Karen Symanowicz

With over a decade as a licensed therapist and nearly 20 years in corporate leadership, I work with high-functioning adults who have reached a point where the way they've been living no longer fits the life they want to create.

My practice is intentionally focused on people who are functioning in their lives but recognize a pattern, relationship, role, expectation, or way of thinking that is keeping them stuck.

You may know exactly what you want to do differently and still find yourself repeating the same choices. You may be successful professionally but dissatisfied personally. You may be navigating a transition and realizing that what worked for an earlier version of your life no longer works for who you're becoming.

My approach is direct, collaborative, practical, and highly engaged. We won't spend session after session simply analyzing what happened. We'll look at the beliefs, expectations, interpretations, and patterns influencing the way you're living now—and determine what may need to change.

A central part of my work focuses on what I call mental frameworks: the internal rules and assumptions through which we interpret ourselves, other people, and our lives. Sometimes a framework that once made sense becomes outdated. It continues shaping our choices long after it has stopped serving the life we're trying to build.

Our work is about noticing those frameworks, understanding how they're influencing your current life, and developing more intentional ways of responding.

Who I Work Best With

My practice is best suited for adults who are ready to actively participate in change.

You may be asking questions like:

• Why do I keep repeating something I already understand?
• Why am I settling for a life, relationship, or career that I know isn't what I want?
• Why do I keep overriding what I know about myself?
• What do I actually want at this stage of my life?
• What beliefs or expectations are influencing the choices I'm making?
• How do I stop simply managing my life and start intentionally creating it?

You don't need to have everything figured out. But you should be interested in looking honestly at your patterns and practicing something different outside of our sessions.

Most people tell me they leave their first session feeling lighter, clearer, and more hopeful.

We'll understand what brought you in, but we will also begin looking forward quickly: What isn't working? What do you want instead? What may be keeping you where you are? And what can you begin doing differently?

I believe the most meaningful work happens between sessions. Insight matters, but insight alone doesn't change a life. Change happens through what you notice, practice, choose, and repeat outside the therapy room.

My goal is not for therapy to become a permanent fixture in your life. My goal is to help you develop the awareness, tools, and self-trust to navigate your life increasingly well without me.

Scope of My Practice

Because my practice is intentionally focused, I am not the best fit for every person seeking therapy.

My current work is centered on personal growth, recurring life and relationship patterns, identity and life transitions, values and alignment, decision-making, and intentionally creating what comes next.

I am generally not the appropriate provider for clients primarily seeking treatment for acute or severe psychiatric symptoms, crisis stabilization, medication management, psychological testing or diagnostic evaluation, documentation/accommodation letters, or specialized trauma treatment. When another type of care would better meet your needs, I will recommend seeking a provider whose practice specializes in that area.