“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” ~ Anais Nin Hello. My name is Karen Gano, and I am a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker in New Mexico, Colorado, Maine, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia, and Australia. I received my Masters degree in Social Work from the University of Pittsburgh, and I have over 30 years of clinical counseling experience. My specialty is what I call Empowerment Counseling. I have a Motivational Interviewing style, and I use Compassion-Focused, Client-Centered, Solution Focused Brief (SFBT), Mindfulness, and Strength Based therapies to assist clients in improving their outlook and life. I have a holistic and goal oriented practice, working primarily with women who are going through some type of life transition whether it be separation, divorce, career changes, relocation, empty nest, illness, etc. I also provide counseling to healthcare workers as I have been a practicing medical social worker throughout my career, and I have worked in trauma, emergency medicine, critical care, oncology, palliative care, and domestic abuse. We can all benefit from talking to someone now and again. It is my primary goal to empower clients so that they can build and expand their “team,” discover their voice, increase self-awareness and esteem, and make wanted changes in their life. My professional and personal mantra is “Self-Care + Time = Healing.” I can help you with healthy coping strategies and tools to guide you from surviving to thriving. I very much look forward to working with you!