- Years in practice
- 35
- Credentials
- LICSW
- Licensed in
- Alabama
- Languages
- English
- Focus
- Stress, Anxiety
- Focus
- Relationship issues
- Focus
- Grief
About Karen
Karen Jurls is a licensed independent clinical social worker with 35 years of practice experience. She focuses on practical help for parents and individuals who feel overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, grief, mood changes, or parenting challenges. Karen emphasizes compassion, steady support, and straightforward steps you can use between sessions.
She draws on a range of therapy styles to match the person in front of her. Sessions are grounded in clear goals and real-world skills so people can manage daily life better.
Background and approach
Karen has long worked with concerns such as depression, bipolar mood issues, addictions, sleep and eating problems, and low self-esteem. Her background includes extensive work in mental health and public health settings. She has experience collaborating with adoptive parents and their children and has helped people navigate loss, family transitions, and trauma.
That history informs how she frames practical strategies and realistic expectations for change. In the therapy room she focuses on listening and helping clients set achievable goals. Conversations aim to increase understanding of feelings and behavior and to build tools for coping.
Karen will work at a pace that fits the client's needs and priorities. Many clients come for help with family stress, communication problems, caregiving strain, or parenting challenges. She also offers support for abandonment issues, attachment concerns, blended family dynamics, and life transitions.
Her approach balances empathy with techniques that help people take small, steady steps forward.
What Karen works with
Everything Karen lists, in the therapist's own terms. Parenting is the reason this directory exists; the rest shows what else Karen helps people with.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Grief
- Self esteem
- Coping with life changes
- Addictions
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
- Eating disorders
- Sleeping disorders
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Career difficulties
- Bipolar disorder
- Depression
- Coaching
- ADHD
- Abandonment
- Adoption and foster care
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Attachment issues
- Blended family issues
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Dependent personality
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- Forgiveness
- Gender dysphoria
- Guilt and shame
- HIV / AIDS
- Hoarding
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Intellectual disability
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Personality disorders
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Post-traumatic stress
- Sexuality
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's issues
Approaches Karen lists
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Attachment-Based Therapy
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Narrative Therapy
- Psychodynamic Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
Listing an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist names and does not check training records.
Therapeutic approaches you can use online
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice unhelpful thoughts and focus on actions that match their values. It is useful for anxiety, depression, and getting unstuck when life feels overwhelming. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on spotting patterns in thoughts and behavior and then trying practical changes to improve mood and daily functioning. It often helps with anxiety, depression, sleep, and coping skills.Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk with the client about goals, past experiences, and what feels most useful. Together they will try methods that fit the person's needs and adjust the plan as progress is made.
Online sessions are offered as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to increase flexibility. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation for skills practice and deeper discussion. Phone sessions are helpful when bandwidth is limited or a simpler check-in is needed. Live chat and text messaging can work for brief check-ins, between-session coaching, and quick support when scheduling a longer session is difficult.
Questions people ask about Karen
What kinds of concerns does she help with?
She helps people with stress, anxiety, depression, bipolar mood concerns, grief, trauma, parenting challenges, relationship and family problems, addictions, sleep and eating issues, and coping with life changes.
What is her general therapy style?
Her style is warm and practical. She listens closely, helps set clear goals, and teaches skills people can use between sessions.
How long has she been practicing?
She has 35 years of experience working in mental health and public health settings and has supported many people through loss, trauma, and family transitions.
Where is she licensed and located?
She is an AL LICSW - a licensed independent clinical social worker in Alabama.
Which languages are available for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can people outside the United States work with her?
She does not accept international clients at this time.
What session formats are offered?
Sessions can be scheduled as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit different needs and routines.
How does cost and getting started work?
Cost varies by location and therapist availability and uses a subscription that can be canceled at any time. To begin, select Start Therapy, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to the therapist's availability.
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