PuttingFamilyFirst

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KP Portrait of Karen Pelligra
Online therapist

Karen Pelligra

Calm, practical therapy for family and parenting concerns

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Credentials
LMHC
Experience
22 years
Licensed in
New York
Languages
English
Format
Online sessions

About Karen

Karen Pelligra is a licensed mental health counselor in New York. She has 22 years of experience helping people who are dealing with stress, anxiety, depression, grief, relationship strain, parenting questions, and other life changes. She meets people where they are and focuses on practical steps to make daily life feel more manageable.

Her approach is collaborative and straightforward. Sessions aim to identify immediate concerns, build coping skills, and develop plans that fit each person's life.

Background and approach

She uses techniques that teach concrete ways to change unhelpful thoughts and reactions, and she includes mindfulness and skills for tolerating strong emotions. Pelligra has worked in outpatient community mental health, inpatient psychiatric hospitals, and home-based family services. That range of settings shapes a flexible style that adapts to different needs and stressors.

She brings long experience supporting people through adoption and foster care issues, chronic illness and pain, communication problems, divorce and separation, and caregiving fatigue. Clients who have faced trauma, mood disorders, panic, OCD symptoms, postpartum depression, or ongoing family conflict may find her practical focus useful. She also addresses concerns like addiction, eating problems, forgiveness, and isolation.

Sessions emphasize small, doable changes and clearer communication with others. Pelligra works in English and practices as NY LMHC 004297. Her style mixes client-centered listening with evidence-based methods like cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy.

She aims to help people feel steadier and more able to handle everyday demands.

Therapeutic approaches suited for online sessions

Client-centered work focuses on listening and tailoring sessions to each person's priorities. It helps people feel heard, name what matters most, and decide which changes to try first. Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, teaches practical ways to identify unhelpful thoughts and shift behaviors that keep problems going. It is useful for anxiety, depression, panic, and many stress-related issues.

Finding the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will talk with each person about their goals and try strategies to see what fits best. If one method does not feel helpful, adjustments are made so the plan matches the person's needs and preferences.

Online therapy offers flexible ways to connect through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. These options make it easier to keep continuity of care around busy schedules, parenting demands, or mobility limits. Licensed professionals can use the different formats to teach skills, coach through difficult moments, and check in between live conversations.

Client-Centered Therapy

The direction comes from you rather than from a set programme. The therapist offers a warm, non-judgemental space to think out loud and work at your own pace. Online, this rests on the relationship rather than on being in the same room.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

CBT looks at the link between what you think, how you feel, and what you do. You work on noticing unhelpful patterns and practising steadier responses. It suits online sessions well, because much of the work happens between appointments and can be talked through from anywhere.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

Concrete skills for riding out strong emotion, tolerating distress, and handling relationships without things escalating. The skills are practised in daily life, so between-session support by message or phone fits naturally.

Frequently asked questions

What concerns does she address?
She works with many issues including stress, anxiety, depression, grief, relationship and family problems, parenting concerns, trauma and abuse, addictions, and mood disorders.
What is her therapeutic style?
Her style is collaborative and practical. She listens closely and teaches tools from approaches like cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, and mindfulness to help with day-to-day coping.
How much experience does she have?
She has 22 years of clinical experience working in outpatient community mental health, inpatient psychiatric hospitals, and home-based family services.
What are her credentials and location?
She is a licensed mental health counselor, NY LMHC 004297, and practices in New York.
Which languages are supported?
Sessions are offered in English.
What session formats are available?
Therapy is offered through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to fit different needs and schedules.
How are costs handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
To get started, select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to therapist availability.

Specialties and expertise

Top specialties

Also works with

Therapeutic approaches

Experience
22 years
Licensed
New York
Languages
English

Next step

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