Karen Okun, M.A., LADC

Services

  • Individual Therapy
  • Telehealth

Specialties

  • Substance Abuse
  • Depression and mood disorders
  • Anxiety
  • Stress Management
  • Grief, Loss, Life Transitions
  • Coping with Health Issues

Education & Experience

  • M.A. from St. Michael’s College
  • Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LADC)

Karen earned her Masters Degree in Clinical Psychology at St. Michael’s College and has worked in the substance abuse field since graduating from the University of Vermont in 1988. She began to specialize in working with adolescents and their families when she started Student Assistance Programs in two school districts in 1991.

Karen is experienced in individual, group, family, and multi-family groups having worked in both outpatient and intensive outpatient programs. She devoted the last 10 years of her career as the Student Assistance Program Counselor at Champlain Valley Union High School, as well as starting and running new programs for two middle schools in the same school district.

As a former college athlete and 16 year veteran assistant coach at the collegiate level, Karen has studied sport psychology both formally and experientially. She has observed how expectations that are placed on teens and young adults as well as the pressure that they place on themselves can be very destructive obstacles to their growth and ability to develop a healthy sense of self. She believes in the importance in helping young people find at least one thing that they are passionate about in life.

Karen’s approach involves providing education about drug abuse and addiction, allowing the individual to evaluate objectively the role that their use plays in their lives, helping them to evaluate what behaviors they need to change in order to feel good about who they are and the choices that they are making , and finally, helping them discover what gets them “high” naturally. This allows them to start developing a healthy sense of self as well as a sense of purpose and direction.