Karen Gano, MD, LCSW-C, LCSW, CSW

Licensed in New Mexico · 33 years in practice

Karen Gano greets people who are ready for change with a calm, practical presence.

License and registration

LCSW, New Mexico: C-09421 · expires July 2027
LCSW, Colorado: CSW.09924060 · expires August 2027
LCSW, Pennsylvania: CW019060 · expires February 2027
LCSW, Virginia: 0904010653 · expires June 2026
LCSW-C, Maryland: 27193 · expires October 2027
LCSW, Maine: LC21694 · expires August 2026
NPI: 1336720440 · national provider identifier
Years in practice: 33
Languages: English

Details are as listed on the therapist's public professional profile. You can check any license with the state board and any NPI with the national registry.

About Karen

Karen Gano greets people who are ready for change with a calm, practical presence. She is an experienced clinician who helps people facing relationship strain, grief, anxiety, depression, addictions, and major life changes. Karen brings 33 years of experience and both medical and social work training to her practice in New Mexico.

Her sessions focus on helping people find clearer next steps. She uses client-centered listening to understand each person’s priorities.

Background and approach

Motivational interviewing helps people sort through mixed feelings and find their own motivation to act. Solution-focused tools and mindfulness practices are used to build coping skills for stress, anger, or anxiety. Karen’s background includes medical social work in settings such as oncology, palliative care, and emergency medicine.

That experience shaped her interest in helping those facing illness, caregiver stress, end-of-life concerns, and other intense life challenges. She also supports people navigating separation, divorce, career shifts, and midlife transitions. In sessions, she aims to boost self-awareness and self-esteem while teaching practical coping strategies.

Her approach emphasizes strengths, small achievable goals, and steady progress. She often blends short-term problem solving with emotional support for deeper issues like trauma or abandonment. People meet her for help with burnout, compassion fatigue, life-purpose questions, and relationship or intimacy-related struggles.

Karen uses plain language and clear steps so people leave sessions with something they can try right away.

Focus areas and approaches

Everything Karen lists on their public professional profile, in their own terms.

Approaches Karen names

Naming an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist lists and does not check training records.

Online support

Approaches that fit busy lives and big transitions

Karen often uses client-centered therapy to start: the therapist listens closely and follows what matters most to the person. This approach helps people feel heard and sets the agenda for practical work on problems. Motivational interviewing is another common tool she uses; it focuses on resolving mixed feelings and finding personal reasons to change, which is helpful for addictions, career shifts, or making life adjustments.

She also blends solution-focused methods that target clear, short-term goals and mindfulness practices that teach simple ways to handle stress and anxiety. Finding the right mix is a collaborative process. Karen works with each person to choose approaches that match their goals, pace, and preferences rather than imposing a single method.

Online therapy makes this flexible collaboration easier. Video calls let people have a fuller conversation and read facial cues. Phone sessions can be a lighter option when bandwidth or camera use is difficult. Live chat and text-based messaging are useful for brief check-ins, quick coping tools, or arranging next steps between sessions. These options help people fit therapy into work, caregiving, or medical schedules while keeping focus on steady progress and practical skills.

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Questions people ask

What kinds of concerns does Karen address?

She works with issues such as relationship strain, trauma and abuse, grief, anxiety, depression, addictions, and coping with life changes.

How would you describe her therapy style?

Her style is client-centered and practical, combining motivational interviewing, mindfulness, solution-focused work, and trauma-focused approaches to build coping skills and set achievable goals.

What is her professional background?

Karen has 33 years of clinical experience and a background in medical social work, including work in oncology, emergency medicine, palliative care, and domestic violence settings.

Which credentials and location are listed for her?

She holds MD, LCSW-C, LCSW, and CSW credentials and provides services from New Mexico.

Are sessions offered in other languages or internationally?

Sessions are offered in English and she is not accepting international clients.

What session formats are available?

Therapy is offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to suit different schedules and needs.

How is cost handled for sessions?

Cost varies with location and therapist availability, and sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.

How do I begin working with her?

Click the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions according to therapist availability.

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