Therapist Karen VanWyk Photo

Karen VanWyk, LCSW

Stress, Anxiety Trauma, Abuse Grief Depression Coping with life changes
Video Phone Live Chat Messaging

About me

“Why is this happening to me?” “How can I trust myself to make the right decisions?” “Will I always be a people pleaser instead of looking out for myself?” “Why can’t I be happy right now?” Are questions like these consuming your thoughts? Do you often experience feelings of helplessness and hopelessness?
Sometimes we need guidance to get past emotional turmoil and back on a path towards contentment in our lives. Therapy can help with navigating through life’s problems by setting and accomplishing goals to help you return to good mental health with personal and/or professional growth. Therapy is an inviting place where every single part of you is welcome, even the parts that are uncomfortable to share. You are encouraged to allow yourself to experience any emotion or thought freely.
Hello and welcome! I am from the great state of Texas and have been an accomplished psychotherapist for 30 years. I have a broad range of clinical expertise in assisting individuals, couples and families. I have experience in helping clients with stress and anxiety, trauma and abuse, depression, relationship dynamics, coping with grief and loss, as well as other equally important issues. It is my genuine hope that every client journeys along their therapeutic path with a renewed sense of understanding and self-appreciation.
This is truly my life’s calling and it is wonderful to be able to watch people make positive changes in their lives. Throughout the years, I have been able to build rapport quickly with compassion and empathy towards my clients who have ranged in ages from 4 to 104.
I have found that utilizing an integrative therapeutic approach is beneficial to meet each individual’s unique needs. This treatment, along with a wealth of life experience, offers a more flexible and inclusive perspective to assist in navigating through unhealthy lifestyle patterns.
The first step is the most difficult and here you are! Getting started can be pretty scary — to talk to someone you don't know about things that make you uncomfortable, sad, angry, embarrassed, or even overjoyed — but I would like to reassure you that this process is here to help you grow. If you seek to have a voice in the direction of your therapy and view the therapeutic relationship as a partnership, then I welcome the opportunity to meet with you and begin your healing journey.
Tell me your story.




Professional experience

30 yrs in practice
Stress, Anxiety Trauma, Abuse Grief Depression Coping with life changes

Additional areas of focus: Abandonment, Adoption and foster care, Aging and geriatric issues, Antisocial personality, Attachment issues, Autism and Asperger Syndrome, Avoidant personality, Blended family issues, Body image, Cancer, Caregiver issues and stress, Chronic pain, illness, and disability, Co-morbidity, Codependency, Commitment issues, Communication problems, Control issues, Coping with natural or human-caused disaster, Dependent personality, Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD), Dissociation, Divorce and separation, Domestic violence, Drug and alcohol addiction, Eating and food-related issues, Emptiness, Family of origin issues, Family problems, Fatherhood issues, Fertility issues, First responder issues, Forgiveness, Guilt and shame, Hoarding, Hospice and end-of-life counseling, Impulsivity, Infidelity, Isolation / loneliness, Jealousy, Life purpose, Midlife crisis, Veteran and Armed Forces Issues, Money and financial issues, Mood disorders, Narcissism, Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD, Panic disorder and panic attacks, Paranoia, Personality disorders, Phobias, Postpartum depression, Post-traumatic stress, Pregnancy and childbirth, Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling), Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), Self-harm, Self-love, Sex addiction, Sexual assault and abuse, Sexual dysfunction, Sexuality, Smoking / vaping cessation, Social anxiety and phobia, Somatization, Trichotillomania, Women's issues, Workplace issues, Young adult issues

Clinical approaches: 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, Internal Family Systems

Services offered

Video
Phone
Live Chat
Messaging

License information

TX LCSW 41704

Reviews

These quotes represent just a few of the many positive reviews that we have received for Karen VanWyk. We don't pay anyone to provide their review and they are all made voluntarily. Some people's experience receiving therapy with BetterHelp might be different.

Karen VanWyk is an incredible therapist—supportive, attentive, and truly invested in her clients. She is always on time and never rushes sessions, creating a safe space to feel heard and understood. I appreciate her patience, insight, and the practical tools she provides. Working with her has been a great experience, and I highly recommend her!

Written on Feb 19, 2025 after therapy with Karen for 7 months on issues concerning stress, anxiety, self esteem, coaching, and adhd

I’ve had a great experience with Karen. She is a great therapist who has been very helpful, and kind during the struggles I’m having at this moment.
She has been in contact with me via text, and every time I reach out to her she responds promptly, with great advice and resources. I feel heard and taken seriously during our sessions. She asks great questions that help me determine possible paths to resolve my issues. I am thankful to have met her, and very thankful for this opportunity to be able to get help from someone that cares about my mental well being. Thank you Karen !!

Written on Feb 15, 2025 after therapy with Karen for 3 weeks on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, relationship issues, family conflicts, and coping with life changes

She understands where I come from in regards to family and school life. Been in counseling with her for almost a year and she's been helping me throughout vet tech school.

Written on Feb 14, 2025 after therapy with Karen for 7 months on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, family conflicts, grief, sleeping disorders, self esteem, coping with life changes, coaching, compassion fatigue, and adhd

Karen and I have developed a great relationship and I feel she knows and understands me well.

Written on Jan 30, 2025 after therapy with Karen for 7 months on issues concerning depression, family conflicts, trauma and abuse, sleeping disorders, self esteem, coping with life changes, and adhd

She great

Written on Jan 15, 2025 after therapy with Karen for 3 months on issues concerning relationship issues, family conflicts, trauma and abuse, self esteem, career difficulties, coaching, and adhd

Karen is literally the best. She is such a good listener.

Written on Dec 18, 2024 after therapy with Karen for 1 year and 2 months on issues concerning depression, relationship issues, family conflicts, grief, intimacy-related issues, sleeping disorders, self esteem, anger management, coping with life changes, and adhd