Karen McKinney

Karen is a licensed clinical mental health counselor associate with a specialization in trauma and crisis intervention. She is first and foremost a person-centered counselor practicing from a holistic health and wellness framework that connects body, mind, and spirit. She utilizes a combination of research driven techniques and interventions, including trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, nutritional psychology, and Eastern-based philosophies based on each client’s unique needs and interests. Karen is an advocate for holistic mental health because she knows that mental health is dependent on what we put inside our bodies, whether it is the food we eat, the environment in which we live, or the content we consume. So, she has created a unique approach to counseling that helps clients address their nutritional needs to best support their mental health. She believes therapy is a complex, but beautiful journey and enjoys walking alongside her clients as they work towards the best versions of their lives. She has worked with a variety of clients in multiple settings, including an inpatient addiction rehabilitation center, an outpatient clinical setting at the department of mental health, to an intensive in-home, community-based team for children with trauma and a crisis response team.


Karen’s undergraduate degree is from the University of South Carolina, but she found her passion for counseling during her first master’s degree at Boston University studying international relations and global governance, nuclear disarmament, peace keeping, and conflict resolution. After witnessing the traumas of refugees while interning at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, she knew she wanted to add to her education to be better equipped to work with these individuals and their unique needs. So, she went back to school and completed her second master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling in 2020.

Book an appointment with this Holistic Counselor to address: Anxiety, depression, trauma, suicidal ideation, self-harm, crises, abuse, and PTSD. Karen is also an LGBTQ+ therapist