Kara Anderson , LPCC, LMHC

Kara Anderson is a licensed mental health professional with 29 years of clinical experience working across residential, outpatient, and community-based settings. She began her counseling career in 1994 as a residential therapist in a psychiatric hospital and progressed through roles as an outpatient therapist, clinical supervisor, and program director at a substance abuse treatment agency. In 2001 she relocated to Ohio and served for 13 years as a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor - Supervisor while working as a program manager and administrator for a nonprofit mental and behavioral health organization. In 2014 she returned to Florida and established an online practice, accumulating years of remote clinical work and positive client feedback.

Kara holds the credentials LPCC and LMHC - LPCC denotes a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor and LMHC denotes a Licensed Mental Health Counselor - and she combines a humanistic clinical philosophy with evidence-informed techniques. Her approach emphasizes the therapeutic relationship as the foundation for change; she is described by colleagues as warm, attentive, and compassionate while also applying direct, structured interventions and therapeutic tasks when helpful. She tailors pacing and treatment to each person and focuses on balance across major life domains to reduce stress, anxiety, and related symptoms.

Her formal training includes a bachelor of psychology from the University of Miami, a master of mental health counseling from Nova Southeastern University, and post-graduate coursework in career counseling and the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders at the University of Dayton. Kara works with a broad range of issues including stress, anxiety, addictions, trauma and abuse, grief, LGBT concerns, relationship and family difficulties, parenting and intimacy-related issues, anger, self-esteem, career challenges, depression, ADHD, and compassion fatigue. She values ongoing professional development and applies a mix of client-centered, cognitive behavioral, dialectical behavior, mindfulness, and motivational interviewing techniques to meet each client’s needs.

Approaches for Online Therapeutic Work and Support

Kara uses client-centered therapy to create a collaborative, respectful environment where the therapist follows the client's lead, offering empathy and unconditional positive regard to help people explore their values, relationships, and life direction. This approach is well suited for those seeking a supportive space to clarify personal goals and process difficult emotions.

She also integrates cognitive behavioral therapy, which focuses on identifying and changing unhelpful thinking patterns and behaviors. CBT is practical for addressing anxiety, depression, stress, and many daily functioning challenges by teaching concrete skills and behavioral experiments.

Dialectical behavior therapy techniques are applied when clients need tools for emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and improving interpersonal effectiveness. DBT strategies can be helpful for high-intensity emotions, relationship conflicts, and patterns that interfere with stability.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. Kara works with each person to determine which methods and pacing best match their needs, goals, and preferences, adapting strategies over time as progress is made.

Online therapy offers flexibility and accessibility - sessions are available by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging - which can make it easier to fit care into a busy life, maintain continuity across changes in location, and access therapy from familiar environments. Licensed professionals can deliver these approaches effectively through remote formats while focusing on practical tools and consistent support.