Karen Ward

About Karen

Hello! My name is Karen Ward. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Texas with over 15 years of experience working as a counselor and a hypnotherapist. I have worked with individuals, couples, and families with a wide range of concerns including depression, anxiety, relationship issues, parenting problems, past hurts, and OCD. I also helped many people who have experienced physical trauma and emotional abuse. I am certified as a Narcissistic Abuse Treatment Clinician through Dr. Ramani Durvsula’s coursework. Combining that with my experiential knowledge, I not only know the most recent empirical information, but I am also a survivor as well. If you are in a relationship or have been in a relationship with someone you suspect is on the narcissistic spectrum, I want to give you hope that you didn’t cause the abuse. In addition, I have much life experience that gives me compassion and a deeper understanding of what it may be like standing in your shoes. I put my career on hold to raise children and didn’t complete my bachelor’s and pursue my master’s degree until my children were teenagers. That decision afforded me the opportunity to blend my life experiences with my education. There are tales told of people on life quests who search for “the wise sage, shaman, or crone” to answer their questions and give them guidance. I hope my years of life and learning will be of benefit to you.
Congratulations on taking this first step in improving your life. Many people believe that seeking help from a therapist is a sign of weakness. But the contrary is true. It is a sign of great strength and wisdom. I will be glad to discuss this further with you if you would like.
I strongly believe you should feel comfortable with the therapist you choose, and hopeful about the therapy. When you feel this way, therapy is more likely to be extremely helpful to you. I like to think of my role as a passenger on your boat of life, helping you navigate through the rapids or the storms of your life. I will not steer your boat for you or tell you how to drive it. But I will teach you better skills and help you let go of your past failures or anchors that are weighing you down so that when the next rapids or storm hits, you are better prepared to navigate through the troubled waters to calmer seas.
My theoretical approach is based on the family system. Each of us has a family. This could be the family that raised us (parents, grandparents, foster parents, adopted parents, aunts and uncles, or other friends or extended family) or it could be people we respect and give us assistance and guidance when needed most. Any or all these people have contributed to our experiences, good or bad in life, and how we react to people or situations today. It is these family memories and experiences along with your personality and temperament that have brought you to the place you are in life today.

The most central ideas in my work are:
1. People are unique and deserve to be treated equally and with respect.
2. Families and society tend to judge people’s worth and force them into conformity which may lead to anxiety, loss of self-esteem, depression, anger, rebellion, and other dysfunctional behaviors and psychological disorders.
3. Every person needs their own space and a purpose in life to have a sense of worth, hope, acceptance, empowerment, and the ability to make good choices and be responsible.
4. Therapy can help people change in a positive way so that they can live to their full potential.
5. Parents do the best they know how, and often repeat the dysfunctional patterns of their families.
6. Change can be difficult and may create stress in the family system and in the client. This can lead to the client reverting to the familiar way of coping with the stress and the stopping of all progress.
7. As the client’s self-worth and outlook on life improves, change will occur and is permanent.

The goals of my treatment are tailored to the individual’s uniqueness, willingness to change, and their personal issues. My hope is that everyone will discover their full potential and develop the healthy coping skills necessary to function in their family system and in society.

I look forward to helping you find peace and happiness in your life.