Karen Shaughness
Compassionate, experienced clinical social worker
LCSW New York
- Experience
- 38 years in practice
- Focus areas
- Stress, Anxiety, Addictions, Relationship
- Approaches
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Client-Centered Therapy
- Languages
- English
About Karen
Karen Shaughness is a licensed clinical social worker who centers her practice on evidence-informed techniques, with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) featured among her primary approaches.
Background and approach
Based in New York, she draws on nearly four decades of clinical experience to help people facing anxiety, stress, depression, addictions, and challenges in relationships and family life. Her work often integrates mindfulness and motivational interviewing to support practical coping skills alongside exploration of personal values and patterns.
She brings a warm, patient-centered stance to sessions and values collaboration, helping clients identify realistic goals and stepwise strategies for change. Karen has worked in hospital settings and with a wide range of issues including trauma and abuse, grief, intimacy concerns, sleep difficulties, parenting and career stress, mood disorders, and problems related to substance use.
Outside of practice she enjoys outdoor activities such as kayaking, gardening, and hiking with her golden retriever, pursuits she finds restorative and grounding for the work she does with others.
Approaches That Translate Well to Online Therapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thoughts and behaviors through concrete exercises and homework, making it useful for problems like anxiety, depression, panic, and obsessions. Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes an empathic, nonjudgmental relationship where the therapist follows the client's lead to build insight, self-acceptance, and personal growth; this can help with stress, self-esteem, relationship concerns, and life transitions.
Finding the right approach is often a collaborative process. Karen works with clients to explore which methods feel most useful, combining techniques from different approaches when appropriate and adjusting plans based on each person's goals, preferences, and responses to treatment.
Online sessions can increase flexibility by allowing video calls, phone conversations, live chat, or text-based messaging. These formats make it easier to fit therapy into busy schedules, maintain continuity during life changes, and access consistent support from a licensed professional without traveling to an office. The variety of session types also allows clients and therapist to choose modes that best suit particular exercises, check-ins, or practice assignments.
Frequently asked questions
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Areas of expertise
Primary focus
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
38+ years
Licensed
New York
Languages
English