanic disorder and panic attacksPersonality disordersPolyamory / non-monogamous relationshipsPostpartum depressionPost-traumatic stressPregnancy and childbirthPrejudice and discriminationProcess addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)Self-harmSelf-loveSex addictionSexual assault and abuseSexual dysfunctionSexualitySocial anxiety and phobiaTraumatic brain injuryTrichotillomaniaVisually impairedWomen's issuesWorkplace issuesYoung adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)Attachment-Based TherapyClient-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)Gottman MethodMindfulness TherapyMotivational InterviewingNarrative TherapyPsychodynamic TherapySolution-Focused TherapyTrauma-Focused TherapyInternal Family Systems
Experience
7+ years
Credentials
Michigan
Languages
English
How Karissa's Approaches Translate to Online Work
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, focuses on clarifying personal values and taking small action steps that align with those values. It can help people who feel stuck by shifting focus from symptom control to meaningful living. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and teaches practical skills to change unhelpful patterns. It often helps with anxiety, depression, sleep problems, and stress. Attachment-Based Therapy centers on patterns in close relationships and how those early patterns affect current connections. It can be useful for intimacy-related issues and relationship struggles.Finding the right approach is part of the work. Karissa will collaborate with each person to decide which methods fit their needs and goals. She blends skill teaching with values work and relational exploration so clients can try different ways of coping and see what feels most useful.
The biography does not list specific online session formats, so confirm current options before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life, reduce travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when needed. Licensed professionals can tailor pacing and homework to match a client’s daily routine, which helps make therapy practical and usable outside of sessions.
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does Karissa help with?
She supports people coping with anxiety, depression, trauma, addiction, grief, and relationship and intimacy-related issues, among many other challenges.
What is Karissa's therapeutic style?
Her approach is nonjudgmental, practical, and curious. She is straightforward and collaborative while bringing warmth and some humor into sessions.
How much clinical experience does she have?
Karissa has seven years of experience working in clinical social work settings and with a broad range of concerns.
What are her credentials and where is she based?
She holds an LMSW, which stands for Licensed Master Social Worker, and practices from Michigan.
Which languages and international options are available?
Sessions are offered in English and she accepts international clients.
What session formats are offered?
The original biography does not specify session formats, so confirm current session options before booking.
How does payment and cost work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with Karissa?
Use the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule according to therapist availability.