Karin Gardner, LICSW, LCSW

Karin Gardner is a licensed social worker practicing in New York. She holds LICSW and LCSW credentials and brings seven years of clinical experience helping people navigate stress, anxiety, depression, grief, and major life changes.

Karin believes people have the ability to make meaningful, self-directed change. In sessions she focuses on building from each person's strengths. Her manner is person-centered and humanistic, which means she listens closely and follows the client's lead while offering structure when it helps.

She blends practical methods from several evidence-informed approaches. Clients may work on skills for managing strong emotions, changing unhelpful thinking patterns, or clarifying values and goals. Conversations can include coping strategies for chronic or acute illness, grief work, or resolving family conflict.

Karin aims to create a nonjudgmental space where people can try new ways of responding to difficult situations. Therapy sessions emphasize collaboration and step-by-step plans that fit everyday life. She helps people set clear goals and practices to support progress between visits.

Her background includes work with a range of concerns such as relationship struggles, parenting stress, caregiver strain, sleep problems, anger, self-esteem, and challenges related to ADHD and bipolar mood patterns. Karin supports practical problem solving alongside emotional healing.

How her approaches translate to online care

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people clarify what matters to them and take small steps toward those values. It uses practical exercises to notice thoughts without being ruled by them and can be useful for anxiety, depression, and chronic health stress. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying thoughts and behaviors that maintain distress and replacing them with testing and practice-based changes to improve mood and functioning. This approach is commonly used for anxiety, depression, sleep problems, and stress management. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) offers concrete emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal skills training to help manage intense emotions and improve relationships.

Finding the right approach is part of the work together. Karin will talk with a client about their needs, goals, and preferences and then recommend or combine techniques in a collaborative way. That conversation helps shape a plan that fits the person's life and what they hope to change.

For practical matters, confirm available session formats before scheduling since specific formats were not listed in the biography. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy routine, reduce travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when needed. Licensed professionals often use video or phone in ways that help people maintain momentum between appointments and apply new skills in daily life.