About me

I am living in Naples, Florida now since June of 2018 after 5 years of directing a counseling center that I founded in January of 2013 in North Carolina. I started as the sole practitioner where 75% of my caseload was couples therapy. I then added a few counselors as clientele began to grow and by the end of the second year there were 12 counselors working in our center. There were interns from several universities accruing hours toward their graduate degrees in professional counseling and I was their supervisor. All graduated successfully and some stayed on to accrue hours toward licensure and before I moved to Florida several obtained their licensed professional counselor statuses in the state of North Carolina. I loved working with my clients and I truly enjoyed supervising the interns and directing the other counselors. I left the center in good hands in January of 2018 to be closer to family in Florida where I am also licensed. I moved to Naples with my husband of 40 years. I love working with couples because I learned firsthand with my husband how marriage is not always easy but so very worth working on to make it the best it can be.

I earned my Bachelor of Science degree in Church Leadership with a concentration in Bible in 2006 and then continued at Southeastern University to earn my Master of Science in Professional Counseling graduating in 2009. I began counseling at Hope Counseling Centers in Lakeland, Florida in 2008 working under the supervision of three supervisors; one Licensed Mental Health Counselor and two psychologists while working on my masters degree and internship. My degree conferred in February of 2010 after completion of my internship. I obtained my state licensure in Florida in 2014 and my North Carolina State Licensure in June of 2015 after relocating there.

After moving back to Florida I kept many of my North Carolina clients that were interested in video-conferencing. I received my Board Certified TeleMental Health credentials in 2018 from the Center of Credentialing and Education. My focus is to continue to work with my clients through online counseling to help with mood disorders, life adjustments, relationship issues and learning new communication skills. My approach is mainly Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) although I also have a client-centered perspective and draw from solution-focused brief therapy when appropriate. CBT deals with what you think about situations in your life because this will cause you to feel a certain way and in turn your actions and reactions will be the result. You may have some automatic thoughts about situations in your life that you are not aware of. Cognitive behavioral therapy will help you to be able to recognize what your automatic thoughts are, measure the validity of those thoughts and remove any irrational thinking that may exist replacing that thinking with more rational thinking. With couples I have had training in Gottman methods and I incorporate many other interventions to help couples connect in more healthy ways that adds to their marital satisfaction.

I am also able to integrate Christian counseling into sessions if my clients prefer a strong biblical perspective. I am a licensed minister with the Assemblies of God since 2007. I look forward to working with you to help you come to a point where you no longer need counseling.


Specialties

  • Stress, Anxiety
  • Relationships
  • Family conflicts
  • Depression
  • Coping with life changes
Also experienced in:
Trauma and abuse , Grief , Intimacy-related issues , Parenting issues , Anger management , Self esteem , Career difficulties , Bipolar disorder , Compassion fatigue , Codependency , Communication problems , Divorce and separation , Read more...

Clinical approaches:
Client-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy

Years of Experience: 12

Services offered


  • Messaging

  • Phone

  • Video

Licensing

FL LMHC MH12666


Reviews

These quotes represent just a few of the many positive reviews that we have received for Karen Maldonado . We don't pay anyone to provide their review and they are all made voluntarily. Some people's experience receiving therapy with Regain might be different.

Written on Jun 30, 2020 after therapy with Karen for 2 weeks on issues concerning relationship

We love Karen and appreciate her knowledge of relationships that has greatly improved our own. Highly recommend her and the Regain app to anyone seeking to strengthen their marriage.

Written on Aug 10, 2019 after therapy with Karen for 4 months on issues concerning relationship

The best counselor I have ever encounter. Thank you Karen!

Work with me!