- Years in practice
- 22
- Credentials
- LMHC
- Licensed in
- New York
- Languages
- English
- Focus
- Stress, Anxiety
- Focus
- Relationship issues
- Focus
- Grief
About Karen
Karen Pelligra is a licensed mental health counselor who helps people manage stress, anxiety, depression, and parenting challenges. She works with adults who are facing life changes, grief, relationship strain, or struggles with mood and behavior. Her style is warm and straightforward, focused on practical steps people can use day to day.
With 22 years of experience in New York, she has provided care in outpatient community mental health clinics, inpatient psychiatric hospitals, and home-based family services.
Background and approach
That background shaped a flexible approach that fits many situations. Sessions are collaborative and paced to each person's needs. Karen draws on client-centered methods to make space for each individual’s goals.
She also uses cognitive behavioral strategies to identify patterns that cause distress and to build new habits. Mindfulness and dialectical behavior ideas are woven in to help manage intense emotions and stay grounded. She supports people coping with parenting stresses, adoption and foster care concerns, chronic illness or pain, and the fallout from divorce or separation.
Other areas include addictions, trauma and abuse, postpartum depression, and compassion fatigue. Practical problem solving and clear tools are central to her work. Sessions aim to reduce overwhelm and increase manageable change.
Karen emphasizes teamwork - setting small goals, tracking progress, and adjusting strategies when needed. She encourages honest conversation and steady steps toward better functioning. People who want straightforward, experienced guidance for tough life moments often find her approach accessible and steady.
She welcomes questions about how therapy might fit everyday life.
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
- Anger management
- Depression
- Addictions
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
- Eating disorders
- Parenting issues
- Self esteem
- Bipolar disorder
- Coping with life changes
- Compassion fatigue
- Adoption and foster care
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Communication problems
- Divorce and separation
- Emptiness
- Family problems
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Isolation / loneliness
- Mood disorders
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Postpartum depression
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Trichotillomania
- Women's issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches Karen lists
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Solution-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.
How therapy approaches translate to online care
Client-centered therapy focuses on listening and meeting people where they are. In practice this means the therapist follows your lead, asks about your goals, and helps you name what matters most. It works well for parenting stress, grief, and life transitions because the work starts from your priorities and experience.Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, looks at thoughts and behaviors that keep problems going. Sessions teach ways to spot unhelpful thinking and try small behavior changes. This approach can help with anxiety, depression, panic, and compulsive patterns by giving clear tools to practice between sessions.
Dialectical behavior therapy, or DBT, offers strategies for managing intense emotions and improving communication. It teaches skills like distress tolerance and emotion regulation that are useful when feelings feel overwhelming or conflict with others.
Choosing the right mix of methods is a team effort. The therapist will work with each person to identify goals, test approaches, and adjust methods if something isn’t working. That collaborative process helps find what fits your needs and preferences.
Online sessions provide practical flexibility. Video calls let you read facial cues and keep a face-to-face feel. Phone sessions work when bandwidth or camera use is limited. Live chat and text messaging are useful for brief check-ins, homework support, or when a shorter, more frequent touchpoint helps keep progress on track.
Questions people ask about Karen
What kinds of problems does she help with?
She helps people manage stress, anxiety, depression, grief, anger, addictions, and parenting concerns, plus related issues like trauma, eating problems, and mood disorders.
What is her therapeutic style like?
Her style is collaborative and practical. She focuses on clear steps, supportive conversation, and techniques you can use between sessions.
How much clinical experience does she have?
She has 22 years of experience working in outpatient clinics, inpatient psychiatric hospitals, and home-based family services in New York.
What are her credentials and practice location?
She is a New York licensed mental health counselor, listed as LMHC, and practices from New York.
Which languages are offered for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
What formats are available for sessions?
Sessions can be conducted via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging.
How does billing 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 the process?
Click the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule sessions according to therapist availability.
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