Karissa Thomas, LMSW
Practical, narrative-informed care with warmth
Details
| Name | Karissa Thomas |
|---|---|
| Credentials | LMSW |
| Based in | Michigan |
| Licensed in | Michigan |
| Session format | Online |
| Languages | English |
| Years in practice | 7 |
About Karissa
Karissa Thomas is a Licensed Master Social Worker who aims to make people feel heard and understood. She brings a straightforward, warm presence to sessions and focuses on practical steps that help with everyday struggles. Her style is curious and non-judgmental, and she invites honesty and openness from the first meeting.
Karissa believes people know their own lives best. She listens for the stories clients tell about themselves and gently challenges unhelpful patterns.
Background and approach
Sessions mix talk with concrete skills so people can try new ways of coping between meetings. Her approach draws on Narrative ideas to reframe difficult experiences and on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to help clients notice values and take workable action. She also uses Attachment-Based and Client-Centered methods to build trust and a steady working relationship.
Cognitive Behavioral tools are available when clients want clear steps to change thinking and behavior. Karissa works with a wide range of concerns, including anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship and intimacy issues, grief, parenting stress, eating struggles, addiction, ADHD, and career or life transitions. She aims to balance compassion with direct feedback so people leave sessions with things they can act on.
Based in Michigan, Karissa has seven years of clinical experience as an LMSW. She offers support in English and welcomes people from other regions who prefer online work. Her tone is warm, honest, and practical, and she will laugh with clients when it fits the moment.
What this therapist works with
Her listing names LGBT, Relationship issues, Trauma and abuse among the things Karissa works with, alongside the areas below.
- LGBT
- Relationship issues
- Trauma and abuse
- Eating disorders
- Coping with life changes
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- Family conflicts
- Grief
- Intimacy-related issues
- Sleeping disorders
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Self esteem
- Career difficulties
- Bipolar disorder
- Depression
- Coaching
- Compassion fatigue
- ADHD
- Abandonment
- Adoption and foster care
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Antisocial personality
- Attachment issues
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Cancer
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Dependent personality
- 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
- Gender dysphoria
- Guilt and shame
- Hearing impaired
- Hoarding
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Immigration issues
- Infidelity
- Intellectual disability
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Money and financial issues
- Multicultural concerns
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Personality disorders
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Postpartum depression
- Post-traumatic stress
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexual dysfunction
- Sexuality
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Traumatic brain injury
- Trichotillomania
- Visually impaired
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches listed
- Narrative Therapy: Named in her listing among her approaches.
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): Listed by Karissa among the ways she works.
- Attachment-Based Therapy: Listed by Karissa among the ways she works.
- Client-Centered Therapy: Listed by Karissa among the ways she works.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Listed by Karissa among the ways she works.
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): Listed by Karissa among the ways she works.
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT): Listed by Karissa among the ways she works.
- Gottman Method: Listed by Karissa among the ways she works.
- Mindfulness Therapy: Listed by Karissa among the ways she works.
- Motivational Interviewing: Listed by Karissa among the ways she works.
- Psychodynamic Therapy: Listed by Karissa among the ways she works.
- Solution-Focused Therapy: Listed by Karissa among the ways she works.
- Trauma-Focused Therapy: Listed by Karissa among the ways she works.
- Internal Family Systems: Listed by Karissa among the ways she works.
- Training stated: This directory copies the approaches a therapist names and does not check training records. Ask Karissa directly how much of the work is narrative and what a session usually looks like.
Narrative Therapy in this listing
Narrative Therapy appears in this therapist's own list of approaches. That tells you it is part of how she works. It does not tell you how much of a session it shapes, and this directory does not check or rate training.
If a narrative approach is what you are looking for, it is worth asking Karissa directly how she uses it and what a session usually looks like.
Online session options
How narrative and acceptance approaches work online
Karissa uses Narrative Therapy to help people name the stories that shape their lives and to open up alternatives that feel truer to who they want to be. This approach is useful for identity questions, relationship patterns, and shifts after big life events.She also draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, which focuses on noticing thoughts and feelings and then taking values-based action. ACT can help with anxiety, depression, coping with change, and painful memories by teaching skills to move forward even when feelings are strong.
Finding the right approach is part of the work together. Karissa collaborates with each person to see which methods fit their goals and comfort level, and she adapts as needs change over time. Clients help set goals and pick the tools that feel most useful.
Online sessions are offered as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to give flexibility. Video lets people read nonverbal cues, phone can be easier when bandwidth is limited, chat and messaging suit quick check-ins or ongoing notes, and asynchronous messaging supports shorter updates between meetings. These options help people fit therapy around work, caregiving, or travel while keeping a steady therapeutic rhythm.
Common questions about this listing
What kinds of concerns does Karissa address?
She helps people with anxiety, depression, trauma and abuse, relationship and intimacy issues, grief, eating concerns, addictions, parenting stress, ADHD, and many life changes.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
Her style is direct and compassionate. She listens without judgment, uses curiosity, and mixes practical skills with reflective conversation.
What is her background and experience?
Karissa is a Licensed Master Social Worker with seven years of clinical experience working in Michigan settings.
Where is she based and what credential does she hold?
She practices from Michigan and holds an MI LMSW, which stands for Licensed Master Social Worker in Michigan.
In which languages can sessions be held?
Sessions are offered in English.
What session formats are available?
She offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to fit different scheduling needs and preferences.
How are sessions priced?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with Karissa?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions according to therapist availability.
Contacting this therapist
Sessions with Karissa are arranged through our partner platform. It asks a few questions about what you are looking for, then shows you the therapists available to you, including Karissa where she has space. Ask about fees, and whether she holds a licence or registration where you live.
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